Welcome to Deep Reviews—your one-stop destination to discover the absolute best products and brands the beauty industry has to offer. Every month, the Who What Wear staffers you already know and trust will research, test, and review the market's most sought-after and buzzed-about products to see which formulas (of the hundreds up for consideration) are truly worth your hard-earned money and attention. You can expect honest, completely uncensored feedback and no-BS recommendations our hard-to-please testers endorse without reservations. To put it simply, stick with us, and buyer's remorse will be a thing of the past.
The majority of our Deep Reviews will feature our editors' honest, ultra-hot takes on wider product categories or multiple products within a particular beauty brand, but every so often, we'll sprinkle in a special single-product format called Honestly, I Love It. As the name suggests, these reviews will hone in on one standout beauty formula our editors quite literally can't shut up about. This time around, I'm highlighting Tarte's Maracuja Juicy Lip & Cheek Shift ($24).
The undeniable popularity of Y2K-inspired trends can be found in the most unexpected forms of expression, from the sudden shift toward long hemlines and sheer tops with corsage-esque floral detailing to the reemergence of maximalist nail art and hair gems. As a child of the 2000s who planned entire elementary school mall trips around the latest Lip Smackers, I'm welcoming the return of brightly colored lip gloss with an open wallet and arms. If you, like me, are part of the 20-something crowd with an innate desire to re-create the makeup experiences of your youth sans Claire's makeup kits, you're in the right place.
Recently, Tarte added its Maracuja Juicy Lip & Cheek Shift to its best-selling line of products crafted with maracuja oil, an ingredient rich in essential acids and vitamin C to promote firmer, brighter, and smoother-looking skin. Unlike the other products in the Maracuja line, however, the Lip & Cheek Shift has the unique ability to create a personalized shade according to your pH levels. Do you remember the color-changing makeup of our youth? This is that, but better. Here's why: Its unique formula works on both the lips and the cheeks, giving them a natural-looking flush of color that's uniquely you.
Yari Lamback, a Philadelphia-based professional cosmetologist who works with Tarte, gave me the scoop on what sets the Maracuja Juicy Lip & Cheek Shift apart from similar products saturating the market. "This is Tarte founder and CEO Maureen Kelly's baby," begins Lamback. "She loved using pH technology in our products back in the day, and she's so excited to bring it back in this new, juicy formula!" According to Lamback, the original shades were all inspired by fruits such as grapes, blueberries, and blackberries. The newer shades offered are reminiscent of popular childhood candies.
I'm definitely a fan of the product after having tested a number of its newest trending shades (I tried Sherbet, Sour Candy, Ice Pop, Rock Candy, and Jelly Bean, which have all since sold out), and it turns out professional makeup artists are just as obsessed. "I love that it can be used on lips and cheeks for the perfect juicy, monochromatic look, which is so trendy right now," Lamback says. "You can wear it alone on bare skin/lips thanks to its moisturizing properties, or you can level up your look by layering it over your fave lipstick or blush for a gorgeous, enhanced pop of color! Sit back and watch your confidence soar—you've been shifted!"
With so many gorgeous shades to choose from, which all offer unique shades of pink according to your pH level, it can be hard to pick just one. "My absolute faves are Jelly Bean, which starts as a pastel blue, and Rock Candy, which starts as a pastel purple," she continues. "They make my lips feel soft and hydrated, and the color payoff is amazing." She's not wrong. The color payoff was the first thing I noticed about it due to my unfortunate habit of swiping more product than needed onto the cheeks. All I needed to do to save it was blend, blend, blend for a gorgeous, natural-looking finish that lasted all day. With this Tarte tint, a little goes a long way.
"Even after eating and drinking, my lips were still shifted," says Lamback. "Honestly, you can't go wrong with any of the shades. Just flex with the Shift." Flex with the Shift I did. I decided to only wear these products on my lips over the course of two weeks. I put it to the test, eating and drinking whatever I liked while keeping track of how often I felt the need to reapply throughout the day. When I did eventually have to reach for another swipe of the tint (usually averaging three times between the first application and the last), the product would apply smoothly and evenly. You don't even need to prep your lips before you use it—I honestly didn't see a difference in its finish whether my lips were prepped with a lip balm or almost bone-dry. It does its job amazingly well, giving me a splash of color and hydration where it was needed.
I've been done with my trial era of this Tarte product for a week now, and I still use it on the daily when I'm in need of a sweet punch of color and a glossy finish. It's the perfect way to add a youthful flair to my makeup looks, even if onlookers have no idea about its unique color-changing quality. Here's the thing. I like to treat it as a modern-day makeup take on the mood rings that made up half of my tween jewelry collection. The color change, while in response to pH levels, is a reflection of what makes you… you.
Once you've discovered how each of the shades appears on you, there's a good chance you'll want to add them to your collection.
Next: This New Scent Smells Like Falling in Love, Bottled—Here's Why It's Magic
from Who What Wear