I have a Cle de Peau Beaute haul roundup today with some hits and misses on what I’ve been testing. I’ve been a long time fan of their Concealer Stick (both original and new formula) and some of their lip products but this is a brand I haven’t explored much recently. Much of the makeup I’ve purchased over the years has been reformulated over the years including the twist up click lipsticks, some eyeshadows, foundations etc. With all the other launches and new brands popping up I haven’t kept up with this line although I really did like their Radiant Lip Gloss and splurged on all the colors at the beginning of the year. In today’s haul roundup:
- Radiant Cushion Foundation in O30 ($90 for 12 g/0.42 oz)
- Radiant Corrector for Eyes in Ocher ($65 for 2.2 ml/0.08 oz)
- Luminizing Face Enhancer in 15, 16 and 17 ($95 each for 10 g/0.35 oz)
- Stick Highlighter (Holiday) in Light Me ($70 for 4 g/0.14 oz)
- Lipstick Cashmere in 504 Follow Me (holiday, $65 for 4 g/0.14 oz, sold out everywhere)
- Lipstick Cashmere in 101 Pouty, 102 Song Bird ($65 for 4 g/0.14 oz)
- Lip Glorifier ($40 for 0.1 oz, also sold out everywhere)
Up first is a look at two of the Cle de Peau Beaute bases, the Radiant Cushion Foundation and the Radiant Corrector for Eyes. I give both of these a thumbs up, I think these are probably the only two items I hauled I think are truly worth the splurge.
The Radiant Cushion Foundation is a beautiful medium coverage cushion with a natural slightly luminous finish. It’s lightweight but has a hydrating feel. Coverage is perfect for me: medium and dewy but not greasy looking. There is a puff that comes with the compact designed to apply just the right amount of product, but I still prefer using a beautyblender. I was thrilled to find a match with O30 because the shade range is limited to just 6 colors. It does pull a little more on the neutral side and I’m more olive, but it works for my skin right now without any adjusting needed. It oxidizes slightly which actually works in my favor right now. I’m quickly losing my tan this winter but I still have some color.
Below with one layer of the cushion foundation applied all over the face with a beautyblender sponge. It lasts for hours on me, I do need to touch up with some powder mid-day but I didn’t notice any separating on my normal skin. I have not tried any of the other Cle de Peau foundation formulas in years so I cannot compare the cushion. It’s very lightly scented but did not irritate my skin (AmorePacific and Sulwhasoo by comparison are heavily fragranced).
I already featured the Radiant Corrector for Eyes in Ocher in my recent Concealer Roundup but wanted to mention it again because I think it’s an excellent formula for concealing and brightening. It’s not as opaque or matte as the Stick Concealer which makes it more ideal for under eye concealing. I highly recommend it!
Up next are the Luminizing Face Enhancers. I had some shades from years ago but I believe they are now discontinued. I splurged on a few more (all at different times). 15 Golden Apricot is a light peach, 16 Almond is a mix of champagne and soft light brown, 17 Lavender is a cool-toned mix of pale ivory, lavender, pale pink and mint. I have such mixed feelings about these because they’re so sheer and natural looking, I can barely see them on my skin. They meld nicely with the skin and once applied skin truly looks radiant in the most natural way possible. For the price of $95 per compact I don’t think these are worth the price. I do understand they’re meant to be natural and enhancing, but for me $95 for sheer and barely visible just isn’t worth it to me. I don’t know why I talked myself into buying again because I originally thought they were too expensive when I first bought these.
For holiday they launched a Stick Highlighter in Light Me. I ordered it sight unseen because the packaging looked so beautiful! This is a similar concept to the RMS Living Luminizer which I am not a fan of (I might be the only one on the planet who doesn’t like it). The Cle de Peau Stick Highlighter gives a very natural luminous sheen. It’s light and sheer and makes the skin glow, but once you blend out with the fingers the color pretty much disappears. The price is also steep. I think I might just be too tan/dark in skin tone to be able to wear this one. If you have fair skin I can see it being more visible or flattering on. If you have this on your wishlist I’d recommend ordering soon, it’s sold out almost everywhere but still available at Bloomingdale’s and Cle de Peau.
For the lips I tried the new Holiday Lipstick Cashmere in Follow Me #504 and two of the regular Lipstick Cashmere colors in #101 Pouty and #102 Song Bird along with the Lip Glorifier which is pretty much sold out everywhere and a little hard to find. I have two semi-hits and two misses with these.
The Holiday Lipstick Cashmere in Follow Me is also sold out pretty much everywhere, but I hope I can ease your mind if you really wanted it and missed out. It’s a gorgeous peachy pink neutral with a creamy velvety feel but it was semi streaky. The color did not last long on me at all and since it sold out I did try to dupe it. I found quite a few similar options which I’ve swatched below. Lasting power was pretty mediocre with this color – I kept it on while arm swatching other products and in 30 minutes it had already faded noticeably and started to separate. Not ok for a $65 lipstick!
