Quiet Luxury Beauty: The Makeup Brands That Speak for Themselves
Shhhh. My lip(sticks) are talking.
Everything will be linked in this post. If you’d like to skip ahead and just shop, here you go.
Jouer Beauty - Cheek & Lip Stick
Hourglass - Ambient Lighting Palette
Lisa Eldridge - Foundation
Sensai - Mascara 38C (Volumising)
Viseart Paris - Eyeshadow Palettes
Sisley Paris - Lipsticks
Long gone are the days when the cheapest drugstore mascara will do.
I have found that the more I like myself, the more I want to give myself the best. To my nineteen year old self who hardly valued herself, the idea that I might spend money on things that I simply liked over efficiency? What a wild concept. Well, you have only one body and one life.
So I began the years long Coming-of-Age journey every woman goes on called ‘finding your style’ and self-acceptance, and just as I have discovered that the flashiest and loudest people typically aren’t the ones worth listening to, the beauty brands that ‘show and don’t tell’ are the ones with more substance.
Here is a list of beauty brands that stand on their word.
Jouer Cosmetics
Oh the doubt I had to stuff down when I first read their motto “French beauty, the LA way.”
As a bit of a francophile, I had to restrain a little huff of skepticism at the idea of athleisure and fake-lashed L.A. aesthetics trying to wedge themselves into the understated chicness of French beauty. Even the name “jouer” (to play) had me making this face :|
HOWEVER. I did not let the hater in me win. I tried out their must-haves set and now je suis une partisan. The cheek and lip-stick combo is supreme. The color is stunning, the creamy application, the sheer powder compact that came with it… worth every cent.
Courtesy of the Hourglass website
While we were hanging at a cafe somewhere in Midtown, my cousin pulled out a beautiful color palette with six different powders. It was a heavy metal case with the image of a swan on the cover and a big golden H.
“What is this?” I asked curiously.
“It’s from Hourglass. I use it religiously,” she said with the utmost seriousness.
I watched her touch up with a brush, sweeping the combination of shades across her face. It is true that the Ambient Lighting Palette by Hourglass is an investment, but it’s a best seller for a reason.
There are apparently different palettes such as the Swan, the Fox and the Horse that have different combination of swatches. But their basic one covers all my needs.
Lisa Eldridge
Courtesy of LE website
I went and did a color analysis in New York last month, and the lady who did it confirmed something that I’ve always been thinking;
“American brand foundations tend to lean too orange when making warm undertone foundations.”
This sounds broadly stated yet I’ve found it to be broadly true. In Korea, foundations often made my skin look brighter (and sometimes too cool and white), while American foundations would make me look too dark and orange. In Korea, I’m a warm tone. In the U.S., I’m a neutral. But Lisa Eldridge, a UK brand, seems to have nailed the olive skin tones. It’s light-medium coverage and goes on like a dream.
They currently have a pop up in New York.
Sensai
Korean beauty is having its day right now amongst beauty enthusiasts in the US, and as a devout user of K-beauty myself, I also have played with Japanese beauty and found it to be generally excellent. My mother-in-law is a faithful user of Shiseido (and has amazing skin in her 70s), while I’m a big fan of SK-II’s cult essence.
Sensai, a Japanese beauty brand that has been around since the early 1900s, has a smudge-resistant volumising mascara that wipes off easily in hot water (thus the name 38C). My three requirements for mascara are no smudging on my hooded eyes, lengthens my lashes without clumping, and comes off without rubbing. 3/3.
Viseart Paris
Courtesy of the Viseart Paris website
Viseart doesn’t need to use influencer marketing. They’re a workhouse brand with palettes that are solid and reliable. They have everything from neutrals to bolder colors, but they all go on beautifully. You can buy large palettes or the smaller versions.
Sisley Paris
Though there are many products by Sisley Paris that are worth mentioning, I’d like to shoutout the lipsticks.
Previous to trying them out, I was stuck in a perpetual cycle of Mac mattes, which I do really, really love for a red that will never budge, but the Sisley lipsticks go on soooo smoothly. In fact, so smoothly they might break at times because the consistency is so soft. I read about someone keeping hers refrigerated which solved that problem. I haven’t had to do that, but see what works for you.
They have lots of gorgeous shades - I guarantee there will be a perfect one for everybody.
Everybody’s skin and features are different, so the best way to find out what works for you is simply to try.
You can shop all of my looks and recommendations here.