When you think of the luxury, high-end brands who have make-up ranges, names like Tom Ford, Dior and Chanel instantly spring to mind. But did you know that Dolce & Gabbana has a cosmetics line too? I didn't until recently, so I've been playing around with a few of their pieces to see if they're worth splurging on.
First impressions of D&G make-up packaging - everything is beautifully gold coloured with light name engraving on the lids. The box packaging itself is very sleek and sophisticated with its gold and black colourway. These are products that you'd be happy to 'casually' pull out of your handbag in front of friends whilst you wait for the compliments to flood in.
But are the products themselves any good? Let's investigate further...
Dolce & Gabbana Classic Cream Lipstick in Fire 235* and Shine Lipstick in Precious 125* (3.5g each, £25.50 each)
D&G have a handful of lipstick ranges, all with different finishes, and two of the most popular ones are the Classic Cream Lipsticks and the Shine Lipsticks. Both of these lines have beautiful shade ranges, with the Classic Creams in particular being available in a wide array of colours.
Packaging for these two are the same - elegant metallic gold tubes with the name engraved along the side and they're not too heavy but not too light either, somewhere in the middle. There are no fancy magnetic clicks but they still feel and look very luxurious and of course, high-end, especially with those coveted D&G initials engraved into the bullet.
Price wise, these lipsticks are slightly more expensive than Charlotte Tilbury, almost the same as Chanel and slightly less than Dior.
Dolce & Gabbana Shine Lipstick in Precious 125
The D&G Shine Lipsticks are gorgeous. Pigmented but super glossy, 'Precious' looked a lot darker in the bullet and on my hand, but on my lips it's a beautiful, rosy pink that you could easily wear for everyday. It has a traditional, old-fashioned lipstick scent to it, but once on, I didn't really notice it. Wear time was around 2-3 hours before I needed to re-apply and it felt very comfortable and moisturising on.
Dolce & Gabbana Classic Cream Lipstick in Fire 235
The Classic Cream lipsticks on the other hand, are more pigmented and remind me of a MAC Creamsheen lipstick blended in with a classic satin finish. It's not as moisturising as the Shine Lipsticks but it still feels comfortable and has much longer staying power. I found that this stayed put without any feathering issues for a good 5-6 hours before a touch up was needed. This shade 'Fire' is an amazing bright orange-red - not for the faint hearted!
Dolce & Gabbana Crayon Intense Eyeliner in 10 Chocolate* (1.55g, £19.50) and Precision Lipliner in Nude 01* (1.88g, £20)
Pencil liners have a lovely old-school feel to them and it's interesting to see many of the high-end, designer brands proudly displaying them on their counters over other formulas. Both of these pencil liners feature an applicator end, and again, that beautiful gold packaging is present in all its glory.
The D&G Crayon Intense Eyeliner I tried was in the shade 'Chocolate' - a rich dark brown that went on very smoothly without any dragging/pulling issues. I loved the colour of this as an alternative to black as it adds enough definition but doesn't look harsh, so it's another shade that's perfect for everyday. It sadly isn't the longest wearing eyeliner though - I started to notice that after 4-5 hours it was beginning to fade and smudge a little around the edges. For the price, I was expecting it to last all day so although I love the shade, it was something of a letdown.
Dolce & Gabbana Precision Lipliner in Nude 01
I did fall completely head over heels in love with this lipliner though! I have the shade 'Nude' and it truly is one of the most perfect nude colours. Easy to apply, the formula was firm enough to accurately draw around my lipline, but buttery enough to feel smooth when I wanted to use it all over (as you can see above). This lipliner stays put for around 5-6 hours and fades evenly. I'm sure there are many dupes to be had for this shade but I would recommend splashing out on this if you're feeling spendy!
Swatches! Dolce & Gabbana Crayon Intense Eyeliner in Chocolate 10, Precision Lip Liner in Nude 01, Shine Lipstick in Precious 125 and Classic Cream Lipstick in Fire 235.
Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Matte Liquid Foundation SPF 20 in Natural Beige 120* (30ml, £42)
Having oily/combination skin, I naturally gravitate towards more matte finish formulas in my foundations. I sometimes like a dewy glow, but find that I can achieve that look with liquid/cream highlighters afterwards, so I generally prefer my base to be pretty matte. I had high hopes for this foundation, mainly because it's very expensive and the more you spend on a product the better it should be right? Sadly that wasn't the case here, but whilst I don't love this foundation, I don't hate it either. It's just 'OK' in my opinion.
Pros: I love the packaging - it looks very sleek in its frosted glass bottle and gold top. It has a pump (I feel pumps should be mandatory with all liquid foundations but it's strange how many brands still don't include one!), so it's easy to dispense. It has a very slight 'traditional' foundation scent, but it's hardly noticeable which I like. Coverage is light-medium and the shade range has 15 options. Stayed matte all day.
Cons: I found this quite hard to blend because it dries down very quickly so you have to work fast applying it. I liked the matte finish but noticed that this foundation will cling to any and every dry area that you have, and unless you wear a good primer underneath, it can sometimes go patchy throughout the day and can make pores and lines look more noticeable in certain lights.
I'd recommend this foundation only for those who have very oily skintypes (no combination or dry areas) and quite young, line-free, problem-free skin. Everyone else may find it difficult to work with unless you wear a hydrating primer underneath.
Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Matte Liquid Foundation SPF 20 in Natural Beige 120
Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Mono Cream Eye Colour in Pearl Dust 25* (4g, £25)
Lastly, I have one of D&G's Perfect Mono Cream Eye Colours to mention. These are a cream to powder formula that has a lovely bouncy, almost mousse like consistency to them. Luxe glass jar packaging with a gold lid, I have the shade 'Pearl Dust' which is shimmery pearl-meets-light gold infused colour. Very easy to blend, didn't crease or fade throughout the day, and a shade like this one could be used in a multitude of ways; as an inner corner highlight, applied sparingly all over the lid over another shade to brighten up the eyes and as a shimmery facial highlight if you want a more full on party look.
Summary: Some hits and misses but I'm most impressed with Dolce & Gabbana's Lipsticks and Lip Liners and will be looking up more of the Perfect Mono Cream Eye Colour shades next time I'm at a D&G counter. All products mentioned above can be purchased from harrods.com
Are you a fan of Dolce & Gabbana makeup?
Have you tried any of these?
Ooh the cream eyeshadow is stunning! Both lipsticks look really lovely too - it's a shame you didn't get on so well with the foundation. It's so hard, I think, to find a compromise with a matte base that's easy to apply.
ReplyDeleteJess xo | The Indigo Hours
The Lipsticks, Lip Liner and Cream Eyeshadows are gorgeous! I agree, it's so difficult to find a matte foundation that's easy to apply - this one is OK if you're relatively fast with a beauty blender but for the price I was expecting the formula to be a lot better x
DeleteThat nude liner is the most perfect colour on you. x
ReplyDeleteThank you, I love it! x
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