Who would’ve thought that the Scarf and Leather goods maker would end up making makeup?
To me, Hermes is one of those fancy brands that I hoped I’d be able to afford someday. But now that I’m all grown up, I just don’t understand the fascination with Hermes or a Birkin. My rich friends in college owned Birkins and at that time I wanted to own one. Now, even if I can afford it, I wouldn’t buy a Birkin bag. I try to be cruelty free and leather and fur are no-no’s for me.
When it comes to Hermes makeup, at first I was unsure. I wasn’t excited by the sneak peeks of the first launch – the lipsticks. But as time passed, and thanks to Market Conditioning, I was open to purchasing a few lipsticks. I liked that the cases were refillable and that they were made of metal – a far cry from ordinary plastic packaging.
Now before I go into my review of the Hermes lipsticks, let me tell you where I stand with this makeup line. I’m probably the only one in the world who likes their lipsticks. But no way am I going to drop CA$ 103 for a blush. And it seems like that was the right call because from what I’ve read and seen on YT, they seem to be unimpressive.
The Lipsticks
Hermes has two formulas – Satin and Matte. To me, the only difference seems to be in how long the lipsticks last. Mattes last pretty long, even under a mask. I wore an Hermes matte lipstick once and it lasted longer than a drugstore lipstick like L’oreal. Both the formulas are comfortable and the packaging is the show stopper. They look stunning and it’s easy to switch the lipsticks in the bullets.
My first foray into Hermes lipsticks was when I bought Rose Epice – a rosy nude. I told myself I’d never buy another… till they dropped a limited edition salmon pink called Rose Inoui which is a fairly decent dupe for Lisa Eldridge’s Go Lightly! And then I thought I was done.
But then they dropped a lip balm that I wanted to try.
Permanent Lipsticks
The permanent lipsticks are nice. They have around 50 shades of beige and you can definitely find a nude that works for you. To me, formula-wise, they are slightly better than a high end lipstick. It’s a nice product to flaunt and feel fancy. I have Rose Epice; I use it every day and I like it. I don’t particularly think any one way about it.
Limited Edition Lipsticks
Now this is where things get fun. Limited edition lipsticks are released in various color blocks and various limited edition lip stick colors. As I mentioned earlier, I bought Rose Inoui and Corail Fou, both close dupes to Lisa Eldridge’s Go Lightly and Skyscraper Rose. I don’t have Go lightly, but I think if Lisa were to make a matte version of Go Lightly, it would be a hair lighter than Rose Inoui. The problem I have with Lisa’s Luxuriously Lucent formula is that they’re not pigmented lip friendly. So the colors don’t pull true to the color in the bullet. But with this one, when you apply it, the color you get is pretty close to what you see in the bullet.
I don’t regret purchasing these two limited edition lipsticks.
Hermes Lip Balms
I have four Hermes lip balms. I don’t know how that happened. Actually I know what happened, but I’m in denial!
The first type of lip balms are their clear lip balms which are a skip. They’re really not worth the money. They don’t nourish the lips; they didn’t have any positive effect on my lips.
The second type, is a limited permanent edition orange tinted gold speckled balm called Brilliant Poppy or Poppy Shine. I call them limited permanent because they were supposed to be limited edition but I see them in stock on Hermes. Now this one looks amazing as soon as you wear it. But 15 minutes later, the sheen and the glitter is gone and it’s like you never applied anything. This is a skip too.
The third type on the other hand, the Rose Lip Enhancers… Oh my god! The first time I wore it I was disappointed. It was sheer and waxy, and while I loved the packaging, I was angry with myself for buying it. So I started using it every day just to finish it. And then something happened – they started working the way they were meant to on my lips.
I can’t describe the effect it has on the lips. It has this… pink, glow from within effect. It doesn’t cover the pigmentation of my lips but… for the lack of any other word, enhances it. It makes my lips look good; like my lips but glowy. The pigmentation on my lips don’t look brown but a subtle pink. It doesn’t make your lips juicy like a Fenty lip gloss but it does something that I can’t explain. I’m so glad I didn’t return it. It lasts 4 hours on me and of course, every time I eat or drink something I have to apply the balm again. I think those lip enhancers are underrated.
Are they worth the money though? I don’t know. There should be a similar product in the market; especially in the drug store. If there is, I haven’t found it yet.
Is it a must have? No. But now that I’ve have them I’ll treasure them.
Should you buy it?
That question can only be answered by you and your priorities. If you can afford any of the lipsticks or find a specific shade that suits you that you can’t find anywhere else, then sure. Otherwise, there’s nothing in this make up line (including those enhancer lip balms) that is worth the splurge. Makeup is subjective; and while I’ll treasure those lip balms, there’s a chance you may not like them.
Featured Image Source: https://www.hermes.com/ca/en/story/rouge-hermes-collection/