Review - Tarte 8th Wonder of the World set from QVC

I got this about a month ago and have been meaning to review it but got sidetracked - so here it is!


I first read about the Tarte 8th Wonder of the World when I got an email from them stating that it was going to be on special on QVC, and after reading about it I was salivating!  I adore Tarte products and especially their new Amazonian Clay products - they really are amazing. For the fantastically low pre-order price of $57 with shipping the kit included:

• 1.7 fl oz Amazonian clay balancing foundation SPF 15 with brush in choice of Fair, Light, Medium, Tan or Deep--Worldwide Launch! Exclusive to QVC until 7/31/11
• 0.008 oz. Amazonian clay automatic waterproof eyeliner in Golden Plum--Worldwide Launch! Exclusive to QVC until 7/31/11
• 0.14 fl oz Pure Optic moisturizing lip gloss in Golden Pink--Worldwide Launch! Exclusive to QVC until 7/31/11
• 0.24 fl oz Lights, Camera, Lashes! volumizing mascara in Black
• 0.20 oz Amazonian clay 12-hour wear powder blush in Glisten (a peachy-pink shade)--Exclusive to QVC until 7/31/11
• Amazonian clay long-wear eyeshadow palette with four 0.06 oz shades: Dark Brown; Shimmering Bronze; light Sand; and Shimmering Plum--Exclusive to QVC until 7/31/11
• Deluxe Airbrush Finish Foundation Brush
• Cosmetic bag

I debated ordering as I had just purchased the UD Naked palette but decided I had to have it. Finally (after I actually had a dream about getting it - that's how excited I was!) it arrived on my doorstep, including everything listed above and a sample of Tarte's Maracuja Oil which I have reviewed in a previous post.  So let's get down to how this get worked for me!

First, the foundation and brush were what I was most excited to try from this set.  I have worn powder mineral makeup for years so this was my first experience with liquid foundation in a long time!  After reading reviews I opted for light vs fair, even though in most other foundations I am the lightest shade.  I read that the fair foundation is this kit was almost white.  I was worried that light might be too dark for me, but luckily it is perfect!  The foundation is misleading because coming out of the tube it's a darker beige-yellow shade - I thought there was no way it would work for me.  I dotted it on my cheeks, forehead, and chin and blended it with soft swirling motions using the brush and it blended right into my skin and gave it a very air-brushed quality.  The brush is fantastic - I would pay $50 for that alone!  It's large, extremely soft, high quality, and has a nice weight in the hand.  I've been using it for about a month and haven't had any bristle fallout, and it works equally well for applying liquid or powder foundation.  Apparently the longer you use the brush the better it works as the foundation works itself into the bristles. I have been wearing the foundation every day since I got it to give it a real test, and I do wear a primer underneath and it lasts all day for me.  My only gripe with this is that compared to powder mineral foundation it does make me feel (but not necessarily look) greasy towards the end of the day.  Also, considering that this is described as a 'full coverage' foundation I was disappointed - I had a few blemishes when I first got it and I had to really layer on foundation and concealer to hide them.  Usually with my MMU I can apply the foundation and then concealer and I'm done. This definitely seems like a foundation for those that are not acne-prone or who have red/sun spots to hide, and if you do plan on still using a concealer.  Overall I do like it though and would buy it again.  I think it gives a very natural, dewey, airbrushed look to the face and I like that about it.  The clay does seem to balance my skin as Tarte claims it does - my oily/dry spots have evened out since I started using this.

The Amazonian Clay blush in Glisten was another product I was excited about as I already have 2 of the blushes in other colors and love them.  In fact since I got the new Tarte blushes, my old ones have sat around untouched!  Glisten is a peachy-pink with gold shimmer to it - I've heard it's Tarte's version of a Nars Orgasm dupe.  These blushes are highly pigmented so you really need a light hand or you just might wind up looking like Bozo the Clown's little sister.  To get a nice glow, I use a BE featherlight brush and swipe once across the blush, then dab lightly on my cheeks going up towards my temples.  I then use the foundation brush to go over it and blend it in, then I use what's left on the BE brush to go over my cheeks again.  This way I get a nice natural looking finish that is not too overdone.  The blush really does last all day and I like the natural glow it gives me. I take off a few points on this shade due to the gold shimmer- it's a bit over the top to have shimmery cheeks which is another reason I blend it out to get rid of some of the shimmer.  I much prefer their matte clay blush shades to this shimmer one and would not purchase another of their shimmer blushes unless it's part of a set.

