Cle de Peau #26 Lipstick
The Summer Season: Cle de Peau #26 Lipstick
Cle de Peau #26 Lipstick ($55.00 for 0.15 oz.) is a glossy, lightly champagne-shimmered coral-orange with a mostly opaque finish. What makes a Cle de Peau lipstick stand out from other high-end lipsticks is its ability to give lips a plumper, fuller appearance while minimizing lip lines. I always notice my lips look better when I wear one of Cle de Peau’s shades–right from the get go–compared to some other mid-to-high end lipsticks. Whether that effect is necessarily worth $55 is for you to decide, but this lipstick is certainly luxe with its weightless, glossy full-coverage color that lasts a solid four to five hours (though the sheen fades around two or three hours, the color itself lingers).
Is this the right coral lipstick for you? Would you wear it?
The Summer Season is a series of posts featuring bright, vibrant shades of coral, orange, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for a summer of fun — that runs through July 2010.
Cle de Peau #106 Extra Silky Lipstick
The Spring Season: Cle de Peau #106 Extra Silky Lipstick
Cle de Peau #106 Extra Silky Lipstick ($52.00 for 0.07 oz.) is a creamy softened medium blue-pink with a glossy finish and nearly imperceptible shimmer. Cle de peau’s Extra Silky Lipsticks are absolutely a dream to wear–they’re smooth, soft, creamy, and moisturizing. They don’t steal a single drop of moisture while you wear them, and despite the creaminess and slip of these lipsticks, I still get a good four hours of wear. It has a naturally glossy finish, so they’re easy to wear alone.
Of course, the downfall of Extra Silky lipsticks is their price tag. At over $50 a pop, they’re certainly a luxury lipstick that’s hard to “collect ‘em all.” To make matters worse, you only get 0.07 oz. in each (which is about half of the average lipstick size). Even though they’re quite pigmented, they’re easy to over-apply, so apply less than you think to maximize your purchase!
More Cle de Peau Extra Silky Lipsticks…
Is this the right pink lipstick for you? Would you wear it?
The Spring Season is a series of posts featuring my favorite soft beige, coral, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for the first blossom of spring — that runs through March 2010.
Cle de Peau #101 Eyeshadow
Going Luxe: Cle de Peau Satin Eye Color
Cle de Peau Satin Eye Color ($45.00 for 0.07 oz.) is the ultimate luxury in eyeshadow. It’s absolutely fantastic eyeshadow–soft, smooth; it applies like butter and feels like silk. At $642 per ounce–and to put that into perspective, MAC is $290/oz., NARS is $328/oz., Chanel is $407/oz.–it’s the most expensive eyeshadow I’ve ever tested. (But I got curious, so I did some research, and La Prairie’s Eyeshadow comes in at $900/oz. and Sisley at $920/oz., so it’s not the priciest one out there…)
Knowing that it’s Cle de Peau, a luxury line, there’s a sense of, “Mmm, ahh, ohh!” from the get-go, which is part of the experience of using high-end or luxury brands. When I did the math, however, even I had to go,“Whoa!“ I’m going to tell you point blank that I don’t think I’d ever fork over $45 for a single eyeshadow myself (of course, if it was antique gold, maybe we could talk, if my wallet didn’t run away). But this is something that has to be put into perspective. I would have (and I have) paid $45 or more for a lipstick (Guerlain) or lipgloss (Cle de Peau!) that I really liked. I also want to say that Cle de Peau is a luxury brand, so their business is not built on being affordable. The price tag very much reflects that.
So, putting price aside, the eyeshadow formula does not disappoint. I tried two shades: #101, which is a shimmering warmed-up white, and #107, which is a softened plum-mauve with a shimmery finish. Both shades swatched very true-to-color, and the shimmer is softened a bit (almost like a diffused glow) but on the frostier side. The best way to describe these is exactly as I said earlier: “it applies like butter and feels like silk.” The two shades I tried were well-pigmented and shimmered in their loveliness.
These also adhere very well to the lids, whether or not you use a base. Typically, I don’t bother trying out eyeshadows without a base, since wearing an eyeshadow base is nearly a must-do when you wear eyeshadow, period. However, because Cle de Peau advertises that it can be applied without “fading, creasing, or dulling,” I had to give it a shot. The eyeshadows have “Hydro-wrap Complex” and Argan Tree Oil for “smooth application and wear.” Fancy talk, but these do wear well as an all over color and no base, so count me surprised. They didn’t soften, crease, or fade during the eight hours I wore them to test (and yes, I totally wore #101 on one eye and #107 on the other!).
They are truly lovely and beautiful from start to finish, even if they are jaw-dropping-ly expensive. I can easily see why someone would purchase these, even if I myself can’t quite afford them!
Has anyone else tried these? Anyone caved on these? Must-see shades?
There are also eight other shades in the formula: 102 (smoked, gray-purple), 103 (nude), 104 (peach), 105 (pinked-peach), 106 (subdued brown-pink), 108 (purple amethyst), 109 (medium green), and 110 (soft sky blue).
