This post has been weeks in the making as I have been testing out the Westman Atelier brand of makeup products. This is not sponsored and I purchased all 3 products. What sparked this thorough review is that the makeup is expensive... like probably the most I have ever spent on just 1 makeup item and yet I couldn't find many reviews online so I figured I'd create one! Along with this written review, I have a highlight on Instagram that also takes you through how I apply the product and more thoughts that you might find helpful!
Unedited photo taken on DSLR camera
L to R: Super Loaded Tinted Highlight in Peau du Soleil// Vital Skin Foundation Stick in Atelier II// Baby Cheeks Blush Stick in Bichette
Unedited Photo Taken on DSLR
Products Blended L to R:
In this review, I will go over the Baby Cheeks Blush Stick, Super Loaded Tinted Highlight, and Vital Skin Foundation Stick. However, there are many other products that Westman Atelier makes, too! These are just the three that I purchased.
What is Westman Atelier?
If you are unfamiliar with the Westman Atelier brand, it was started by Gucci Westman who is a makeup artist to stars like Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, and many other celebrities. What got me personally interested in the makeup brand is that Gucci herself seems to wear makeup that looks very natural and she also seems to do makeup on celebrities that also skews more natural and more how I personally like to wear makeup. I much prefer a natural makeup look to something very dolled up. Besides that, I also read that her formulas are created with active ingredients that work to improve skin- so it's like makeup and skincare in one. It's also clean.
The brand is young- just about 3ish years old. You can tell it is a young brand because it is missing some products that I would love the Westman Atelier brand to offer, so hopefully, in good time, more fun products will be released.
Where to Buy?
I am highlighting Bergdorf Goodman first as it is currently on sale now through March 10, 2021.You get $50 off $200, $125 off $500, $275 off $1000, etc. The catch is that you have to spend at least $200 to get a discount but if you are purchasing multiple Westman Atelier products (or other qualifying beauty items) then this is currently the best place to shop for the best price. I have never seen WA that discounted! Here are the links to the highlighter, blush, and foundation. The total comes to $191, so you need to add $9 more to your cart to get the discount (which is worth it for the savings). This Kiehl's lip balm (which is great) is $10 so once you add that to your cart, your total comes down from $201 to $150.99. So you're saving $40 on the 3 Westman Atelier products and it's like getting a 'free' lip balm.
If you need some ideas to add to your cart (honestly this sale is insane- stuff is included that is never ever on sale like Diptyque) I would recommend this holy-grail concealer, this body wash, my favorite perfume, this candle, the hairdryer I use weekly.
You can shop Westman Atelier products on the WA website, Sephora, Bergdorf Goodman, Violet Grey, and Credo. For time periods outside now through March 10th, 2021, I am linking to Credo in this blog post because if you are a new customer on Credo, you can get 10% off. I placed two Credo orders and one order, I ordered with my e-mail and the second order, I used my fiancé's e-mail so I was able to get the new customer discount on both orders...something to keep in mind!
Packaging
The packaging is minimal and luxurious all at the same time. I really like the 'sticks' as it is just so easy to dab right on my skin. The sticks have a magnetic lid which is really convenient and easy. The super-loaded tinted highlight is in a shiny gold compact. All 3 are cream products, I am unsure as to why the super loaded tinted highlight is not in a stick as I would prefer that. The compact and the sticks are heavy in weight which makes them feel high-end but the weightiness is not ideal for travel.
Shop the Blush:
This is the product that made me place my first order and specifically because of the beautiful shade of Bichette, which is described as 'red berry'. I lightly dab this on my cheeks and blend with this brush. You could blend with your fingers as all of the Westman Atelier products blend so beautifully- they almost melt into my skin and all mesh together so nicely. You do not need a lot of this. It's very pigmented so a little goes a long way. I am thinking this stick will last a very long time. If it does, the price makes it very worth it as some of the blushes I have used in the past are anywhere from $25-$50ish. I feel like the product just makes me look more alive and the color is pigmented but still looks natural. If I could only choose one item to splurge on, it would be this blush stick. My reasoning is that blush never seems to stay on my cheeks and always fades. This is the only blush I have ever found that stays on all day and without fading.
