Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Drink Of H2O Hydrating Boost Review & Swatches

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Drink Of H2O Hydrating Boost ($39) is a new lightweight gel moisturizer for dry skin. This is a water-based, gel moisturizer that promises to hydrate skin with marine antioxidants.

Gel moisturizers are hugely popular in Asia and I think some of my first introductions to them were ones that I had purchased from Korean over ten years ago. Seriously, once you go gel moisturizer you simply don’t want to return to cream. They are cool, refreshing, and they absorb so easily plus add in the fact many of them are super hydrating and also retain moisture very well.

Over the past few years gel moisturizers have becoming increasingly popular in the US market so I was quite excited to hear that Tarte would be introducing one with their new Rainforest of the Sea Collection that’s available exclusively at Sephora.

Tarte seems to be slowly expanding their skincare collection over time. They already have eye cream, neck cream, and SPF, and more recently they even now have a new Cleansing Gel plus don’t forget to add in the new Rainforest of the Sea Drink Of H2O Hydrating Boost!

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Drink Of H2O Hydrating Boost comes in a purple, turquoise, and gold jar that weighs in at 1.7 oz. The jar packaging saddens me a little bit but what can you do?

This is a formula that dry skin users will benefit most from however, it does have a strong lavender fragrance and also contains silicones so if you’re dry and sensitive this might present a problem for you. Personally, neither was an issue for me.

This is a thick gel and I’ve found a little goes a very long way. It absorbs easily into skin and leaves behind soft, hydrated skin with a dewy finish. I find this very refreshing and hydrating. It wears very well under makeup and eases flaky or drier areas around my cheeks and forehead. Although it leaves behind a dewy finish it doesn’t interfere with the application of makeup and doesn’t create unnecessary shine or oiliness nor does it make foundation slip away. It’s actually great for both AM and PM use which is a rarity in the gel moisturizer world as typically they are great for day use but not rich enough for night use. It’s actually quite a night treat to use in place of heavier moisturizers in the evening and it leaves my skin soft and well hydrated come morning.

This is pretty nice because it seems to aid the skin in retaining moisture as well. I can apply in the AM and still have soft, hydrated skin by the evening which means my makeup looks fresher and isn’t adhering to drier areas around my face.

All in all, it’s a very nice gel moisturizer formula and considerably more hydrating than other gel moisturizers I’ve had the pleasure of using in the past. This is a treat for drier skin!

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Drink Of H2O Hydrating Boost is available now exclusively at Sephora and Sephora.com or at tarte.com.