I’ve been a fan of Tarte Cosmetics for nearly 2 years now. Probably around the same time I discovered beauty vloggers on YouTube. And yes, I am slightly addicted to watching makeup artists do their thing, transforming tired or dull skin into illuminated wonders. There was a lot of talk around Tarte at the time (and there still is) – they were clearly getting in with the UK YouTuber scene and I fell quickly in love with the look of their liquid lip colours.

From my very first order with them – a concealer, an eyeliner, an eyeshadow palette, a liquid lipstick and a foundation – I was hooked. It was the palette that I really fell for though. The delicious neutrals – some with a shimmer, some matt – that took me through day to night. From fancy blogger events to a night in the pub, it was the one I constantly would reach for to give my eyes a bit of a lift.

The nicest thing about Tarte Cosmetics is that they are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free and they ship worldwide. You can get many of their products on QVC but it’s worth signing up to Tarte’s emails to find out about their sales which they often run. I find more often than not, I order via their own website. Now I’m not sure if this is the norm but after multiple orders from them, I have never had to pay custom charges on my parcels. Not just that, but I seem to get them super quick – easily within a week of my order. It’s super fast and if you are in the UK, they often have free shipping when you order over a certain amount.

And so I ended up trying out a few more products and then more. Pretty soon, my collection had built up and I started to notice the items I was purchasing again and again. So I thought I’d share my favourites with you today. This is in no way sponsored by the way – I just love their products and I’ve spent a fair few quid and a lot of time going through both hits and misses. So if you are considering a new makeup brand, let me introduce you to my Top 5 favourites…

Tartelette in Bloom Eye Shadow Palette

My first true love and the one that started it all – the Tartelette in Bloom palette. The palette comes with 12 neutral and warm shades veering from a soft shimmery champagne gold (funny girl) to a highly pigmented deep brown (smokeshow). As you can see below I’ve hit the pan on 4 of the shades already! The colours are richly pigmented – part of the reason I haven’t yet hit the pan on the darkest shades – because you really only need a tiny amount to get a amazing punch of dark colour for your crease. The mid-range shades are perfect for transitioning between light and dark on a smokey eye but natural looks are entirely possible here too.

It’s the palette I will always take with me when I’m away from home because I know it will cover just about any eventuality in terms of my makeup look. This is probably my favourite palette in my entire makeup collection (and trust me when I say I have a fair few) but this is my absolute top recommendation if you fancy trying anything from Tarte.

Tarte Shape Tape

This is a fairly new one for me. To be honest, I thought nothing would replace my love for Maybelline Anti-Age Eraser Eye (I talked about that one here) and believe me, the Maybelline product is a really good one and very inexpensive as well. But I think if you’ve tried that one and find you either need a bit more coverage or you are looking for something a little more moisturising, then Tarte Shape Tape is going to be your new favourite. It’s been a huge hit apparently – one of their best-selling products and little wonder when there are 12 shades available from the fairest of the fair to those suiting deep dark bronze colours.

You can use it to brighten (choose a shade or two lighter than your foundation) and apply it in a V shape from under your eyes fanning it out to the top of your cheekbones and either side of your nose. You can use it as a concealer, of course, as well. Either way, it provides a flawless matte finish that won’t flake or crease, even if you have dry skin, fine lines or large pores and you don’t even need any kind of setting powder with it, making it perfect for those of us with slightly older skin. It also contains mango seed and shea butter which naturally sooth and illuminate your complexion. A total winner in my book.

Tarteist Lip Paint

From top to bottom, left to right: Pillowtalk, Rave, Brownie and Nameste

Oh yes, those lip colours I spoke of earlier. This is just a very small selection of the ones I’ve picked up in the last couple of years but they have a huge range of colours available. My preference as you can probably see is warmer shades because that’s what suits my olive skin tone but they have a wonderful selection that changes all the time. I particularly love their nudes as well as their darker colours. They are easy to apply and go on with a doe-foot shaped applicator as an opaque cream but dry to a matt finish. Don’t let that put you off though – they are incredibly comfortable and don’t feel drying on the lips and they really do last for hours and hours.

Little Lash Helper Lash Applicator

Now, I am certainly not a person who wears false lashes on a day to day basis. Not at all. But when I am going out for a night on the town or if I’m trying to look my wide-awake best for a daytime meeting then my lashes are my best friends. I’ve already spoken about my favourites in this post but this lash applicator makes putting them on SO much easier. The truth is, if you aren’t used to putting on false lashes, it’s pretty hard and takes a lot of practice. I always used a regular pair of tweezers but this little tool is actually pretty damn near perfect.

You simply grip the lashes with the custom shaped applicator (it’s got rounded edges as well so putting this so close to your eyeball feels a bit safer than a pointy pair of tweezers) and place them snugly to your own eyelashes. They’ll save a load of time and plus, they’ll look rather gorgeous on your vanity. As a side note, I have tried the Tarte lashes you see above in the image but the bands are quite thick on them – I still prefer my Ardell Natural Wispies instead!

Tarte Blush Bliss Palette

And finally, another new addition to my collection. I bought this palette on a whim during the Bank Holiday sales but it’s quickly become a favourite. The shades are stunning and they mix so easily. The formulation is creamy and quite pigmented as well so a little bit goes a very long way.

The colours in the palette contain a warm neutral, a soft pink, a warm coral and a bolder pink and I find myself using the two lighter shades mixed together nearly every day. They are stunning, have a slight bit of sheen to them and go on beautifully, blending so nicely into your makeup.

So those are my top picks from Tarte at this moment in time. I’ve recently purchased the new Shape Tape Foundation and so far, I’m quite liking the formulation. I also want to give a shout out to the Tarte Amazonian Clay Bronzer which I reach for constantly but for some reason completely forgot about it when I was shooting this post! However, it’s worth an ‘honourable mention’ for sure.

Oh and also, can we just take a brief moment to mention the packaging? Oh my goodness, it’s so beautiful. Those beautiful brushes were another Boxing Day purchase and they are stunning. I hardly want to use them because they are just so damn pretty!

So it’s your turn now! I’d love to know what your favourite makeup brand is! Is Tarte a brand you’ve used before? Anything in my top 5 you might try? Let me know in the comments!