Tarte Aspyn Ovard Eye & Cheek Palette Review & Swatches

The Tarte Aspyn Ovard Eye & Cheek Palette ($39) is a new, limited edition eyeshadow and blush palette that was created in collaboration with youTuber Aspyn Ovard and it’s actually not as bad as you may have heard.

When Tarte originally started sharing promo images of this palette everyone, myself included, was excited about the idea of a cooler pink palette. The palette appeared to have an assortment of dusky pinks and rose golds. It looked like quite a lovely roundup of Spring shades. To this day the promo image on Tarte’s site is very misleading. It’s sort of shocking to actually see it in person as you feel as if you’ve been punk’d. I know when I walked into Ulta and saw it I was like:

What happened to the pretty dusky pinks and roses? Where’s the rose golds?! Needless to say it was a little shocking to be presented with a bunch of shades I already have a million times over from Tarte. Sad sigh. But that’s Tarte’s repertoire isn’t it? Same o’, same ‘o.

Many of the shades in this palette look a lot like ones featured in the Tarte Clay Play Face Shaping Palette and Tarte Clay Play Face Shaping Palette Volume II. I wouldn’t say exact dupes but if you create a look using either of those two palettes and another look using the Aspyn Ovard Eye & Cheek Palette you’re really not going to see a difference between the two looks. The shades aren’t bad by any means! I actually love a lot of these colors but the problem stems from the fact they are a rehash of the same shades that Tarte has done many, many times before. And that includes the look they create which is that bronze-y brassy nude eye look.

I really do believe they have a commitment to their fans to create products they think their following is going to love. Why fix something if it isn’t broken!? They’ve made plenty of sales on palettes just like this one in the past. It’s what their fan base knows and likes. It obviously sells well for them. I don’t see them wanting to jump in and create some crazy bold eyeshadow palette anytime soon as that might be a bit unusual for them. Although we know they have the potential to inject color into their palettes as seen in the Makeup Believe in Yourself Palette and the recent Be a Mermaid & Make Waves Eyeshadow Palette. I do think they are reaching a cutting point though as now they are starting to alienate fans with the constant rehash of shades.

So, the moral of the story is you probably don’t need the Tarte Aspyn Ovard Eye & Cheek Palette if you already own a slew of other Tarte palettes. And if you do find yourself lemming it because of all that stunningly gorgeous packaging well, you can wait for a sale.

Speaking of packaging…

This is by far Tarte’s best packaging to date. From the outer box to the actual palette this is beautifully presented. The palette arrives in a rose gold metallic box decorated with gorgeous pink roses. The same design is also on the palette itself. It’s a magnet for fingerprints but damn, this is such a pretty preservation! The mirror inside is huge and quite gorgeous as well.

The disappointing aspect stems from the eyeshadow, blush, and highlighter which have been done time and time again. Inside you’ll find one blush shade, one highlighter, and nine shades of eyeshadow. The names of each item are printed below them however, there is no get-the-look guide which was disappointing. I actually wanted to see how Aspyn used the palette but I haven’t seen anything on her channel. I just winged it and created my own looks. It was no chore to create looks using this palette because the shades just jive well together. I was a bit concerned since I read reviews saying the eyeshadows weren’t formulated well, etc…..

Tarte Aspyn Ovard Eye & Cheek Palette Swatches (Brilliance, High School Sweetheart, Endless Summer)

Tarte Aspyn Ovard Eye & Cheek Palette Swatches (Santorini Sands, Heart of Gold, Road Trip)

Tarte Aspyn Ovard Eye & Cheek Palette Swatches (Married Life, Tea Time, Wanderlust)

Tarte Aspyn Ovard Eye & Cheek Palette Swatches (Made You Blush and Pure Soul)

I only had issues with a few shades and they were minor issues. The mattes were powdery but not dry or chalky. They felt soft and silky and applied easily for me. I LOVED the blush. It was the perfect dusky rose shade and had a thin, silky texture that applied easily on my cheeks. Sadly, the highlighter wasn’t so great. I struggled picking up color with my brush and it seemed quite dry and looked patchy on my cheeks.

Some of the shimmer eyeshadows I struggled with as they didn’t adhere well to my lids and had some fall out during application. Endless Summer and Hearts of Gold in particular I had problems with as during the blending process I felt like little flakes of eyeshadow were flying around my face. They also seemed to not want to stay on my lid. In the end, I ended up using a finger to pat them on and this helped considerably.

The palette is made in the USA.

I don’t think the Tarte Aspyn Ovard Eye & Cheek Palette is the worst palette I’ve seen from the brand by any means. It’s just rehash of colors you likely already have but the formula and pigment of the palette seemed good to me, not great but good for sure. Not to mention the stunning packaging.

It’s just a shame the colors aren’t new and exciting.

Tarte Aspyn Ovard Eye & Cheek Palette is available now at ulta.com and tartecosmetics.com.

The palette performs quite nicely overall! But sadly, it just brings together a rerun of the same o’ same o shades from Tarte. Which means you probably don’t need to indulge if you already own a ton of nude, natural shades like this or the last 5 or so palette releases from Tarte.