At a great price point, this classy-looking multitasker does the trick for my lips. One half of the Tarte FRXtion is a lip scuffer for chapped and rough
lips. The other side is smooth healing stick chock full of antioxidants (vitamins A and E, plus vanilla), anti-irritating natural oils and aloe vera.The idea is to use the exfoliating side first, to help slough off peeling or cracked lip patches. Then you follow up with the healing lip balm side of the stick.
As the scuffer ingredients are mainly sugar, the effect is relatively gentle. Which is perfect, actually. A salt scrub - or worse, something with ground nut shells, can be TOO rough, and removing healthy lip skin and making things worse. The Tarte FRXtion concept team is obviously on top of this - the exfoliation side also counteracts the scuffing effect by adding soothing ingredients like aloe vera, jojoba and wheat germ oils, chamomile extract and Vitamin E.
I don't need to use the exoliating side as often as the soothing side, but I have found it's not difficult to apply just the one side. I don't know how this will work out eventually - will I wear down the balm side, leaving a half-stick of exfoliator? This remains to be seen. It might be nice for Tarte to offer just the balm side as an option.
The soothing side feels lovely and soft going on. I can feel it sinking in a bit, and also leaving a clean, protective layer on my lips as a protectant. I like the feel. I also like the subtle vanilla taste.
The lipstick-tube packaging is rather high tech - you pull off the cap, and a cleverly hidden mirror pops out. What a neat concept. Not that I really need a mirror to apply clear balms, but I'd like this container design on all my colored lipsticks, please.
At around $11, the Tarte FRXtion price point is certainly reasonable among similar upscale offerings. Lorac's far inferior Vitamin E stick tops out at closer to $20.
A top pick for anyone with lips! Tarte is really leading the pack with "good for you" lip cosmetics. I watch for their new products with great interest.
Look for the Tarte FRXtion at Sephora or Amazon.com: Tarte FRXtion
