Thursday, January 9, 2014

Winter Flush: Tarte LipSurgence Skintuitive Tint

We're back home in NYC, m'dears! I'm taking a little break from frequent laundry trips, darting out for groceries and other general unpacking to bring you the first make-up review of 2014. I'd been meaning to try Tarte lip products for a very long time, and even before I got the Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Pink Peony, reviewed here, I had trialled this little guy: Tarte LipSurgence Skintuitive Tint in Energy ($24 for 0.1 oz, deluxe sample size in the photo).
The Skintuitive Tint is the same idea as Dior's Lip Glow or Smashbox's O-Gloss - it's a sheer lip color that's supposed to adjust to your lips' pH levels, turning a proprietary shade of pink. I don't really know how much I trust the 'proprietary shade' part; I think these probably look very similar on everyone, with the shade difference having more to do with the natural pigmentation of your lips, as all of these products are more on the sheer side. Anyway, I do like the twist-up crayon packaging for its ease of use on the go, and a slight minty scent of the Tarte version.
In the bullet, the LipSurgence tint is a translucent milky pink. On my arm, it swatches as a light, clear pink, leaning slightly cool. You can see it below compared to some other sheer light pinks that I own; in the arm swatch, it's probably the most similar to the ultra-feminine Revlon Kissable Pink. However, on my lips, the Tarte tint tends to set to a darker, bolder hot pink with a smooth, glossy finish - the effect on the lips is really very fresh and pretty!

L-R: Tarte LipSurgence Skintuitive Tint in Energy, Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lipgloss in Bellini, NYX Mega Shine in Beige, Revlon Super Lustrous Shine in Kissable Pink, fresh Sugar Treatment in Honey
While I do like the shade of Tarte's Skintuitive Tint, I have a couple gripes with the formula. The LipSurgence range is supposed to be full of lip-nourishing ingredients like plant bionutrients, vitamins and essential oils (uhm, ok, I don't get that last one...), but on my dehydrated lips, it seems very drying. The glossy finish of the crayon disappears within an hour, and while the color lasts (and lasts... and lasts... so that I have some trouble removing it at night), it appears uneven and unattractive. I'm not sure why this LipSurgence crayon and the Amazonian Butter lipstick, both marketed as moisturizing products, don't work for me, but for now I don't really plan more experiments with Tarte's lip products.
Have you tried Tarte's LipSurgence pencils? Do you buy into the 'skintuitive' claims of these type of products?

11 comments:

  1. Welcome home welcome home!!! :) Hope your tummy is full of memories of delicious meals from your trip.
    The freshly applied color with the shine is so very pretty. Why chock a product from of essential oils that might irritate people?! Sorry the Tarte was so disappointing. Have you tried the Smashbox O Gloss? Also same PH concept, but lovely shine that lasts. I actually finished a tube of that which is like woah, for me.

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    1. Oh, don't even mention it, Belly! My mum spoilt me rotten... luckily she also got me some instant soup & pudding supplies as well as shrooms to take home with me.

      Thanks for the rec, I haven't tried the Smashbox one but if you finished a tube, then oh my! I need to check that baby out!

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  2. How disappointing that it's not that moisturizing because it looks so nice when it's on fresh. Also I'm super into that packaging but I think it's just because I find chubby lip crayons adorable, haha!

    xo, alison*elle

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    1. Same here, chubby pencil anything and I'm all over it. GIMME ALL THE CRAYONS.

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  3. I don't buy into the color-changing bit, and I find these a bit drying, as well. I don't actually like a lot of Tarte products :/

    But can I say, your lashes are looking amazing, Monika! Well, your face is always amazing. But lashes like whoa!

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    1. Hah, so I'm not alone in this! And if a chemist says the color-changing bit is BS, that's all I need to hear :) Thank you, my dear! <3

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  4. I hope to believe the skincare claims however the color is very light and isn't very cosmetic I think, however I personally do need very very moist lip products so I guess I would invest in a tarte lip crayon to try but in a much darker shade!

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  5. Welcome home, Monika! :)
    I don't get on with these colour-adapting lip products either :/ They also all turn the exact same shade of violent fuchsia on me as well as drying my lips out. That NYX Beige swatches beautifully, though, it keeps whispering to me from your arm ;D

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    1. You know me... I'm an arm whisperer (ok, I just couldn't stop myself, sorry). I do like the shade of the NYX lipgloss, but when I used it recently, it really settled into lip lines - I'm not sure, maybe the lipstick underneath was to blame, or I used too much. I shall investigate further.

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  6. Hi Monika,

    A belated Happy New Year! I'm loving all the delicate pinks here, esp Tarte Energy! Wish I could've caught up with you in NYC, but only ended up stopping by for a couple days thanks to the weather! Hope you're enjoying being back in the city :)

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  7. Very pretty shade!
    Your pictures are always so amazing, I can tell you put a lot of effort in them... Well done!
    Kisses from Dubai!
    xoxo

    http://www.lifestyle-oasis.com

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