Mad, mad world: Cle de Peau holiday collection lipstick + highlight

Would you spend $80 a lipstick?

To me, it would have to be a pretty fantastic lipstick to drop that kind of money. But, when it comes to the holidays, it seems to be that money is no object, and if there is one season to do it, it’s definitely this one.

I was super excited to receive some holiday items from luxury cosmetic and skincare line Cle De Peau since I’ve been familiar with the brand for years now but have never had the courage to drop the money to pick up any items. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve heard amazing things about them (especially their foundations and concealers), but let’s be real here, C$95 for a highlighter is a lot of money.

Enter their holiday collection, which I feel like is the one time of the year where I could justify picking up an item from their collection. The Cle De Peau holiday collection is probably one of the cutest ones I’ve seen this year in terms of packaging since everything is Alice in Wonderland themed. Although the collection is home to an eyeshadow palette, a refining pressed powder, and – I kid you not – a C$700 moisturizer, I received the limited-edition Cashmere Lipstick and the Illuminating Stick Highlighter.

Cle de Peau Cashmere Lipstick and Illuminating Stick Highlighter from 2018 holiday collection
Cle de Peau Cashmere lipstick in Follow Me from the 2018 holiday collection

Available in two shades (Paint Me – a red, and Follow Me – a blush pink), this lipstick is housed in a limited-edition pink packaging. The lipstick (C$80) is incredibly soft and comfortable to wear and leaves a matte finish on the lips.  Its best feature to me is how moisturizing the colour is, which the brand says lasts for four hours to combat dryness, roughness, scaling, and cracking for healthy-looking lips. It does have a unique tip, which fits lips contours like a breeze for an easy application.

For such a high price tag there has to be a reason why it’s so amazing right? Well, it contains flexible and light-transmission powder which move with lips to create a finish with dimensional colour that doesn’t crack. The lipstick applies matte and stays on lips but doesn’t dry down. I have Follow Me, which is the blush pink that actually is similar to my own natural lip colour, so I found that this was incredibly easy to wear and also one of those colours that go with any makeup look.  The formula of the lipstick also includes oil-embracing powder and discreet light oil to bring smoothness for radiance without sheen, as well as a blend of illuminating hydro-wrap complex and premium argan tree oil to moisturize lips.

Cle de Peau Cashmere lipstick in Follow Me from the 2018 holiday collection swatched

So is it worth the money? I will say that this lipstick definitely feels luxurious, everything from how the packaging feels and looks to how the lipstick applies.  The colour glides on the lips and definitely leaves lips feeling hydrating. But here’s the thing. You know when you apply lip balm with wax in it and then you’re constantly applying it throughout the day as when it starts to wear off your lips feel dry? This is what this lipstick is like. It’s great while you’re wearing it but then once it starts to fade, it made my lips feel dry, so I found myself constantly reapplying it. Like I said, it is a beautiful colour that has quickly made it’s way into my purse makeup bag, but it’s definitely a splurge for a high-end lipstick.

Moving on, their Illuminating Stick Highlighter, this C$95 stick illuminator is housed in the most whimsical packaging that would make anyone on your wish list excited to get it.

Clea De Peau Illuminating Stick Highlighter from Holidays 2018

The formula of this highlight is incredibly smooth to it adheres amazingly to the skin. Since it’s a stick, you can use it to really help sculpt the face and bring luminosity to the high points of the face.

This is a nice highlighter but I do have to say that it’s not the most blinding one on my collection, which is okay since that look definitely isn’t for everyone. I don’t think I would normally spend close to a hundred dollars on just one highlighter, but it’s definitely a collector’s item if you love Cle de Peau beauty (and obviously a lot of people love it since it’s sold out on Neiman Marcus, Barney’s, and Saks Fifth Avenue online). Also, the shade of the highlighter itself is quite universal, meaning that it will complement pretty much any skin tone.

Cle de Peau Illuminating Stick Highlighter Swatched

I think that this holiday collection is definitely one of the most splurge-worthy and luxurious ones I have ever seen. I love the theme and the packaging, but I don’t think that these items are the way to go if you haven’t tried the brand before. If you are a Cle de Peau die-hard, then I would look into picking these up since I feel like you’ll have more appreciation for them than someone who is new to the brand.

Have you tried anything from Cle De Peau before?

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