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.