Tarte Beauty Resolutions Eyeshadow Quad & Slate Amazonian Clay Liner Review and Swatches

Disclaimer:  I purchased these and links to Tarte are for convenience only.

A while back I picked up the This Year Eye Will 4 piece eye essentials set, which includes an eyeshadow quad called Beauty Resolutions , an Amazonian clay eye liner pencil in Slate, mascara primer, and mascara.  This set is currently on sale for $29 at Tarte, so I thought it way high past time I posted a review of the shadows and eye pencil! 

First, let me start by saying I'm not a huge fan of Tarte's eyeshadows - or at least the ones I've tried in the past.  If I had to articulate why, I'd say it's because they tend to go muddy on me and are not as vibrant as I would like.  However, formula's change so I though I'd give the Amazonian clay shadows a try.

The individual colors in Beauty Resolutions are not named, but you get a champagne beige, dark olive, blueish purple, and plum with shimmer finishes.  They apply smoothly and the above is over bare skin.  My favorite is the dark olive, a color I'm always drawn to.  There is a complexity to it that is more evident if you click to enlarge the picture.  I still find these to be a bit muddy on the eye, however.  I'm not sure if it's a lack of vibrancy or clarity or what, but I do not find myself reaching for these.

The Amazonian Clay eye liner pencil in Slate is actually the standout for me, however!  It is not just a flat dark gray, but has different color shimmer particles in direct light.  The pencil applies effortlessly, but once Slate sets, it does not budge and wears very well on my oily lids.  The pencil comes with a smudger on one end, although in my experience smudging too much led to bald patches.

Overall, I'd say if you do like Tarte eyeshadow, this is a good deal.  I'm still not a convert to them, although I'm happy to have the pencil and mascaras.