“I can’t tell you if this is worth it to you. I think at the end of the day, luxury is a feeling. It’s feeling luxurious,” beauty creator Sofia Papastamelos said in a YouTube video.
See the debate sparked by Louis Vuitton’s first-ever cosmetic line
Louis Vuitton, known for its monogrammed bags and luggage, has released a new makeup collection that’s stirred debate about the prices.
Less than a week after its release, makeup artists have their hands on Louis Vuitton’s debut cosmetics collection and people have been eager to share their thoughts on the pricey luxury products.
Louis Vuitton debuted its first cosmetics collection, La Beauté, on Monday, Aug. 25. Crafted by world-renowned makeup artist Dame Pat McGrath, the collection features lipsticks, lip balms and eyeshadows.
Makeup artists and enthusiasts have been eager for the collection’s drop but have also approached it with skepticism, as it comes with a hefty price tag. One tube of lipstick from the line starts at $160 and an eyeshadow palette of four shades is $250 – about $62 per shade.
Within the first week of its launch, a good amount of content creators who have shared their swatches and thoughts about the collection were gifted free products by Louis Vuitton to promote. Others, however, braved busy in-person pop-ups and online sales to get their hands on just one or two items to wear and share.
Largely, makeup enthusiasts have expressed their contentment with the collection, satisfied with the quality, shades and packaging. But ultimately, the collection has appeared to spark a dialogue about the meaning of luxury.
“It kind of comes down to, how much are you willing to pay to feel fancy?” beauty creator Sofia Papastamelos said in a recent YouTube video. “I can’t tell you if this makes you feel fancy. I can’t tell you if this is worth it to you. I think at the end of the day, luxury is a feeling. It’s feeling luxurious. It’s not necessarily about people knowing that you’re wearing a Louis Vuitton eyeshadow. This is for me to enjoy this little luxury as a part of my routine.”
Interested in hearing more in-depth thoughts about the collection? Here’s what makeup artists have to say.
Is $160 Louis Vuitton lipstick worth it?
As of Sunday, Aug. 31, some of the standout Rouge Complete Lipstick shades had already sold out on the Louis Vuitton website.
Several different makeup-focused content creators described the lipstick as “hydrating” and highly pigmented.
“It has dried down a bit, but it’s not drying. I feel like these stay very comfortable on the lips. I think they have decent longevity. Do I think they have as much longevity that the website claims for them to be? No, I don’t really expect a satin lipstick to last for like eight or nine hours, but it did last through my three and a half hour livestream … where I was just constantly talking for three hours,” Papastamelos said. The Louis Vuitton website boasts that the satin Rouge Complete Lipsticks last eight hours.
At the end of the day, Papastamelos said she does not think that the lipstick is worth the cost because she prefers other luxury lipsticks on the market.
Amelia Cross, known as Amelia’s Beauty Chat on social media, said in a recent YouTube video that she wasn’t impressed by the 55 shades offered as someone who is drawn to more natural tones.
“In terms of the lipsticks, as you know, I wasn’t tempted to buy just because I can get those shades that I’m particularly interested in, in lots of places,” she said.
A luxurious weight
Across the board, people who have purchased (or received via promotional purposes) products from the collection agree that each is quite hefty.
In her YouTube video, Cross said the Ombres Complete Eyeshadow, which costs $250, weighs about 5 ounces. For reference, that’s as heavy as a standard baseball.
“It is very, very weighty,” Cross said in her video. “It is probably the weightiest compact out there, I think in terms of eyeshadows.”
Papastamelos noted that while the Rouge Complete Lipstick also has a nice weight to it, she doesn’t find the packaging as luxurious as other brands and products like Celine’s La Rouge Satin Lipstick ($78) and Guerlain’s Customizable Ultra-Care Lipstick ($80).
‘You’re not getting the Mothership experience.’
Perhaps what drew makeup lovers to La Beauté more than the Louis Vuitton name was McGrath’s. The award-winning makeup artist, whose portfolio features a countless array of celebrities, has her own makeup line, Pat McGrath Labs. Notably, the line features McGrath’s Mothership eyeshadow palettes, which are popular for their bold color options. For reference, a Mothership palette usually features 10 colors for about $128.
Makeup enthusiasts were quick to point out that La Beauté’s Ombres Complete Eyeshadows don’t have the same vibrancy as Mothership eyeshadows.
Papastamelos said in her YouTube video that the Ombres Complete Eyeshadows are not “at all” like McGrath’s Mothership palettes.
“If this was a Pat McGrath shade, this would be like molted gold all over the lid, very, very creamy. This one has a little bit of creaminess and it is pigmented, but it’s not like super richly saturated,” Papastamelos said of Ombres Complete Eyeshadow palette Beige Momento.
Cross agreed.
“You’re not getting the Mothership experience, you’re not, but I don’t think any of us thought we would,” she said.
What products are in the La Beauté collection?
- Rouge Complete Lipsticks: 55 total lipsticks, including 22 “creamy satin hues” and 28 “velvety matte shades,” each made with natural waxes from rose, jasmine and mimosa flowers; shea butter and hyaluronic acid.
- Baume Complete Lip Balm: 10 lightly-tinted lip balms made with shea butter and hyaluronic acid
- Ombres Complete Eyeshadows: Eight eyeshadow palettes featuring four shades each, made with plant-derived squalane, known for protecting the skin, and camelina flower oil extract
Each lipstick and lip balm features a fragrance, designed by Louis Vuitton Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, a Louis Vuitton news release states. The lipsticks feature mimosa, jasmine and rose scents, and the balms feature mint and raspberry.
Each makeup product is refillable.
La Beauté prices
Here’s a breakdown of the prices for products in the new La Beauté line:
- Ombres Refills:Â $92
- Rouge Complete Lipstick:Â $160
- Baume Complete Lip Balm:Â $160
- Ombres Complete Eyeshadows:Â $250
- Rouge and Baume Refills:Â $69
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
