I think we can all agree that luxury lipsticks deliver a very certain kind of allure. You know the ones… Their cases are cool and metallic, thrillingly heavy, and with a satisfying click once closed. Their forms are masterful, so pleasing that they serve not just to encase the bullet within, but also to elevate any bedside table, purse or bureau by design alone. They are objects waiting to be whipped out at dinner, shown to friends and then refilled once done.
Inside the joy continues, bullets, often embossed (Prada Beauty lip products epitomise this - stamped with the brands’ famous Saffiano leather and Re-Nylon finishes), formulas richly pigmented and cleverly named, packed with nourishing actives that promise to plump, perfect and deliver unrivalled staying power. Parties? Cocktails? Kissing? They can survive all three. The ritual and luxury is real.
All this said, there is, in my opinion, just as much magic - sometimes more - that comes in affordable, high-street lippie form. The thrill of discovering a hidden beauty with a price tag that allows for wild experimentation, because it doesn't gobble up your whole pay check. Want to try cherry? Violet? Coral? Brick? Go ahead and do it without regret.
Moreover, the formulas of these more democratic offerings have evolved beyond belief, regularly rivalling their couture contemporaries in pigmentation, texture and wear. Some (sshhh), even originate from the same factories and production lines. So while high-end is all about ritual and aspiration, high street is fun and fabulous and gratifying. Plus - most importantly - it delivers.
And I’m clearly not alone in this opinion. This week Kendell Jenner, Heidi Klum, Halle Berry and Tracee Ellis Ross all took to the Met Gala’s narcissus-scattered red carpet wearing one of my all-time favourite lipsticks - L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Satin - a product long-heroed by makeup artists, those in the know and - well - me, that comes in at £9.99.
Heidi and Halle wore the muted pink Worth It. For Kendall it was shade Worth It Medium a deep, rosy nude, and Tracee chose a true red. My picks from the range F.Y.I are Le Bordeaux, a brilliant, universally flattering blue red and the hot pink Laprune.
Sure, the click isn’t so loud, or the packaging all that heavy, but with a whopping 70-shade range, epic pigments and a, Omega 3 and Vitamin E-enriched formula, for under a tenner there is literally nothing not to love.
Trust me - and the A-listers - no one will know that this lipstick didn't cost your daily paycheck, because it’s just so good. Do - if you wish - like Kendell and dress your shade of choice with a couture Torishéju suit and Chopard diamonds, saving the change you didn’t spend on that high end alternative for a slap-up supper, or new pair of shoes.
