Clé de Peau is not an easily accessible brand here where I’m from, and I got the chance to get it for the first time when this beauty line became available in Cult Beauty’s website. For my first product, I chose a highlighter (it had to be a shiny thing, didn’t it? I’m such a magpie).
I chose the shade 14 Delicate Pink, and this colour is a neutral, white pink with a luminous finish that is not metallic nor glittery but has a few specks of shimmer that are visible on the cheeks. The overall effect is discreet, but visible. It’s a good, truly subtle highlighter: it’s not obvious head on but when the light catches the cheek the whole area gets illuminated. Since it’s more luminous than shimmery, it doesn’t really emphasise skin texture, unless you insist on packing it on (which you won’t need to do).
The powder is soft to the touch, and it feels somewhat dense without being creamy. It is a bit powdery on the pan but that doesn’t translate onto the skin. It’s easy enough to pick up with a brush and blend out on the skin, because pigmentation is nice and so is blendability.
Longevity wise, after 8 hours, it was still very much intact. After 10 hours, it looked faded, but still visible. I tested it over a longwearing foundation, with no setting spray. Not bad at all.
The packaging is lovely. It’s a big square compact with a nice mirror, and the powder itself has a 3D geometric pan embossing. Comes with a brush that I never use and it has a plastic insert that says “Put this film back after use over the powder and brush”, so I kept it. This has 10 grams of product, which really leans on the bigger size when it comes to highlighters. It is very expensive, like anything from Clé de Peau, but the texture and effect are not that easily duplicable. I think the subtlety and luminosity very much screams “asian beauty brand”. The closest I’ve found is an old Shiseido highlighting powder (which makes sense, since both brands belong to the same company) that has been discontinued, and that one was more powdery and less luminous.
If it’s worth it will depend on your preference and how much you can justify spending on a single product, but I for one do not regret getting it.
