Palette Play | Tarte Tres Chic Park Avenue Princess Contour Palette

One of my absolute favourite parts of makeup is contouring. I think it's so neat how you can abuse the shadows and lighting to completely transform your face. I also think that once you start contouring you really can't go back. I've seen what my nose looks like contoured and it's much cheaper than paying for a nose job. As Tarte is one of my favourite brands, I went ahead and picked up the Tarte Tres Chic Park Avenue Princess Contour Palette.

This palette comes with three products including Tarte's signature bronzer shade Park Avenue Princess, a pinky blush shade Posh and a highlighting shade Champagne Gold. I've been playing with this palette for a few weeks now and I have to say I'm still not quite sure where I stand with it. The bronzer is a beautiful matte shade however, it does come off on my complexion very muddy. It will look good for the first three hours of wear but by the end of the day my contour just doesn't cut it. I'm trying to figure out if the foundation I use may be what's causing the formula to not settle on my skin but it's such a shame because it's really a lovely colour. As for the blush and highlight both are impressive but not anything I'd gravitate towards personally. The pinky hue is gorgeous but as I'm more of a darker mauve blush lover, it doesn't really suit my olive complexion. The highlight is nice and is a true champagne gold which hits the light in a nice subtle shimmer. I know that so many people rave about Tarte's bronzer and blushes and don't get me wrong, some of my favourite shades are from Tarte but I just can't seem to fall in love with this palette.

It was discounted down on Sephora's site after Christmas so I picked it up on a steal which was just fantastic so I don't regret buying it. It might just be my winter skin that isn't working with these shades or formulas but as for right now I just wouldn't recommend it. Not even the packaging impressed me as it's a very flimsy plastic feeling case. For traveling it does have the essentials and I'm sure for other skin tones these shades are beautiful. However, compared to my usual contouring routine that includes the amazing Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Palette this one just doesn't compete.