Reviews: Rainforest of the Sea Skin Twinkle Lighting Palette by Tarte

If you know me, you know that I love highlighting and illuminating products, so today I want to talk to you about Tarte's new Rainforest of the Sea Skin Twinkle Lighting Palette (from the Rainforest of the Sea line, which is the single best named line of products ever -- isn't it always raining under the sea??). First of all, I have to apologize because I've had this product sitting around for almost two months and I haven't had a chance to review it until now (oops).

I first swatched this palette in Sephora and I loved it so much that I had to buy it there and then. It's that good.

First of all, I love the packaging. As you can see, it has a gorgeous design of wavy blue lines on the lid, which ties in with the under water theme. The actual packaging itself is a nice durable, hard plastic, which feels very sturdy and indestructible. It also has a "click" closure, which I really like because I feel like your products are very secure and protected, especially if you're traveling. Plus, it has a decent sized mirror, which is always good for travel or makeup on the go.

Now, let's talk about the actual products themselves. The palette comes with three products:

• 0.20 oz Perfecting powder in Filtered Light (center)
• 0.085 oz Luminous perfecting powder in Sunlight (left)
• 0.085 oz Luminous perfecting powder in Moonlight (right)

The "perfecting powder" in the center doesn't have any shimmer. It's more of a translucent powder or a setting powder. It's okay for setting under eye concealer or setting eyeshadow primer, although, I have other products that I like better that do the same thing. Honestly, I mostly ignore this product; it's basically a throw away in this palette. Don't worry though, the other two products make up for it. 

The two illuminators are simply gorgeous, and they have a great formula. Sunlight is a delicate, pale gold with white shimmer (Tarte describes it as "champagne gold"), and Moonlight is a rosy, cooper gold shade with pinkish undertones (Tarte describes it as "rosy pearl").  They're really creamy, really bendable, and they give the most natural, beautiful highlight. They're both really delicate and diffused. There's not too much pigment and there are no big chunks of glitter. If you like a really bold highlight, this product might not be for you. You can definitely build the product up into a more pronounced highlight, but it's intended to be more natural and delicate, which is perfect for every day looks (you could probably use them as eyeshadow as well). Plus, you get a ton of product for your money. It's a little tough to see in the picture, but both the illuminators are about the size of a standard post-it note.

This palette retails for $42, which is about the going price for two high end illuminators (plus you get the perfecting powder, for what it's worth). It's not a deal or anything like that, but I think the price is very reasonable, especially for the quality and quantity of the product. 

I have no complaints about the illuminators. However, I will say that if you want a bolder highlight or if you want a palette with a lot of different illuminators, this is not the palette for you.  If you're looking for good quality products to create natural, every day looks, this is absolutely perfect for you. Personally, I love this palette, and I find myself reaching for it all the time. Aside from the perfecting powder in the middle, this palette is a slam dunk (did I use that sports analogy correctly?). 

Final rating: 8/10