It's been a year of uber thin consistency foundations that are dispensed via a dropper and have words like "serum" and "water" in the title, hasn't it? A quick boo around Sephora, Nordstrom or any other major cosmetic retailer will have you convinced this is the wave of the future when it comes to weightless, skin like foundation. I'm not convinced, but the foundation junkie in me still wants to try every single one. You know, for blog purposes of course...
I was stupidly excited when I saw that Tarte, one of my favourite brands was releasing not only their Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation*, but also the Rainforest of the Sea Aquacealer*. Naturally, I couldn't wait to get them on my face and review them both for you all, especially after hearing some serious hype, but did they live up to my hopes and dreams?
Let's start with the Aquacealer, which claims to be a 12 hour concealing serum, that hydrates, soothes the skin and has a medium buildable coverage. It's marketed as an all over concealer which is appropriate for use under the eyes, on blemishes, dark spots and redness. Out of the six shade range, I got Light, which specifically says for 'light skin with yellow and pink undertones' but I would say it leans more pink/peachy than yellow (and is significantly different in tone compared to the foundation that matches me). I would consider this a light-medium coverage, but don't find it buildable at all on my dry skin (perhaps an oily complexion could get away with building more, but in my case it got a bit thick looking on the skin). I also didn't find the undertone, which is definitely on the cooler side, did anything good for concealing redness or blemishes, and it was best suited for under the eyes (though it didn't do enough to conceal my moderate dark circles for my taste).
The packaging is unique for concealer; Housed in a glass bottle with an oversized doe foot applicator, which makes sense given the liquid consistency of this formula. It applies quite 'wet' to the skin, and then dries quickly to a satin-matte finish, which reiterates my opinion that this might be better on oily skin types who don't have any textural issues (since thinner formulas tend to not smooth out fine lines, pores, and crepey skin the same way a more emollient product would). I found I really needed apply this in a pressing motion with a dense brush; Buffing just wiped away the formula.
The Water Foundation was something that really intrigued me, given that the brand boasted a formula that lightweight, full coverage and hydrating. I mean, that's the dream - isn't it? Like the Aquacealer, the Water Foundation claims to cover redness, dark spots and uneven skin tone with its 20% water-rich formula. Like most of the foundations launched in the last year, it has a pipette/dropper style dispenser and is a very thin liquidy formula. I got the shade Light Sand which claimed to be for light skin with yellow undertones and it hit the nail on the head in terms of accuracy!
Unlike the Aquacealer, I feel that the Water Foundation was much more accurate in it's coverage claim, leaning medium-full coverage and was slightly buildable, but picked up on dry spots I had more than I would have liked. So similarly, I think this would suit someone with Normal, Combo or even Oily a bit better than my Dry dehydrated skin. I've yet to try it mixed with a drop of oil, or with something more luminizing blended in which really could help it adapt to my skin better, so I'll be sure to update when I do, but I really wanted this review to be solely based on the foundation on its own merit. I found I liked applying it best with a flat top kabuki style brush for fuller coverage, and a fluffier buffing brush for more of a medium coverage.
Tarte claims the finish to be 'radiant' but I found it more satin than anything, but it set well and lasted well throughout the day. It has a Broad Spectrum SPF of 15, which makes it suitable for mild sun climates as an everyday SPF with a 6.23% Titanium Dioxide, 3.84% Zinc Oxide base.
My overall thoughts are that the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Collection is possibly not the most suited for my skin type, but I still plan on trying out the foundation a few more ways because the colour match was so good for my NC 20-25ish skin. I think the concealer leaves too much to be desired for me, but for younger skins with no textural issues and just a hint of undereye circles I think it would be much better suited. If you've been loving these water based serum-style foundations then this might just tick off all the boxes for you! I'm hoping Tarte expands the shade range in the foundation a bit more than the 12 current shades to add some darker options in - upon looking at them in store, I think there is definite lack there.
As always, Tarte is formulated without parabens, phthalates, gluten, mineral oil and SLS, and is Leaping Bunny certified Cruelty Free.
What foundation formula is your favourite for your skin type?
