Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette: Swatches, Review, and Looks

Hey Pandas!   I finally caved and bought something I have been eying since the press releases. I have a thing for snakes. I really like what they stand for in regards to change and rebirth...and I think of myself as a Slytherin at heart, so naturally the packaging alone intrigued me.

The palette is circular and made to look like wood with a gold, curled-up snake embossed on the top with a purple jewel. The embossed snake was already slightly scratched, which dissapointed me, but all of the ones in store (I bought this at Ulta) were slightly scratched in some way.

The box itself is rather pretty and embossed with a snakeskin pattern. The palette retails for $38 and comes with a blush, bronzer, highlighter, and six eyeshadows, all in Tarte's signature colored clay formula.

 There is a large mirror, bit it has a bit of trouble staying up at some angles by itself, but that isn't a big issue for me. Overall, the packaging is sturdy.

This palette is purples, plums, golds, and browns, making it a great fall palette. For swatches, keep reading!

 

• The highlighter shade is Champagne, which is a golden/white shade. It was a bit powdery, but was surprisingly light enough to show up even on my pale pale skin.
• Unleashed is a dusty pink with some cool purple undertones. This was a bit powdery as well but had excellent pigmentation when applied to cheeks.
• Park Ave Princess #2 excited me because it is cooler toned and a bit lighter than the original, making it a great contour for my skin tone. Please be aware of how light these colors are if you plan to purchase.

• Bare To Explore is a matte light pink/purple shade. It swatched a bit powdery but makes a great base shade on eyes as well as a blending shade.
• Make A Mauve was the most disappointing in the palette. It is a cool medium purple and makes a good blending shade but only has so-so pigmentation.
• Plum Away With Me is gorgeous and creamy to use and blend. I love the reddish tone to the plum color.  

•  Up To No-Gold is easily my favorite shade in this palette. It is fairly dupeable, but the texture of this is as good as any Urban Decay shadow I have. I have been wearing this as an all-over color and getting heaps of compliments.
• Tan-Gled Up In You is a matte light brown. It is actually great for my brows in a pinch and a good blending color. Not the most exciting, though.
• Don't Turn A-Brown is a matte dark brown and is an excellent crease color with good opacity.

 Here is Up To No-Gold all over my eye with a bit of Don't Turn A-Brown in the crease. This look wore completely perfect for 11 hours until I took it off, with primer.

This look is Bare To Explore, Make A Mauve, and Plum Away With Me as a highlight, base, and crease, respectively. This look also wore all day (11+ hours) before I took it off.

Overall, I am happy with this palette because I got it 20% off. I wouldn't pay full price for this, simply because the color offerings aren't anything new. However, I do like the looks they can create and how everything is in one palette. It makes contouring and highlighting a snap, and I don't have many purples in my arsenal. 

The pigmentation and lasting power is about what I expect from Tarte, so I am happy with this, but if you can, wait for a Sephora, Ulta, or Tarte sale!

Have you tried this palette?