Tarte Maneater Palette Volume 2 Review + Swatches December 1, 2020
In the iconic words of Nelly Furtado, “Maneater, make you work hard, make you spend hard, make you want all her love.” But does this hold true for the Tarte Maneater Eyeshadow Palette Volume 2? Is this a palette that is worth your money and your love? Keep reading for my honest review with swatches.
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A Little About the Tarte Cosmetics
Maureen Kelly founded Tarte Cosmetics in 1999 intent on providing consumers with high-powered natural makeup.

Tarte Maneater Palette Volume 2 Claims
Here’s what Tarte says about this iconic warm, neutral palette:
Forget about day-to-play, it’s always playtime with this palette! featuring 9 super blendable & richly pigmented, versatile shades to create the purrrfect look.
Additionally, according to Tarte, the shadows promise to provide intense pigmentation and blendability.
Packaging & Price
The Tarte Maneater Palette Volume 2 comes in a soft-touch, faux leather compact with a leopard print design. In contrast, the inner part of the palette looks sleek and minimalistic with the all-black interior. Also, inside the palette is a large mirror. However, although the eyeshadows are labeled, the writing rubbed off some shades.
Price-wise, the Maneater Palette retails for $29.00. For a prestige brand, the price point is actually quite “approachable.” For example, there are drugstore palettes that cost more than the Maneater Volume 2 Palette.
Furthermore, the price per gram breaks down to $3.22. Compared to the Anastasia Soft Glam Palette ($45.00, CF) or the Too Faced Born This Way Palette ($48.00, CF), Maneater’s cost per gram is lower. In fact, Soft Glam’s price per gram breaks down to $4.34, while Born This Way’s price per gram breaks down to $4.00.
Is Tarte Cruelty Free & Vegan?
Although Tarte is 100% Cruelty-Free, not all of the brand’s products are Vegan-friendly. Unfortunately, the Maneater Palette Volume 2 is not Vegan. A number of the shades contain carmine. Specifically, Foxy, Purr, Saucy, and Hypnotic contain carmine.
Also, Tarte products are free from Parabens, Mineral Oil, Phthalates, Triclosan, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, and Gluten.
RELATED: Check out my ultimate roundup of affordable Cruelty-Free brands.

Ingredient Analysis
As I state in many of my reviews, there is a lot of fear-mongering about ingredients used within American beauty market. Both brands and retailers have taken to defining ingredients as “clean” or “dirty.” However, the “bad list” varies from brand to brand. And in some cases, cosmetically safe ingredients are deemed “bad.”
Therefore, I aim to promote better ingredient literacy within my posts. More specifically, I strive to help beauty lovers better understand the ingredients in an approachable way. To note, I am not a cosmetic chemist, but just a beauty enthusiast.
Top Ingredients in the Maneater Palette Volume 2
The below table breaks down some of the top 10 ingredients seen throughout the Maneater Palette Volume 2 shadows. However, the top 10 ingredients varies slightly from shade to shade. Nevertheless, the below are some of the most common to appear towards the top of the list.
Ingredient | Makeup Usage Benefit |
---|---|
Talc | Often the main ingredient used in loose and pressed eyeshadows, face powders, etc. However, contamination from asbestos remains an on-going concern regarding Talc is cosmetic and personal care products. |
Mica | Mica is a naturally occurring mineral dust used in makeup for its shimmery effect. However, there are ethical concerns regarding Mica mining. |
Ethylhexyl Palmitate | In beauty products, this is used as an emollient or a texture enhancer. |
Boron Nitride | This is a synthetic powder with similar absorbent policies to talc. |
Zinc Stearate | A commonly using binding agent for powder makeup to help powders stick together and adhere to the skin. |
Sodium Dehydroacetate | A tasteless, colorless white powder used in beauty products as an antimicrobial ingredient. |
Caprylyl Glycol | In makeup, this ingredient is a common stabilizer that increases the efficacy of preservatives. |
Phenoxyethanol | A common synthetic preservative with global approval for use in all cosmetic products in concentrations up to 1%. Also, this preservative helps to stabilize products and prevent pathogens from multiplying in skincare products. Additionally, it is compatible with many other preservatives. |
Vanillin | Provides a vanilla scent. |
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride | A derivative of coconut oil and glycerin, this emollient ingredient helps to replenish the skin’s surface and moisturize. However, it can act as a thickening agent, too. |
Overall, I’m not too surprised by the top ingredients within the Tarte Maneater Palette Volume 2. However, for a “naturals-powered” brand, the non-natural ingredients and preservatives high up on the ingredient list surprised me.
Tarte Maneater Palette Swatches
As always, swatches are not a perfect indicator of quality. However, swatches may provide clues about a product’s color payoff and ability to blend. The below swatches of the Maneater Palette were done using my fingers on my bare arm. No primer.

Again, 2020 Tarte clearly leveled up their formulas and product lines. After experiencing the drier formula used in the original all-matte, Tartelette Palette, the Maneater Palette Volume 2 blew me away.
The matte and metallic shadows quite literally glided across my arm with the lightest touch. In fact, I experienced no patchiness, balding, or chunky formulas. But did these shadows perform as well on my lids?
Application & Wear-Time
As someone with oily eyelids, I’ve always had an interesting relationship with Tarte’s eyeshadows. Simply put, some Tarte shadows faded on my lids more quickly than similar shades from other brands. Therefore, I was cautiously optimistic about how the Tarte Maneater Palette would perform on my lids.
Despite my initial reservations, the performance of the Tarte Maneater Palette impressed me. When worn over an eyeshadow primer, these rich brown shades lasted for 12 hours on my lids without fading or creasing. In fact, these bad boys even lasted lids after taking a 2-hour nap!


Overall, the light-to-mid-tone matte brown shades blended into the crease with ease. Meanwhile, the deeper shades performed like a dream when packed onto the outer eyelid area with a dense shader brush.
In contrast, the metallic shades performed best when applied with a finger. However, this is standard for many metallic formulas. Using a flat packing or concealer brush will provide a similar effect, but give greater control over shadow placement.
P.S. I tried a new foundation in this look. Clearly it enhanced texture.
Where is the Tarte Maneater Palette Volume 2 sold?
Final Thoughts on the Tarte Maneater Palette Volume 2
On Instagram, I described the Maneater Palette as the sexier younger sister to Tarte’s iconic, Tartlette in Bloom. And I stand by that description. Moreover, I love that the color selection is a slightly rosier take on the classic warm-toned neutral color story.
Performance-wise, Tarte really impressed me. First, the shadows are easy to manipulate on the lids. Second, they were even nap-proof! Overall, the pigmentation, ease of application, and neutral color story makes this a great day-to-night, everyday eyeshadow palette for beginners.
In conclusion, I recommend the Tarte Maneater Palette to anyone looking for a sexy neutral palette for everyday wear. Also, check out my review on the Tarte Maracuja Hydrating Tinted Moisturizer for your new favorite lightweight complexion product.
P.S. Watch Hung’s 90s Inspired Supermodel Makeup Here
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What do you think about the Tarte Maneater Palette Volume 2? Also, what is your favorite Tarte product? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
beauty Cruelty Free cruelty free beauty eyeshadow palette review eyeshadow review makeup makeup review tarte cosmetics tarte maneater palette
What a great review, I love that you include ingredients and what they are. As I must admit that I don’t have a clue when it comes to that side of it. This palette sounds awesome, the wear time is incredible and I love that it lasted through a nap; brilliant xx
Hannah | https://luxuryblush.co.uk/
I love the look of this, such a pretty warm palette and that look Hung did is life!
I really like the colours on this palette and I’m glad they were impressive!