Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Volume I Review

This is going a little bit backwards. I had the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Volume II eyeshadow palette before I had the original Volume I. That was also almost 1 ½ years ago, which makes the situation even funnier. From what I remember, I was impressed by the unique creamy formula of their eyeshadows. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before. Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve touched that palette and after being reintroduced to the formula when I added Volume I to my collection, I’m a little underwhelmed.

Tarte is a more high-end brand, so it’s no surprise that this palette retails for $36. It has the same gold, heavy feeling circle packaging that all the other eyeshadow palettes do in this Rainforest of the Sea collection. The lid of the packaging is all mirror, which is very much appreciated. There is no applicator included, but there are shade names listed next to each eyeshadow.
The eights shades shown from left to right in the swatch picture below are: Sand, Mermaid, Seashell, Wave, Abyss, Reef, Starfish, and Cove. Sand and Cove are the only two matte shades, the other six shades all have some sort of satin or shimmer finish. Sand and Cove are also the two hardest to work with. As you might remember from my recent tutorial, I mentioned how many layers it took to finally get Cove to show up in the crease.

One of the biggest issues I had with this palette was trying to get the color to transfer from the pan, to the brush, to my eye. So while the formula is very smooth, creamy, and kicks up absolutely zero powder, it doesn’t transfer to the skin very well. It reminded me a lot of the issues I had with the ColourPop Super Shock eyeshadows. They’re just not as easy to work with compared to formulas like Makeup Geek or Wet n Wild. Those are two of my favorites because they apply quickly and effortlessly.
As far as the color range is concerned, I do think they did a pretty good job with this palette. Although you can barely see Sand in the swatch, it was an okay highlight. Wave is one of the most unique shades I’ve ever seen and I liked that they paired it with colors like Seashell and Abyss. I was able to get an entire look out of this palette, but I think the shimmer shades will really limit its versatility. Shimmer shades tend to muddy together.

Overall, I don’t think this is one that I would necessarily recommend. I wasn’t as happy with the formula and the trouble I had getting the pigment on the eyes reminds me why I don’t reach for the Volume II palette either. It’s just too much work that I don’t have time for when I know there are other products in my collection that are more affordable and work more effectively.

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XO ♥ Christina ♥

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