Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Volume II Eyeshadow Palette Review & Swatches
Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Volume II Eyeshadow Palette ($36) is a new, limited edition eyeshadow palette that launched with the Tarte Spring 2017 Collection on late Sunday evening. This palette is a the sequel and cooler version of Tarte’s original Rainfoest of the Sea Eyeshadow Palette that launched last year.
Here’s my review and swatches of the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Volume 2 Eyeshadow Palette.
First off, thanks Tarte for your quick shipping! I ordered this on Sunday and it arrived on Wednesday! Wow! That was quick. I’m also surprised it isn’t sold out with the Tarte 30% Off Sale going on at the moment. If you want it, best hop over there and grab it as you can get 30% off your entire order including this palette using promo code BESTIE.
As we know sequels are typically never as good as the original right? But, Tarte’s Rainforest of the Sea Volume II Eyeshadow Palette definitely will eliminate any misconceived notions you have about sequels being bad!
This comes housed in a small circular compact that’s a little smaller than a CD which has a generously sized mirror inside and eight eyeshadows each of which are the same 0.05 oz size as the original palette. The purple face plate is a little different compared to last years which had a wave design. This year they went with a coral reef design. So, if you’re storing these together you can easily tell them apart even though they lack a label (aside from a small sticker on the back). I didn’t realize it but the shades are printed on the palette as well. You have to squint a little to see but the small face plate in the middle has each of the shades printed on it! The palette also includes a card with two get the look tutorials.
One of the things that sets the Rainforest of the Sea Eyeshadow Palette and Rainforest of the Sea Eyeshadow Palette Volume 2 apart from any other Tarte Eyeshadow Palette you may own is the very dramatic change in the formula. This formula is very, very, very different from anything else that Tarte offers at the moment. Tarte says the formula is plush and velvety with a hydrating finish that has a cream powder texture. I find the texture is best likened to Make Up For Ever’s Artist Eyeshadow but a bit softer and creamier. This is a gel shadow that has a dense texture and is considerably less silky and powdery compared to what Tarte normally produces. These are best described as a hybrid formula that’s part powder, part cream! But nothing like the creaminess you’d get from say Stila’s Eyeshadow formula as for one thing these lack the crazy frost I associate with that formula and for another the texture is a little harder. The softness lends to a great blending process that’s free from fall out issues and wears long and strong without fading or losing intensity. The color is very smooth and even after application.
Oddly enough, Tarte says this is the cooler of the two palettes but I actually felt it was warmer than the original. Granted their are smokier shades in here that lean towards being cooler but there are also warmer nudes and naturals as well. The thing that pleased me most about the shade selection is that I never felt like the colors overlapped anything that was available in the original. I also loved that I could get either a nude look from this palette or a smokier one. I also felt like the shimmer factor wasn’t as strong in this palette and the shades ran towards being more satiny matte.
Shades include:
- Pearl (white shimmer)
- Conch (off white)
- Sunset (yellow gold)
- Marina (caramel)
- Seaside (chestnut)
- Siren (dark brown)
- Breezy (shimmering slate)
- Riptide (steel blue)
Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Volume II Eyeshadow Palette delivers everything we know and love about the original. This beautiful palette is filled with soft, creamy eyeshadows that are pigmented, easy to work with, and feel just like butter!
I think it deserves a Muse Approval.
Get it now at tartecosmetics.com and at Sephora.com as well.
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