Cle de Peau Beauty Secret (R7) Extra Rich Lipstick Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 14:00:36 +0000

Cle de Peau Beauty Secret (R7) Extra Rich Lipstick

Cle de Peau Beauty Secret (R7) Extra Rich Lipstick

Cle de Peau Beauty Secret (R7) Extra Rich Lipstick ($60.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a rich coral-brown with a natural sheen and hint of shimmer. It’s more of a muted coral that doesn’t have the level of warmth that many corals have. Dior Versailles has a similar coral-brown-like base, but it has a lot of golden shimmer, so it appears lighter. MAC Mellowarm is reminiscent of this shade but with more orange. Cle de Peau #114 is slightly more orange, but it’s somewhat similar. Burberry Blush is pinker.

The color coverage is opaque in a single pass–no building required–and the lipstick’s consistency is soft and creamy, so it glides on easily. What I’ve always loved about the Extra Rich formula is the hydration; these wear four to six hours (this one wears five) and my lips always feel better after wearing these. After ten to fifteen minutes of wear, this does seem to soften lip lines. I’m really sensitive to lip plumpers, but I never have issues with these. Cle de Peau says that there are “skincare benefits” included in the formula, but I’ve never worn one for six weeks straight to tell you if there are any long-term benefits.

Cle de Peau is a luxury beauty brand, so it’s not positioned to be affordable. The formula is excellent; the lipstick is comfortable to wear, yields full-color coverage, hydrates, and wears longer than average. Whether it’s worth the luxury price tag is up to you and your justification/rationalization process. For me, it’s a treat; this is the type of product you reward yourself with–maybe for that tough contract you negotiated, recent raise you received, graduating school–and something you’re absolutely in love with. You don’t buy this just to buy a color; you buy it because it’s one of those ultra flattering shades on you.

It took me years to learn the lesson: quality over quantity; buy one lipstick you’ll love wearing everyday rather than five that you wear once or twice a year. A good friend of mine always looks at “cost per use” when it comes to her makeup buying decisions. She won’t shell out big bucks for a shade she knows she’ll never feel comfortable wearing, but she will on something she knows she’ll use for weeks on end.