Archived Post

The $50 Lip Gloss -- Was it worth it?

I told you I made one purchase at Barneys, right? Well, that’s the gloss I purchased. You look at it and go, “Sure, that’s pretty, so what?”

Well, see how it looks on the lips…

Cle de Peau Lip Gloss #2 grabbed me by first swatch.

The bottom right swatch is Cle de Peau Lip Gloss #2. It has this interesting duochrome shimmer of greenish-gold with a peachy-pink gloss base. Quite irresistible, if you think about what I tend to be drawn to. Of all the things I quickly swatched at the store, this one drew me in like a moth to a flame. I felt like I just had to have something to show for my experience, and I figured, “Go for it!” since I was tempted by it from the get-go.

So is it worth $50? No, it’s not, but it’s hard to say that any gloss is “worth” $50.

Am I happy with it? Yes, I am. It is a non-sticky gloss that gives me a soft peck of color and lots of shimmer and sheen (which I love). It stays on very well — ate spaghetti and it didn’t even budget (um, wow!) and lasts hours. Some might say the lasting power is what makes it “worth” the price tag, though. I find it wears well, fades after several hours without drying or leaving a ring of gloss around your lips.

Why this color? There were surely lovely pinks and deeper, more opaque glosses, but at the same time, I wanted something easy to wear, that I could grab and go. I wanted a color that wasn’t like what I already had (and I have plenty of bright pinks and fuchsia lipglosses!). I am sure there is an existing dupe (perhaps NARS Orgasm gloss?), though. I am happy enough with it, and I wear it for errands and the like.

What do you think? Good color, bad color? Tons of dupes for it? What was your priciest beauty purchase?

108 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Kimberly Avatar

I like the gloss. It’s a really pretty shade. I’ve never purchased anything over the top. However, I did take a makeup class with Chantecaille, and they gave me their Biodynamic Lifting Cream, and it costs $295!

Kimberly Avatar

Hey!

If I go on vacation, I like to buy things they don’t normally sell around here.

But yes, I do like the cream, but it is SO expensive! Talk about high class.

Trace Avatar

Wow, that IS pricey.. but that shade is gorgeous! It’s interesting, can’t say I’ve seen anything that’s an exact dupe, but I’m sure plenty come close. It seems like the shimmer is pretty densely packed in there which makes it look that much more brilliant. 🙂 It is a lot of money for a gloss, but hey, you could have lost that money gambling or something.. at least you have something pretty and sparkly to show for it! lol =P

JackA. Avatar

That’s extremely pricey, and even though it’s gorgeous, I think you could’ve made a similar color yourself for cheaper.

Rosy coral, clear pink, or duo rose gloss + rose gold pigment mayhaps?

Christine Avatar

Hi JackA.,

I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a similar dupe available. I did pick up Rosy Coral in Vegas, actually, but it doesn’t resemble this whatsoever. But maybe Duo Rose and Rose Gold together – I think it might be more pigmented than this gloss, color could be close!

MissVizzy Avatar

Its a very pretty lipgloss I must admit. I feel that if you have that extra money to splurge on a lipgloss, then get it! lol. The most expensive beauty product I got was a Chanel blush and the most expensive lipgloss I have I believe is from Yves Saint Laurent…I’m not sure if Chanel glossimers are more expensive but I only have one of each and I only use them on special occasions, haha! Every since those purchases (last year) I have yet to spend that much money on one makeup item. That was enough for me, lol.

Emma Avatar

I think it’s absolutely stunning and totally worth it, we all need to spoil ourselves once in a while and you undoubtedly deserve it!

Ashley Avatar

I also think it’s pretty, over the top pretty? Not really!!
I don’t mind the price tag though, but to be honest it is not a unique shade at all. Your description of the staying power is impressive, I would love to see how it looks with a full face on.

Amy Avatar

It sure is pretty! I don’t know if it’s worth $50 since there’s probably a much cheaper dupe somewhere out there, but if I had money to spend on it I’d probably pick one up!

Jennifer Avatar

It’s a gorgeous gloss, but I have a hard time justifying $50 on any single beauty product – Bobbi Brown palettes tend to be the most expensive single item that I’ll buy.

Millie Avatar

it is a pretty gloss! went to barney’s in san francisco today and the cosmetics section is indeed quite different from other stores. i bought a chantecaille foundation but i’ll check out cle de peau next time.

can you show a whole FOTD using this gloss?

Miss QQ Avatar

Wow! It is way expensive but very nice. Kind of looks like Lollipop Loving, except that LL has more of a green shimmer and this gloss looks smoother. I went to test this gloss out after reading this. I can’t bear to buy it LOL. I can buy almost 4 MAC glosses with the money.

RuBie Avatar

that colour is soooooooo pretty!! makes me want it now, but imo it does looks quite similar to the NARS orgasm l/g, so maybe i won’t pay $50 to get that. well, it’s hard to find cle de peau stuff here in Oz anyway, if it’s possible at all.

do you know how the texture is compared to the NARS orgasm l/g?

Jan Avatar

Hi Christine! I’ve been away so have not been checking out here! This lipgloss is so pretty, love the effect it has on your lips! Something different, something MAC lipglosses cannot do I think! $50 is quite pricy, but the wear-time/effect is fantastic, so let’s just close an eye, enjoy it and forget about the price!

Calico Avatar

Really beautiful colours in it! Can you compare it to mac long wear in durashell? This colour you have is lovely though! 🙂

Jenn Avatar

I have the cle de peau concealer which I can’t live without and it was $70.00, something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. This concealer is so great for me I’d buy it even if it was $200.

Sash Avatar

Sure, it’s really nice, but NO!
It’s not worth it unless your dad is Bill Gates!
Well, is he?

LOL. If you’re happy, then I’m happy!
♥

Mandy Avatar

My priciest beauty splurge was the NARS Orgasm Laguna duo/set — the one with the Orgasm lipgloss included. It was quite a jump for me (around $60 bucks) but it was SUCH a great investment!

Rowena Avatar

Very pretty – I love Cle De Peau but boy it is pricey. I think i bought one in the Uk for £35 so its pretty steep. I don’t think I would spend it again unless I had endless streams of money, or it was a knockout shade, which I think your peachy-gold is!

Rachael Avatar

I went out today and bought this, it is a stunning color and I love it on my lips, although it doesn’t look quite as pigmented on mine as it does on yours. As for the price, no its not really worth it, but I felt like splurging. I also swatched a bunch of the Lancome La Laque Fever glosses and they are almost identicle to cle de peau glosses and a bit cheaper!

Pat Avatar

wow that’s very pretty. shade of color I usually go for. That one is hard to pass on. I think I would definitely buy that if I’m not broke at the moment. I never heard of that brand before though as I don’t really wear make up but I own lots of lip glosses:P is it limited edition gloss?

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!