Cargo California Throwback 3-in-1 Magnetic Palette Review

I saw this unique little palette in TK Maxx not too long ago and thought the concept was quite ingenious, with nearly everything you need to do your makeup that won't take up much space in your bag. I have purchased a few Cargo products from TK Maxx in the past and have not yet been disappointed and even though I found absolutely no reviews for it online, decided to purchase it anyway.

The palette itself is presented as a stack of vintage-y Polaroid’s and the thing as a whole feels really sturdy and of high quality, including the industrial strength magnets that hold it all together so you don’t have to worry about it falling apart in your makeup bag if you’re travelling.

 



The first layer is a full sized eyeshadow quad consisting of 1 satin, 1 matte and 2 shimmer and although there are no names on the palette itself, they are on the ingredients list on the back of the packaging. Overall the shadows are well pigmented, very blendable and are all available as singles in Cargo's permanent collection.

(left to right: Windsor, Mojave, Aegean, Colombia)

(Photographed in daylight)

 

Windsor: Neutral, skin tone highlight/base colour. Satin finish. Gives a brightening & perfecting wash of colour all over the eye. Mid-level pigment. Very blendable.

Mojave: Bronze Gold. Shimmer finish. Catches the light beautifully when placed in the centre of the lid or lower lash line. Looks incredible when foiled. Well pigmented and very blendable.

Aegean: Turquoise, blue with a green shimmer. Shimmer finish. Looks beautiful all over the lid and blended up through the socket. Looks great when foiled. Well pigmented and very blendable, watch out for staining though!

Colombia: Neutral/cool toned grey/brown. Works well as a liner as it smudges well but is the most difficult to blend colour in the palette. Good pigmentation and lasts all day.

 

The second layer is my personal favourite. It contains a blush and bronzer duo, both of which are in their permanent collection and are great for a light to medium skin tone (I'm around NC20/25 and they suit my skin tone so nicely).

(Blush: Rome, Bronzer: Swimmables™ Water Resistant Bronzer)

Rome: On the Cargo website this shade is described as "soft tangerine", however I disagree, to me this comes off as a rosy coral. This could be a holy grail blush for those who, similarly to me find peachy corals difficult to wear. The formula is buildable in light layers so you can customise the intensity to suit your look and will last all day. I love this blush.

 

 

Swimmables™ Water Resistant Bronzer: This is a warming bronzer with a golden shimmer (shimmer, not glitter) with a neutral undertone. It has just the right amount of shimmer to colour pay-off ratio to give a radiant finish that looks close to natural on the skin. A number of years ago I bought a limited edition bronzer from MAC called Sun Dipped which I loved to death and have never been able to find a replacement for. In my opinion the only difference between that and the Cargo one is that the Cargo one gives a slightly more radiant finish. It lasts all day, but I'm yet to test it's water resistant qualities.

 

 

 

Finally, the last section of the palette is a lip gloss quad containing 2 shimmer and 2 metallic glosses. As someone who finds it difficult to get on with lip glosses, my immediate thoughts were that I would never use this part of the palette. However when I finally gave them a go I was very pleasantly surprised. None of these shades are available in the permanent collection, but I have found them all to be non-sticky, non-scented, moisturising and fade evenly as they wear. The 2 shimmery shades are very wearable and the 2 metallic shades are surprisingly opaque! The only down side to them is that the longevity maxes out at around the 1 and a half hour mark, but the nature of the whole palette means you can easily take it with you to top up throughout the day.

(left to right: Pearl, Rose, Bronze, Copper)

 

 To summarise, I really like this palette. It's clear that it has been well thought through and is perfect for travelling and helping you to stick to a minimalist makeup bag. The majority of the products are longwearing and blendable putting it up there with some of my favourite products. My love of Cargo products continues to bloom.

-EF