The good news is that the regular Lipstick Cashmere lineup is better for lasting power and finish. #101 Pouty is a pretty neutral nude pink and #102 Song Bird is the perfect medium rose. Both glide onto the lips smoothly like soft velvet and they have a semi matte finish. If I had not tried Pat McGrath’s MatteTrance Lipsticks I would have given the Cle de Peau lipsticks an A rating, however Pat McGrath has set the bar so high for me – I don’t think it gets better than her mattes for pigment, texture and lasting power. The formula between Cle De Peau and Pat McGrath aren’t quite the same though so I don’t know that a comparison is fair. I do think hands down you should save your budget for anything Pat McGrath because the quality of her line is phenomenal and she’s also having a sitewide sale on her website. Because her lipsticks are so good I feel like almost everything else I’ve tried ranks a B to B- or lower by comparison.
Last but not least is the Lip Glorifier. It’s marketed as next level amazing but I think it’s just ok. It’s good but has a very similar concept to the Dior Addict Lip Glow. It’s a light pink balm that has a slight tingle and slightly pink tint. It adds a pink glow and color to the lips but in a very natural way. It made my lips full and smooth and lush. I do think the Dior Lip Glow is a classic that can’t be beat, if you’re going to find a color transforming balm Dior is the best one I’ve tried. Cle de Peau’s is also very nice but for the price and size Dior wins hands down. I give this a semi-miss because of the super small size and the fact that I don’t think it’s quite as revolutionary or unique as I expected.
For those who like Follow me and are bummed it’s sold out, swatch comparisons below to a few similar options. The finish isn’t going to be the same because the Lipstick Cashmere is velvety, but you can get a similar color by trying any of these options:
- Charlotte Tilbury KISSING Lipstick in Bitch Perfect
- Tom Ford Boys and Girls in River (swatched here)
- Tom Ford Lip Color in Spanish Pink
- Tom Ford Lip Color Matte in First Time
- Pat McGrath LuxeTrance in Valleta (review here)
- MAC Lipstick in Patisserie
- MAC Powder Kiss in Sweet, No Sugar and Scattered Petals (swatched here, press samples)
Two looks wearing the Cushion Foundation and other pieces I hauled, full breakdown listed below:
Left photo wearing:
- Foundation is Cle de Peau Radiant Cushion Foundation in O30
- Powder is Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder
- Cheeks have the Cle de Peau Luminizing Face Enhancer in 15 + Highlighting Stick on cheekbones
- Eyes have the Louboutin Tape A L’Oeil in Pyrite (review soon!)
- Brows are the By Terry Brow Mascara 4
- Mascara is By Terry Lash Expert Mascara
- Lipstick is the Holiday Lipstick Cashmere 504 Follow Me
Right photo wearing:
- Same base + eyes
- Cheeks have the NARS Hot Tryst Cheek Palette blush in Adrenaline (review here, press sample)
- Highlight is Cle de Peau Luminizing Face Enhancer in 17
- Lipstick is the Lipstick Cashmere in 102 Sweet Song
Button cuff sweater worn from Loft (runs true to size).
Overall I do think Cle de Peau offers some beautiful high quality products. I know many fans are die hard loyal to the products and skincare so I hope I don’t offend fans with my less than stellar review. I think there are definitely good solid items to choose from. I think their Facial Cotton and Face Puff are excellent and worth the splurge even though there are cheaper alternatives that are just as good. I found prices for this line too high for me and I do not feel this haul was not worth what I spent. I’ve happily purchased and splurged on many things to review for this blog but in this case I feel the $800+ cost would have been better MUCH spent on things like the simplehuman large pro wide sensor mirror or Diptyque Advent Calendar instead. Or even the Dyson Air Wrap Styler that many of you have been asking me to review (however it seems to be sold out everywhere).
The Cushion Foundation was my favorite out of all the things I tested but the extremely limited shade range is so disappointing, not to mention the fact that it doesn’t even come with a refill. There are other brands that have expensive cushions but I do appreciate that some of them come with a refill which makes the splurge feel a little better. I think the Radiant Corrector for Eyes is excellent but also think the shade range could be improved.
I had high hopes for the lipsticks and while they’re not bad, I think there are superior formulas out there at lower price points. Same goes for the highlighting powders and highlighter stick. I’m going to keep trying with the highlighter stick – I keep reading so many good reviews on it, I’m determined to make it work for me. All this said I do think they offer some good pieces perfect for the beauty lover who wants something very understated and naturally glowy. I know not everyone wants super bold or intense shimmer, sometimes it’s nice to have more natural options. I’m all about natural but found these too natural even for me.
If you love the brand I’d love to hear about your favorites! It’s been a while since I’ve looked into the new launches so if there’s anything you think is an absolute must let me know in the comments.
You can find Cle de Peau Beaute at a wide range of retailers. I bought my items from Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus. Also available at Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney’s New York and Cle de Peau Beaute. If you’re shopping a lot of Cle de Peau there’s a GWP going on right now at Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom you might want to check out!
All Cle de Peau items featured purchased by me.