The eyeshadow quad is cutely packaged and the shades are nice and complimentary.  I especially like the Light Sand shade for highlighting and the Shimmering Plum really brings out my blue eyes.  These are on the warm side so they aren't the best for my cool complexion but I can still make them work.  They are highly pigmented and glide on like silk.  I have a bit of a problem blending them, which I also did with Tarte's Royal Collection eyeshadows, so maybe the formula just doesn't like my eyelids.  I like the shades and with primer they last all day, without primer probably 4-6 hours. This quad makes it easy to go for a more natural daytime look but deepen it up later for a sexy nighttime look.

 The eyeliner is a bronzey-plum and although I'm not much of an eyeliner girl, I do like how it emphasizes my eyes without being too obvious and it looks great with the quad.  The only thing I do not like about it is that it is very hard to smudge.  I like my eyeliner smudgey and it must be the clay in it, but this thing does not smudge!  It just looks kinda streaky when I try to smudge it.  I've read that it's great for the waterline though, so if you like straight up waterproof eyeliner that will stay on your waterline this would be for you!  

The mascara is a cult favorite and now I know why - before I had a sample of this and I really loved it.  I'm happy to have a full sized tube and I think this will become my HG mascara after trying lots of brands.  It makes my lashes longer, thicker, and more dramatic without clumping or flaking off, and it lasts on me about 8 hours before I need to touch up.  I love that it's easy to apply more than one coat without clumping or giving 'spider lashes'.  It's definitely a more dramatic look so if you want natural looking lashes try something else, but you like drama and definition then I'd highly suggest trying this mascara.

The lipgloss is a pale pink with gold sparkle in it.  I have a pale lip color naturally and I like how this adds just a bit of shine and shimmer to my lips and still looks natural.  It smells and tastes minty and isn't too sticky or too thin feeling - I am a bit of a gloss junkie and I'd rate this high as far as texture/smell goes.  It's not highly pigmented so it goes well with the more dramatic eye makeup that comes with this set.  It lasts on lips about 1-3 hours if you don't eat or drink anything.   

Finally, the bag it comes with is really cute and it's what I carry all my makeup in when I travel now.  It also doubles as an adorable evening clutch.  It's high quality and I love the deep purple color - it matches the 'theme' of the set perfectly.

Overall, I actually thought about returning this set when I first got it.  Although I immediately loved the brush, foundation, mascara, and gloss the eyeshadow colors, eyeliner, and shimmery blush were a bit lacking for me.  The eyeshadows are fun shades but I don't find myself reaching for them too often, maybe because I've been on a UD Naked palette kick lately.  I love the shade of the blush but the gold shimmer irks me a bit because it's not 'natural' looking to have shimmery gold/pink cheeks!  I rarely use the eyeliner since it doesn't smudge and I don't have a steady hand :)  However, I do love the airbrushed look of the foundation and paired with the blush it really does create a very pretty healthy glow.  I am on auto-delivery right now since they have two more sets coming out in June and October but I might cancel because those shades look very warm and dark and I'm not sure they'll work out for me being the pale blond that I am.  They look great for those with darker skin tones or girls who like a more dramatic look though, and they include a blush brush and a double-ended shadow brush which makes me want it since I love the foundation brush so much!  I may just re-order the foundation if I decide I want to keep using it.  You can check out the future shipment colors here, on Musings of a Muses' awesome blog: http://www.musingsofamuse.com/2011/03/tarte-8th-world-of-wonder-best-of-the-amazon-7-piece-clay-collection-shades-and-colors-for-june-october-installmentsshipments.html

Grade: B+

Pros: Foundation and brush provide an airbrushed look, mascara works great for length/volume, gloss is pretty for a hint of shine, foundation/blush/eyeshadow last all day
Cons: Too much gold shimmer in the blush, eyeshadow quad has has warm shades vs more neutral ones and don't blend the best (on me anyway!), eyeliner does not smudge well


Get it: http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.A212775.desc.tarte-8th-World-Wonder-Best-of-The-Amazon-7pc-Clay-Collection#BVRRWidgetID