K-Beauty** Spotlight: CLĒ Cosmetics

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

So in my month long quest to find a new foundation I've ended up trying a bunch of new to brands, with some hits and misses along the way. Am I super devastated I don't match a color in Sisley's $170 tinted sunscreen? Not really, but at the same time there are moments when this undertone vs color battle has me ready to leap off the deep end and I'd love to just have *one* thing that worked. Still, in the pages of Neiman Marcus's beauty section I came across a new to me brand with a CCC cream that came in actual colors, deeper end of the spectrum colors, and what few reviews I could find seemed very positive. And with one click of the button (thanks free shipping) I picked up a few products to talk to you about today!


First up is a little bit about the brand. From the website,

"CLĒ is a team of artists, designers, and professionals dedicated to the belief that true beauty lies in embracing your natural self. We are not beauty insiders, experts, or cosmetic industry veterans; we are real women.

Guided by the belief there is truth in imperfection and freedom in fluidity, CLĒ Cosmetics is a minimalist lifestyle brand designed to support the contemporary woman with self-care basics pursuing the fullest expression of her personal power and sensuality.

Our skincare and makeup are created with safe, wholesome ingredients, the latest Korean beauty technology, and understated design. Intended to nurture the beauty of a woman's body, our effortless daily rituals focus on supporting the purity of your most natural state."

**I can't find where the brand itself is located, so I'm not sure if "Korean beauty inspired" is the same as actually being K-Beauty, but I've decided to just go with that label for now. Sorry if there's any confusion! 

Sounds nice, right? I didn't read this until after I bought the products but hey. Still sounds nice, lol.

But as I mentioned before, part of the reason I wanted to try this brand out was because their CCC Cream (color, control & change, SPF 50, $31/ 1oz) came in a much wider variety of shades than most brands, but especially for Korean beauty brands. At my time of purchase NM had 5 shades to choose from, but if you buy directly from the brand there are ten! Ten shades from light to dark, and apparently, for beige and yellow undertones! What I'm able to share with you today are my thoughts on Medium and Medium-Deep.


To skip to the end a little I have to admit that I didn't keep either shades, but honestly there is very little to complain about it. This is exactly as it's described, a medium-to-full coverage tinted complexion product, one that starts off white-ish and only shows its true color once you start rubbing it in with your hands. The finish is beautifully radiant, and ultimately too much for my oily skin, but the true deal breaker was the beige/gray-undertone to the medium shade. I think if I'd ordered Warm-Medium I'd find an almost perfect match, but while this formula wasn't too too dewy in the depths of winter, once summer arrives in DC I'm pretty sure there's no way it would stay put. Oh and my one con? The huge shade jump from Medium to Medium-Deep. This provides enough coverage that even with a light hand I'm not sure the shade could adjust enough to match the majority of people, but it's a great start from a smaller brand.

Now the winner? The winner is this amazingly beautiful, over the top Essence Moonlighter Cushion ($30) in Copper Rose.


This is a wonderful combination of "blinded from space" and "subtle skin sheen". I don't have other cushion highlighters to compare it to, only powder and cream, but this goes on BLINGY but somehow also sheers out to subtle incredibly easily, and even dries to the touch (it kind of makes me want to try this foundation over color trick). I don't know how many more colors I'd buy, there are three total, but I think Copper Rose is perfect for my medium/olive skin tone and I'm looking forward to using it as I pick back up my summer tan! Also, I'm now officially intrigued by the idea of their Essence Air Cushion, despite the fact that is sounds also too radiant for me.

And that's it! I think CLĒ Cosmetics is a solid brand, with some really beautiful products for a wide variety of skin types and tones. Whether you pick it up from the brand itself or one of its distributors, let me know what you think! I'd love if this turned out to be the gateway post into your favorite brand ever.

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