Not too long ago, Tarte introduced a new line and formula of lipsticks. I must say that if there is one area where Tarte has always left a bit to be desired, it’s lipsticks. Well, enter the Rainforest of the Sea Color Splash Lipsticks! Not to ruin my thoughts, but I think Tarte has finally come up with a fantastic formula that ticks pretty much every box! 😆 I’m not going to lie, I was really drawn to these by the absolutely stunning packaging! 😍 It’s Summer personified with the coolest, prettiest beachy vibe. Absolutely nailed the packaging! And the formula…well, I’ve spoiled things a bit, but let’s get into the nitty gritty details! 😉
Tarte’s website describes these lipsticks as “Longwearing color and moisture-rich full-color lipstick in 24 creamy shades.” Even better? It is a Vegan formula! 🎉 In fact I’ve noticed more and more that Tarte’s products are increasingly vegan-friendly, which is fantastic! But back to the lipsticks…. If I had to pick apart Tarte’s description, I would agree that, yes they are longwearing, full-color and creamy. They do not seem to have any scent or taste to them, which seems odd as Tarte’s eyeshadow’s seem to smell of vanilla lately. No scent is fine with me, so moving right along! I’m not sure I would call them moisture-rich as I don’t think I would go so far as to call them hydrating, but they do melt like butter onto the lips and are surprisingly comfortable. Especially when you take into account that these have what I would call a demi-matte finish. They aren’t really a satin, but they aren’t 100% matte upon initial application either. So, demi-matte it is! Bonus points to Tarte for not exaggerating the claims for these buggers! 😄 I suppose when the formula is this good, there’s no need for exaggerating.
Let’s move on to the shades for a second. I initially saw these online only – in fact I still haven’t found them in store, but I haven’t checked in the past few weeks either. There is an impressive range of colors from totally nude to deep and vampy. However, I had the hardest time finding a shade I truly liked. A lot of the shades I tried have a rather brown or grey undertone, which I personally find difficult to wear. I was mainly looking for a good every day “my lips but better” type shade. I’m not sure that such a shade exists in this line, though I did finally find a few shades that I do really like. That is not to say that there are not some lovely shades available, I just personally found a lot of them not to my liking. If I had seen them in person before ordering, I’m guessing I would have done a better job with my selections as I was kind of flying blind…and there are 24 options! 😄
So moving right along, the formula of these is absolutely wonderful! It’s probably my favorite…at least for the moment. 😉 They glide on like butter and the color is totally opaque in just one swipe! This is actually a bit of what threw me when choosing a shade. I didn’t expect such intense pigmentation. Many of Tarte’s formulas that I’ve tried in the past have been more on the sheer side. Well no more! 😄 Since these are so incredibly rich in pigment, they also tend to look truer to the initial color for longer. You can blot and essentially just remove excess product without altering the color itself much, if at all. I find this helps keep the color lasting longer as you can sip on a drink throughout the day and, though the lipstick will transfer, the color will stick around on your lips for a good long while…and without much noticeable fading! You’re probably ok eating a snack too, but after a meal you may want to retouch just to refresh the full intensity of the color. And it does tend to fade more in the center of the lips as one would expect. Still, the fading has been pretty even in my testing of a number of these shades. So pigmentation and wear time get an A+ in my book! Much better than most lipsticks on the market. 👄
Now. Moving on to comfort. These lipsticks are surprisingly comfortable! I say surprisingly because they have a relatively matte finish and, as mentioned above, are long-lasting. If you’ve tried long-wearing matte finish lipsticks before, you know that they can drag a lot on application and often suck the life out of your lips. They also will often cling to any dryness on your lips and accentuate lines. Not the new Tarte Color Splash Lipsticks! These are buttery smooth on application and again, I wouldn’t say hydrating, but do have an almost buttery feel on the lips that glides over roughness with ease. Though they are highly pigmented, they do not feel thick or heavy. You don’t really notice them…which can be dangerous if you’re picking out a bright red! 😄 If I had to compare them to something else, I think it would have to be a nourishing lip balm that’s not too greasy or slippery. Kind of that Goldilocks of lip products. Have I gone too far? Perhaps, but these really are so wonderfully comfortable. They do get drier throughout the day without touch-ups, but that’s pretty normal with any lip product in my experience. I still never find them uncomfortable even by the end of the day. So highly pigmented, comfortable and non-drying that lasts? Yup! I’ll take them all thank you. 😜
I guess that brings us back to my biggest problem with these lipsticks and that is the shade selection, Yes, there are 24 different colors, though I find a lot of them to look quite similar both in the tube, swatched and on the lips. I also feel like there’s a gap of shades missing. The aforementioned “my lips but better” variety. The colors available are definitely on trend for the moment, but I just can’t get into the brownish or grey-toned hues. They just don’t suit me. Still, there are some beautiful colors that are more in the medium range that I absolutely love! I’m thinking specifically of “Island Life” and “Surf’s Up.” These two are great slightly deeper basics that are right up my alley. If you are a huge fan of nudes or deeper brown-based burgundies and plums, then you’re going to have a lot more choices too. There is one lone straight-up red that looks beautiful and a lonely bold coral as well, but for the most part these shades have predominantly earthy undertones. No complaints because I do feel that there is something for everyone, I just expected it to be easier to find the “me” shades in the crowd. 😀
I do have one minor drawback to the Color Splash Lipsticks. That would be the shape of the bullet. I’m guessing it is fantastic for some people, but it just doesn’t work well with my lip shape. Though it looks pretty standard, it actually has kind of a curved shape. It seems like it should conform to the lips quite nicely for application that way, but for some reason it makes things a bit more difficult with my lips. It’s a minor issue since the more you use the lipstick, the more the shape begins to conform to your actual lip contours anyway, but on first and second applications I did find it a little trickier than most lipsticks to apply without making a mess. No points deducted and I’m guessing for some people it actually helps not hinders.
Let’s recap, shall we? Comfortable, pigmented, long-wearing, gorgeous turquoise marbled packaging, and a lot of shades to pick from. I think we have a winner!!! 🎉 These new Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Color Splash Lipsticks are quickly becoming my new favorites and I highly recommend checking them out! 😆
The Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Color Splash Lipsticks contain 0.12oz / 3.4g and retail for $21 each. They are currently available on Tarte’s website and at Sephora.com as well as in Sephora stores.