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! 
- Product: 29/30
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: For the ultimate indulgence in eyeshadow, there’s Cle de Peau. I would indulge only if it was a product I could see myself using regularly and finishing.
Cle de Peau #124 Extra Silky Lipstick
The Spring Season: Cle de Peau #124 Extra Silky Lipstick
Cle de Peau #124 Extra Silky Lipstick ($52.00 for 0.07 oz.) is a petal pink with yellow undertones and soft pink shimmer. This is a gently warmed up pink, which isn’t always the easiest kind of pink to find, and it looks glossy and pretty-in-pink on the lips. Extra Silky Lipsticks are creamy, smooth, glossy, and decently pigmented (I haven’t tried the full range, but the ones I’ve tried have good pigmentation).
Cle de Peau’s Extra Silky Lipsticks really have an exceptional formula–check out my first post on them here for my full rave review–with an exceptional price tag, of course. I will also have to reiterate that I really think and wish they would give you a little bit more (say 0.12 oz.) for your money as well–at least to stay in line with the average lipstick size.
I’m a firm believer in that, for some, Extra Silky Lipsticks are worth every penny of the $52 (which is a recent price increase of $2, by the by). Often, this is the kind of lipstick you may find your holy grail color in. I have heard from so many who aren’t lipstick lovers but have fallen in love with the feel and texture of these. Certainly extravagant, but if you can afford it, no shame in that game!
Is this the right pink lipstick for you? Would you wear it?
The Spring Season is a series of posts featuring my favorite soft beige, coral, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for the first blossom of spring — that runs through March 2010.
Cle de Peau #103 Extra Silky Lipstick
The Spring Season: Cle de Peau #103 Extra Silky Lipstick
Cle de Peau #103 Extra Silky Lipstick ($50.00 for 0.07 oz.) is a neutral-toned peach nude that applies and feels like a dream. It’s creamy, soft, and well-pigmented. This is just one of those lipsticks that makes you sigh when you apply it.
I often swatch anywhere from ten to twenty lipsticks in a sitting, and by ten, my lips are feeling a little swollen and dried out, but put one of these on? Heaven. Absolute heaven and feels like a nice reprieve to my lips. (I swear, they sing!) The wear time is average for me (four hours), though surprisingly so, just because there is a lot of slip to these, since they are so creamy and glossy. Extra Silky Lipsticks feel like a lightweight, ultra-creamy lipstick meshed with a gloss. They’re very thin and hug lips without emphasizing lip lines. The closest, in texture, that I’ve come across would be YSL’s Rouge Volupte, but Cle de Peau is scent-free (as far as I could smell!) and wears longer.
Cle de Peau lipstick is luxuriating on the lips, but that feeling of luxury does come at a luxury price tag, unfortunately! If you have the deep pockets to afford and enjoy this pretty little number, Cle de Peau makes one amazing lipstick formula. I wish, at the very least, you got more for your money — 0.07 oz. is well below the average lipstick size (which is 0.12 oz.). Since it has such a creamy feel to it, it’s also easy to “waste” product by layering too much on. But like I said, if you feel like an indulgence, you can’t go wrong with Extra Silky Lipsticks!
(Oh, and P.S. – don’t click the lipstick up too much, because you can’t retract it!)
Is this the right nude lipstick for you? Would you wear it?
The Spring Season is a series of posts featuring my favorite soft beige, coral, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for the first blossom of spring — that runs through March 2010.
Cle de Peau #2 Lipgloss
The Spring Season: Cle de Peau #2 Lip Gloss
Cle de Peau #2 Lip Gloss ($47.00) has been a favorite of mine since I first swatched it on the back of my hands at Barneys (in Vegas). I still can’t believe I plunked down the bucks for this one without even trying it on! I don’t regret it, though, because it’s such a stunning golden-peach flecked gloss. I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say it’s worth every penny by any means, but I’m happy with the purchase, even over a year out. It’s mostly non-sticky, but it doesn’t have the jelly feel that a lot of non-sticky glosses have. It’s a fairly thick gloss that has decent pigmentation (particular for this kind of shade) and really stands out amongst all the Cle de Peau Lip Glosses (IMO!). I remember swatching several shades and none of them grabbed me like this one. It has an almost duochrome nature to it; it’s peachy, gold, green, apricot… Love it. It comes with a wand applicator, has little to no scent (I didn’t notice anything myself).
The only shade I’ve found that’s truly comparable to it has been Le Metier de Beaute’s Payapa Creme ($36). Sheerer and not nearly as reflective dupes might include shades like MAC Nymphette Lipglass ($14) or NARS Orgasm Lipgloss ($22). It’s a pricey gloss, so it’s not going to be something just anyone will buy or will want to buy, and that’s fine. If you like indulgent buys or the ultra luxe, this is definitely one of my favorites.
Is this the right spring gloss for you? Would you wear it?
The Spring Season is a series of posts featuring my favorite soft beige, coral, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for the first blossom of spring — that runs through March 2010.
