Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette Review, Swatches and Look

Rainforest After Dark ($38) is a limited-edition colored clay eye and cheek palette from Tarte Cosmetics Fall 2014 collection. According to the website, the palette was inspired by the "deep orchid hues of the rain forest at dusk"  and has "everything you need to create sultry, sophisticated looks to take you from day to night."

The palette is encased in a faux-wood disc emblazoned with a gold snake and a amethyst-like gemstone, which I find to be quite fancy. It features a very good sized mirror that refelcts your entire face, which is a major plus when you're away from home. Also included is a card with instructions on how to achieve some lovely looks.

The palette is much larger in person than it appears in picture -  about 4.5 inches in diameter. You get .7 ounces of product, which is distributed amongst 6 eye shadows (0.035 ounces each) and 3 face powders (bronzer and highlighter are both 0.14 oz, blush is 0.21 oz). Tarte states that each product in the palette is  "infused with colored clay, which naturally color-corrects as it helps control oil for longer, truer wear." 

The face powders included are:

• Champagne (highlight) 
• Park Ave Princess (bronzer) 
• Unleashed (blush) 

The six eye shadows are:

• Bare to Explore (pink beige)
• Make a Mauve (plumy mauve)
• Plum Away With Me (dark plum purple)
• Up to no Gold (gold metallic)
• Tan-gled up in You (light tan)
• Don't Turn a Brown (medium/deep chocolate brown)

L-R: Champagne, Park Ave. Princess, Unleashed

The 3 face products are very pretty, and while the colors are soft, they are all nicely pigmented and apply smoothly. I've never tried Park Ave. Princess before, but it might be my new favorite all-over bronzer! It is the perfect shade for my skintone, and it is matte, which is a must for me.  The blush, Unleashed, is a pretty rose shade that I believe will work with most skin tones. While I don't often use highlighter on my cheekbones (I have combination oily skin, and try to keep the shine to a minimum most days), Champagne is such a gorgeous color that I have used it a time or two to add a little glam; it is not glittery, but provides a nice gleam on the areas you want to highlight. I really like it for right under my brows and my inner corners of my eyes to brighten things up!

Without Primer
 L-R: Bare to Explore, Make a Mauve, Plum Away With Me,
 Up to no Gold, Tan-gled up in you and Don't Turn a brown

With Too faced Shadow Insurance Primer
L-R: Bare to Explore, Make a Mauve, Plum Away With Me,
 Up to no Gold, Tan-gled up in you and Don't Turn a brown

The shadows in this palette are absolutely beautiful, and extremely flattering! While the color payoff is better on some shades than others (Up to no Gold and Plum Away With Me are highly pigmented, whereas the other 4 shadows are a little more muted), they all blend together nicely, and the lighter shades just need need a little extra attention to get them to pop. These shadows blend effortlessly, and with a primer they last all day!


I've been experimenting with this palette quite a bit, and have achieved many great looks! This is one of my favorite color combos:

For this look, I used Tan-gled Up in You as a transition shade, Up to no Gold as a lid color, Plum Away With Me on my outer-v and into my crease, Bare to Explore on my brow bone, and Champagne as the highlight right under my eyebrow and on my inner corners. I used Avon Ultra Luxury Eye Liner in Dark brown on my upper and lower lash-line, winging it out just a bit, and Be a Bombshell Lash Out Mascara in Intense black on my lashes. On my face is Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream  in light/medium, and the blush and bronzer from Rainforest After Dark. To complete the look I am wearing L'Oreal Colour Rich Collection Exclusive in Jennifer's Nude on my lips. 

Final Thoughts: I am in love with this palette! The colors are awesome, and complement one another nicely. This is fantastic for travel - it has everything you need in one sleek compact. The selection of colors allows you to keep things soft and neutral for day, or really kick it up a notch for a night out! The colors, while great for summer, will transition well into the fall and winter seasons, so it's a very versatile collection. At $38, this is a great value for all the looks you can achieve and the convenience of having your eye shadows and face powders in one travel-friendly palette. I have been away for the almost every weekend this month, and Rainforest After Dark has been a staple in my makeup bag. If you're trying to decide whether or not to purchase this, I highly recommend you take the plunge!

If you would like to see a video review on Rainforest after Dark, check out my friend  Melissa's YouTube video!

Do you own the Rainforest After Dark palette? If so, what are your thoughts? Do you have any favorite color combinations?

Until next time,

~ Jessica