Swamp Queen #BunnyXTarte

    Shout-out to Tarte Cosmetics for not only having faith in a YouTuber, but for the fact it is our beloved Bunny (aka Grav3yardGirl), to collaborate with and create two Lip Paints and an eyeshadow palette! When I caught on to the hush-hush about the launch of the limited edition Swamp Queen collection, I text several friends in excitement who I know also consider themselves to be part of the Swamp Family... I missed the pre-launch, but snagged this dream-come-true on the first online launch via Tarte's website and it arrived safe and sound a few days later.   Another shout-out to Tarte for shipping next day even with the site crashing. I think you handled the launch the best you could and I am just grateful to have been a part of it!
   I do want to address that, even now that the single day launches of the collection on the Tarte, Ulta, and Sephora websites have come and gone, I still see a lot of people saying that the Swamp Queen palette doesn't resemble Bunny... The moment I saw the collection (colors, packaging, names, etc), it reminded me of the Swamp Family and who Bunny/Grav3yardGirl is - past, present, and even future - especially after her swatch video where she took the time to talk to all of us about the entire process (from her end)... Maybe the people complaining tend to not pay much attention to her as a person, or rather beyond her themed videos, but whatever it is... We should all be proud of and excited for Bunny.

    Other than the wonderful mirror, I think my absolute favorite part of this palette is the woodgrain texture packaging (box and palette itself). The font and alligator inset into the top of the packaging really ties the theme together, and the photograph and bio for Bunny on the back of the box are perfect for those that aren't familiar with who she is - absolutely love the photo choice. Inside the box, along with the palette, is a small insert with a "day and night" eye look using the palette... The Swamp Queen palette is the perfect weight and magnet strength (for the lid to stay closed but not be impossible to open), and the size is very convenient in my opinion. There is a clear, plastic insert protecting the products (a bronzer, blush, highlight, and nine eyeshadows) and brush; the brush that came with this palette is my all time favorite from any other palette brush I've ever used - props to Tarte, because it is good for packing, shaping, AND blending.

   In every photo/video I have seen of the swatches for this palette, the colors look different... I'm a horrible blogger and do not have swatches for you all because the photos I did take magically disappeared from my phone and the flashdrive I had them saved on. I have since returned this palette (we will discuss why in a moment), so I have no way of posting swatches for you until I have time to run to Ulta and swatch the display palette...   I'm sorry...   But back to the actual product!

   Before I even swatched any of the colors, the (much) strong(er than I expected) scent of sweet milk chocolate filled the air when I opened the lid and started to admire the colors, but the scent faded to a much more pleasant level after a few moments of airing out. The eyeshadows swatched beautifully with a brush and with my finger - consistent, pigmented to heaven, and smooth - whereas the blush and bronzer were patchy, in my opinion, when swatched with my finger and after some wear (when applied with a brush) they became patchy on my face... I'm not big into bronzer because I tan extremely well and just don't feel the need for it, and thanks to this I am very selective with what bronzers I recommend. It is a similar case with blush, since the broken blood vessels on my cheeks make it look like I'm wearing blush (when I wear foundation) on most days, I don't feel the need to wear it often (even though I love it)... These two just weren't my cup of tea.
   I do love seeing people of all different colors wearing looks from this palette and seeing how brilliantly versatile it is!
   Now when it comes to the highlighter, I am totally in love - it is beautiful and the highlight (pun intended) of this palette... I usually don't go for much gold, or any glitter, in my highlight but I would buy this if it was sold individually in a heartbeat! It is great for both subtle and bold looks, and I honestly believe it is a great formula/color for people wanting to highlight for the first time to try... The eyeshadows are ~predominantly~ a breath of fresh air, since most of the shades stray from what seems to be in every single palette launched thus far in 2016. I knew there would be quite a bit of glitter in this palette but it is honestly too much for me - I felt it affected the blendability of colors more than expected from a Tarte eyeshadow... Personal preference, for the most part... My favorite shades in the Swamp Queen palette are #SFS, Haunting, and Uncommon and hope to find the perfect dupes for them soon!
   Okay, so earlier I mentioned that I returned this palette... I'm not sure if its due to there being so much glitter that it caused some sort of irritation and/or my condition being its usual sensitive self, but I had a poor reaction to the eyeshadows. I tried the palette for a few looks for review purposes, and the fact it was designed by Grav3yardGirl and Tarte Cosmetics (two of my lifetime favs), but between not being as blown away as I expected to be and the odd reaction I was having - I returned the palette a few days before this post went live.

   As I have stated in the past, I don't rate palettes because I find them to be so subjective (plus the fact many are manufactured differently and yours can be quite different than mine in one way or another) but I really am happy about the Swamp Queen palette... I am happy for Bunny, Tarte Cosmetics, the Swamp Family, and that I got to play with this palette and try out some fun, and genuinely unique, colors. Would I have kept it if I didn't have a reaction? Not sure. I would like to think so, even for collecting purposes! Even though I am probably the only person who wasn't 100% satisfied with this palette, but I can live with that.
   Are you loving this collaboration, straight from the swamp? Were you able to get your hands on the Swamp Family Lip Paint? (Yes, I will be talking about the Texas Toast shade - I didn't pick up the coveted red shade because I have SO MANY RED LIPSTICKS and I needed to be a smart shopper.)   Tell me all about your feels in the comments or on Instagram!

Note: The ingredients to this vegan friendly palette can be found HERE.

*This post is in no way sponsored and all opinions are my own.*

xoxo Elle