When it comes to deciding whether a beauty product is worth the money, I always recommend to my followers on Instagram, to try and look past the marketing. A celebrity endorsement and fancy packaging alone doesn’t always justify the extra cost. For skincare, quality of ingredients and science-backed claims contribute to a product's value. But what about makeup? Is it really worth spending the extra bucks on something that you just wash off at the end of the day?
The rise of skincare/makeup hybrids make it easier to answer that question. There are more brands like Ilia, Jones Road Beauty and Saie using skin-friendly ingredients at the heart of their formulations and experiencing the quality makes it easier to justify their price tags.
But how can you justify handing over a $50 bill for just one lipstick? I get why spending more on your foundation is worthwhile - it’s applied to the whole of your face and you wear it everyday so it makes sense to invest in a product that will treat skin too. But a lipstick? What on earth can be in the formulation to make it worth it?
All these questions ran through my head when I received three shades of the new $50 lipsticks created by celebrity makeup artist, Gucci Westman. ,The Westman Atelier Lip Suede Matte Lipsticks are packaged to look and feel like they have a high price tag. The Hermes-esque packaging is luxe. And practical. The magnetized cap even has a built-in mirror which comes in handy for touch-ups. And the adorable hearts embossed in the bullet is a gorgeous touch.
But as always, I took myself back to reality and looked past the packaging. To warrant the $50 spend, this lipstick had to feel incredible, the color pay off had to be rich and intense, and the pigment had to last all day.
Matte lipsticks don’t often feel great on your lips. They are traditionally drying and can flake off pretty quickly, which normally puts me off wearing them. Patchy lipstick is not a good look. But these felt different. I have never found a lipstick that goes on so smooth. Honestly, it feels like you are applying one of those extra nourishing night time lip balms, but with all the color and none of the sticky tack!
I was surprised by how rich the colors were. Normally, when a lipstick applies like a lip balm, you sacrifice on pigment. But not with these. The color pay off was incredible. The Le Rouge shade is a gorgeous tomato red, and it survived a whole day of eating, drinking, working and filming. Honestly, I didn’t need to reapply it once - I just had to do a minor touch up in the car after smudging the color with my hand.
I wasn’t surprised to learn that these lipsticks are packed with some of skincare’s most nourishing and plumping ingredients that you’d normally find in serums and creams. Peptides help soften fine lines, hyaluronic acid softens skin, and vitamin C and E keep lips nourished. You can really feel the difference that these ingredients make.
Other experts agree. "I recently tried one of these lipsticks, and ended up buying the whole range for my kit," explains award-winning celebrity makeup artist Lan Nguyen-Grealis. "Nothing feels as good as a non-drying matte lipstick, plus this one has some great skincare benefits.. A little bit goes a long way, and the smell and formulas are really luxurious."
READ: 3 questions to ask yourself before buying a beauty product
I am fully aware that $50 is A LOT of money to pay for a lipstick, and we all could do with tightening our purse strings in this economic climate, but I do think that if you have a particular lipstick shade that you love and wear it a lot, these lipsticks can be worth the investment.
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