Product Review -- Tarte Be a Mermaid and Make Waves Eyeshadow Palette

I'm always (at least) a little resentful of gimmicky makeup products.

That's because I feel like a lot of brands put more thought into the gimmick, which usually means the packaging or marketing campaign, than they do into the products themselves, so you wind up with mediocre makeup that you can't do much with.

That's how I felt about a lot of the unicorn-themed makeup items that came out over the past year or two -- though I will admit that I've never been into unicorns, even when I was a kid.

Now, mermaids, on the other hand, well, I've always been pretty into them. As a kid, I was obsessed with these little mermaid dolls that came with a foam float so you could bring them into the tub with you (I googled them, and at the risk of dating myself, they were apparently called See Wees). The Little Mermaid is at the top of my favorite Disney movies list too. I was even a mermaid for Halloween one year.

I've always been pretty into them.

So I can't say that I wasn't tempted by Tarte's mermaid collection as soon as I saw it -- but I worked hard to talk myself out of it. The Be a Mermaid and Make Waves Eyeshadow Palette was the item that called to me most, and while the packaging is certainly striking, I looked at it and thought it would be difficult to store because it was an unconventional shape and kind of bulky.

I also wasn't a fan of the fact that the pans inside were fin-shaped (or shell-shaped? I'm not entirely sure) because as cute as they look, it just doesn't seem like the best use of space.

So I didn't buy it... until Tarte had a 20% off sale and I finally caved.

(But I waited at least a full two weeks. That's serious restraint for me, I swear.)

The palette comes in a shell-shaped compact that's covered with a faux leather-like material in a gorgeous blue-green color with gold flecks and features gold metallic trim all the way around. The top has a slightly padded feel to it, which gives it a little extra bulk.

Tarte Be a Mermaid and Make Waves Eyeshadow Palette

Inside, there is a good sized round mirror, which works well for doing makeup on the go because the lid stays open by itself. There are 14 shadows in the palette in the aforementioned shell-shaped pans.

Tarte Be a Mermaid and Make Waves Eyeshadow Palette

The shades include: Nude Beach, a shimmery pale gold; Shore Thing, a matte sienna; Frose, a shimmery rose gold; Beach Please, a shimmery maroon; Mermosa, a shimmery warm gold; Cavern, a shimmery burgundy brown; Fin-tastic, a shimmery reddish bronze; Sandbar, a matte warm brown with subtle gold glitter; Salt Water, a shimmery pale taupe; Shipwreck, a matte brown rose with subtle gold glitter; Shell Yea, a shimmery bronze; Bubbles, a lilac duo chrome with blue, green, and red tones; Splash, a shimmery teal; and Lagoon, a shimmery ocean blue.

Tarte Be a Mermaid and Make Waves Eyeshadow Palette

Okay, as gimmicky as this palette is -- and it definitely is, no way around that -- these shadows are actually lovely. The formula is one of Tarte's better ones -- the shimmers are rich and pigmented, and the mattes are creamy and blend easily. The shadows do tend to kick up a lot of product, so the palette can get a little messy, but I haven't had many issues with fallout.

In terms of the color scheme, I'm kind of in love. The combination of warm bronze, rose gold, and red ones paired with the cooler pops of typical ocean-inspired shades is just stunning. There really isn't a shade in the palette that I don't like, but for me, Bubbles is the real standout.

I am absolutely obsessed with it.

From l. to r.: Salt Water, Beach Please, Shore Thing, Nude Beach, Frose, Cavern, Shell Yeah

From l. to r.: Bubbles, Fin-tastic, Mermosa, Sandbar, Splash, Shipwreck, Lagoon

It is a lilac color, but it shifts blue and green and even has some interesting red hints to it. As someone with super fair skin, blue shadow always tends to look a little clownish on me, which is a bummer because it's my favorite color for everything. Bubbles works perfectly as a lid shade for me even with my fair skin, so I get a little hint of blue without looking like an 80s reject. And it pairs so well with the rosy brown and maroon tones in the palette.

So lovely!

Now, the color scheme isn't exactly what most of us would think of for a mermaid-themed palette -- there are only a couple of blue-green shades and one purple, and the rest are pretty warm for a sea-inspired palette, so it might be a disappointment for some people.

So with all that said, I can't exactly say this palette is a must-have for everyone. It retails for $42, so it isn't cheap and besides, Bubbles, I'm not sure how unique any of the shades really are.

If you're into mermaids, though, I don't think you'll regret purchasing this palette -- it fits the theme perfectly, but still delivers eyeshadows that you can happily use.

You can purchase the palette on the Tarte website, Sephora, Ulta, and most other places that sell Tarte.

Have you tried the Tarte Be a Mermaid and Make Waves Eyeshadow Palette? Are you a fan? What eyeshadow palette has pleasantly surprised you lately?