You can also use this on your lips. I love the color on my lips SO much. However, this doesn't really last on my lips. I would need to apply it every 30 minutes to 1-hour (ish). It's also much larger than a normal lipstick because of the packaging so it's not 'tiny-clutch-friendly' and the surface area is a little too big for lips- it works but it's a larger circumference than a normal lipstick so it makes for a less precise lip application. I so badly wish they made a long-wear product specifically formulated for lips in this exact color. I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
Shop the Highlighter:
This is in a compact. I first dipped my brush into the compact but quickly learned that the best way for me to apply is to use my finger and then use the brush to blend. This is very pigmented like the blush and you only need to use a tiny bit. This is the most expensive product out of all 3 of them and I'm not quite sure why that is as I feel it's similar to the other products. This is called a highlighter but I use this as a bronzer. It's an absolutely gorgeous shade of bronze that just warms up my entire face and makes it look like I am glowing from within vs. have makeup on. It blends so beautifully. Out of these three, this would be my second place favorite. Because you need to use so little of the product, I think this will also last a very long time... and it should because it's $75!
Shop The Foundation Stick:
This was in my second order after I loved the blush and highlighter so much. I got a lot of DM's from people telling me how much they love their foundation. I was also almost out of my foundation so I needed some anyway. I have used Makeup Forever HD foundation for years. In my opinion, it is one of the best foundations on the market. It is very natural-looking, long-wearing, easy to blend, and nice coverage. I really like that it is buildable so you can control the amount of coverage and always feels lightweight on my skin. The brand refers to it as 'second skin finish' and I think that's pretty accurate. Unlike the WA foundation, this is a liquid foundation. I have never tried Makeup Forever's Cream Stick foundation, which would be directly comparable to WA's stick foundation, but now I am super curious to compare the two. I use this brush to blend the foundation.
So, my point in saying all of that is that the WA foundation stick had really big shoes to fill. First, to find my shade, I used their shade match tool. Crazy enough, it worked for me PERFECTLY. I mean I don't think someone in person could have done it any better. I was shocked. If you don't use the tool, you can send in a contact form directly and they will get you in touch with someone who can shade match it perfectly for you. It's important to read the tips that Gucci gives as I have found them to be really valuable. She shows how to apply things. I dab this right on my skin and buff it in with this brush. It blends flawlessly.
The truly crazy thing to me is that when I put on the WA stick foundation for the first time, I thought it looked and felt SO similarly to the Makeup Forever foundation I love. I thought I was imagining things. So, I decided to do half my face in one and a half in the other. I truly could not tell a difference between the two foundations- even the color was exactly the same. They also both wore exactly the same throughout the day. It was really pretty crazy. After doing that, I would say both are fantastic. I am finding that I really like cream vs. liquid. I think that is just more of a personal preference and I also like the idea of the WA being clean and also has ingredients good for my skin. So I guess if I had to choose, I'd choose the WA. However, I think next before I repurchase the WA, I will try out the Makeup Forever cream stick just because I am curious to see how it compares. It's also not cheap, but $25 less than WA.
Some Random Thoughts
The first photo above is a filter-free, unedited iPhone shot. In terms of natural-ness, I personally like how you can still see my freckles. However, if I wanted to cover them up, I could by adding more foundation.
I have not tried the lit-up highlight stick but would love to see how it compares to the super loaded tinted highlight, especially since I prefer the stick application. There is a ~$30 difference between the two but they are both highlighters. I do, however, love the color/feel/look of the Super Loaded Tinted Highlight that I have in Peau du Soleil, so I'd also love to try the shade 'peau du peche'... I see Gucci use this shade a lot in her videos- I wonder how it compares to the Baby Cheeks blush stick since it's more of a blush color vs. a bronzer color.
I think these three products photograph exceptionally well. I usually cannot see my bronzer or blush when I am in photographs, but these products actually show up on camera which is a game-changer for me. If you are getting married and doing your own makeup or being photographed for something important or even on video for something, I'd definitely consider these products just because of the way the camera is able to pick them up.
Quick Take
I loved everything I tried. Although there are a few minor cons, there are not enough to outweigh the benefits for me. I would repurchase and recommend everything I tried. The brand is pricey, but I feel that the products are exceptional and give me the natural, but flawless look that I was wanting.
2 comments:
Looks like very nice products. I love Bergdorf Goodman
Hi! I think the most important thing that you forgot to note is that these WA makeup products are nontoxic! Westman Atelier may be a bit more expensive but that’s because they are using ingredients that DON’T include: Parabens, Sulfates, PEGs, Phthalates, Formaldehyde donors, Mercury and Mercury compounds, & Silicones to name a few! You mentioned Make Up For Ever in your post. Their foundation is made with ingredients like Talc (google Johnson & Johnson talc to find out how their company is being sued because their talc product caused ovarian cancer), parabens (endocrine disrupter, fertility issues) and fragrance (beauty industry trade secret - companies hide hundreds of toxic ingredients under the umbrella name “fragrance” so you don’t really know what’s in your cosmetics). I think it’s so important with your platform to show quality (nontoxic) over quantity (less expensive means less quality). And I’m pretty sure that is Summer Wind approved ;-)
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