I am totally and completely obsessed with tarte and I spend far too much time on both the QVC UK site and the main tarte site perving over things I want and getting all excited about new collections. One of the most exciting collections for a while is the tarte Rainforest of the Sea collection, which is a selection of products with a focus on hydration thanks to the tarte Rainforest of the Sea complex, which is a formulation of skincare-loving ingredients that work alongside the make-up, meaning the products feel absolutely wonderful. The collection mainly focuses on lips and base products, the latter of which I was lucky enough to receive to review, and, as with everything I ever get my hands on from tarte, they are brilliant. When I first got these, they weren’t available on the UK QVC site, but they are now, which is fab!
First up is the tarte Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation, which comes in a pretty bottle with a drop pipette. It’s available in a great colour selection with some shades that go fairly deep – so whilst I wouldn’t say all skin tones are catered for, there are certainly plenty to work with. The shade I have is Fair Neutral, which suits me perfectly. The foundation itself feels lovely on the skin; hydrating without any oily or greasy residue and it has that luxurious skincare vibe that makes you feel as though you’re applying something that will benefit your skin rather than clog it.
My favourite way to apply all base products is with tarte’s The Buffer – I just honestly don’t think you can beat that brush for foundation application (you can find it here – I have four) – and of course The Buffer works really well with this too. I start with an all over coating that I gently buff in with The Buffer, I then follow-up with another light coat on any areas that need a bit more coverage.
The Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation comes with a Double Ended Foundation Brush (when you buy through QVC) which is a lovely brush, but I think I’m spoiled by The Buffer as nothing I’ve ever tried will beat that. Having said that, if you like a really natural, airbrushed finish, the brush that comes with this foundation is lovely for patting and buffing in the product, and actually you can build a decent level of coverage, plus the slanted edge allows for getting into every nook and cranny for a truly even finish. The tarte Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation with Brush is usually £34.50, but it’s currently on an introductory offer of £31.20.
The foundation is an absolute winner, but the star of the collection, for me at least, is the tarte Rainforest of the Sea Aquacealer Concealer, which is just completely unlike anything I’ve ever tried before. You know when people say “oh yeah you can use this on spots and under eyes” and you think “yeah right”, as I need some dense and full coverage for spots and light and airy for under eyes, but the Aquacealer really is suitable for both problems…and pretty much any kind of concealing need.
It is the lightest and possibly most hydrating concealer I’ve ever come across and it has the same rich and hydrating texture without the oiliness or thickness, much like the matching foundation. However, this offers mask-like concealing in a beautifully light formula (which I really haven’t demonstrated to it’s full potential in the pictures – sorry about that) that you can buff into skin for an unbelievably natural finish. It’s buildable and feels great on the skin, so it really is like anything else I’ve ever come across. Because it light, you can also use it like a foundation on particularly difficult bits if you have a lot of pigmentation or redness.
As if that wasn’t enough, the double-ended concealer brush that comes with it is also amazing – this really is a duo to behold! The brush has a densely packed mini buffer-style brush at one end and a looser, blending brush at the other, so you stap the product into place with the dense end and blends it out with the other end; then repeat until you’re happy with the finish. If you have troubling skin that you struggle to conceal, you 100% need this brush in your life. It is *amazing*. The tarte Rainforest of the Sea Aquacealer Concealer with Brush is also on an introductory price of £24.48.
I always use a corrector as I have soooo much redness (there’s actually a correcting palette in this tarte collection, but we don’t appear to be getting it over here and you can’t order it through the US site *has a little cry*) so starting off with a corrected base makes all the difference. In the images above starting at the top left I’m make-up and skincare-free…yes really…then the to the right I’m colour corrected – see what a difference it makes? – then bottom left is with foundation and bottom right is with foundation and concealer.
The foundation does all the hard work in these pictures, but it’s worth noting that I took these pictures a few weeks ago when my skin was going through a particularly rough patch, and now I can get away with a lighter coverage base topped up with a gorgeous concealer like the Aquacealer.
Both products are dreamy to use, feel lovely on the skin, last for ages, don’t cause any skin problems, provide a flexible and buildable coverage and even if you’re rubbish at applying make-up, you’ll still do well with these as they work so well with skin, melting in all over and provide extra help just where you need it. I’ve noticed there’s a Camouflage Cream on the QVC site, so I’m going to have to get that methinks, especially as it comes with a brush…I attended a tarte event last night showcasing all the newest arrivals, so I’ll be sharing those soon too.
*PR Samples
