Review: Tarte FRXtion Natural Sugar Exfoliator and Lip Balm Duo

I seem to be drawn to all things made by Tarte. Maybe it's the fact that their products are so hard to get in the UK, or then again maybe it's just the name :)

This product is FRXtion, which features a side with exfoliating sugar crystals (the orange side) and a vitamin E (amongst other beneficial ingredients) lip balm side. Just look at the packaging, it is gorgeous! The lip even has a little flip out mirror which is so handy.

My first impression was that this was incredible. I had dry flakey lips and it seemed to be just what I was looking for. I sloughed off the dead skin (nice) with the scuffing side and then applied the lip balm. My lips felt smooth. However, the exfoliation does not seem to be any greater than using a toothbrush or a flannel. The smoothness seems to come from the fact that the lip balm is really nice, thick and creamy, and it gives the illusion of smooth lips by covering up the flakey skin.

The other problem is that it is such a delicate product that any hardcore scrubbing is out of the question. It is fairly soft and you will end up warping it. This is what mine looks like now:

It bends easily and there's a risk of it snapping off completely. Not to mention one side will inevitably wear down quicker than the other so you'll end up with something unusable in the end.

Those irritations aside, I am still quite fond of this product, if only for the lip balm, the packaging, and the unbelievably gorgeous vanilla/burnt caramel smell which is addictive.

It's a novelty product really that won't last you very long, but I got mine for fairly cheap on eBay (less than £10 including shipping from the US). I doubt I will repurchase once this has gone but glad I got to try it. I think I will stick to the vaseline and toothbrush method though! Unless of course something else catches my eye :)