As someone who has combination skin (oily/dry) I was very apprehensive about trying a face oil. Last year Tarte Cosmetics sent me their beautifully bottled pure Maracuja Oil ($46) to be considered for Sweet Violet Bride’s natural beauty guide and so I gave it a try. I feared it would make me break out and hesitantly patted it on my face, thinking for sure I would wake up to a new break out. But when I woke up the next morning, my skin looked refreshed, felt unbelievably soft, and there were no breakouts. It’s a fluke, I thought, one lucky time. So I tried it again, and again, and again…with the same wonderful results. I now call this my miracle oil.
Known as “puro milagro” or “the pure miracle,” Maracuja is a rare Amazonian fruit (looks similar to a passion fruit and is related to it) that is delicately harvested piece by piece. The superfruit is sustainably collected and then the nutrient-rich seeded pulp is extracted from each individual maracuja fruit. This naturally harvested treasure, referred to as the “alma” or “soul” of the fruit is then hand pressed without the use of heat to guarantee the maximum amount of nutritious essential fatty acids and vitamins. According to Tarte’s site, this oil is known to replenish and recharge skin while also creating a rejuvenated, brighter complexion due to a high dose of vitamin C.
This wonderful oil won’t turn back time, but it will help you age gracefully. I love that it delivers such rich moisture to my skin without feeling greasy. During the winter months I battled some extremely dry skin and after gently exfoliating I would rub about 3 drops between the palms of my hands and pat over my face making sure to fully get any spot that were extra dry. In the morning it was amazing how good my skin looked and felt. Three to four drops really is all you need too. With this stuff a little goes a very long way.
I also found Maracuja oil to have the amazing ability to help heal. For example I tried putting it on small a cut on my hand (after the cut had closed) and it helped to heal the damaged skin super fast. I also tried the same thing on a bad blemish (you know the kind you get every so often that you pick at and wish you had left alone). It definitely helped speed up the skin’s healing process. works great to condition nails and elbows too.
Curious to try another product with this ingredient in it (Tarte makes a line of several products with Maracuja), I tried the Maracuja C Brightener Eye Cream (Ophthalmologist tested), $38. Most mornings I definitely have circles under my eyes and also get dry skin around the eye area in winter so this was the perfect thing to try. In addition to Maracuja oil which is rich in essential fatty acids (EFA’s), this treatment contains rice bran, mango and coconut (naturally rich in antioxidants), and oat sugars which help smooth and tighten skin.
A little goes a long way with this product too. At night (after applying any pure Maracuja oil) I apply just a tiny dab with my ring finger under my eyes and around the eye area, up to the brow bone. I can’t say that it completely eliminates dark circles – the only thing that can fully do that is the right concealer, but I can say it definitely improved the condition of my skin around the delicate eye area without any irritation. It left my skin refreshed and a bit brighter than normal after using for several days.
The last thing I’d like to talk about is the gorgeous packaging on these two items. The pure oil is packaged in a wonderful bamboo box that makes it great for giving as a gift, or to keep the glass bottle safe. The violet glass bottle is super pretty! I love using the little dropper and will definitely reuse this bottle for something once I’ve used it all up (which will take a really long time). The eye cream is also in the same purple glass but this one has a faux wood cap. This jar is also a pretty little reusable container. Tarte also makes their Maracuja available in convenient roller ball sizes ($17) perfect for travel and for spot treating.
xo – Naomi