Is Huda Beauty worth the price tag or is it just overhyped?

Yes, I am one of the millions and millions of people who follows Huda Kattan and her brand Huda Beauty on Instagram. Shocker I know considering my feelings on Instagram makeup, but I think all of us beauty lovers get naturally curious when certain brands or products get a lot of hype online. (This is always my justification for buying more makeup sadly.) So I wanted to go through a few of her products that I own and give you my perspective on whether I think they are worth the purchase or just simply overhyped Instagram makeup. I don’t have her new Rose Gold Remastered Palette, and honestly I probably won’t buy it. I’m just not that intrigued by it.

1. The Lip Contour Set in Bombshell & Trendsetter – $25.00

 

Huda’s lip products were the first launch I was really interested in when she started her brand since they got so many rave reviews from influencers that I follow. I picked up one of the Lip Contour Sets from the “aisle of doom” up near the registers at Sephora since I felt it was such a good deal: 1 full-size lip liner (or Lip Contour as she calls them) and 2 mini liquid lips for only $25.00. Keep in mind the lip liners are usually $19 alone and the full-size liquid lips are $20 alone. The first time I used both products I honestly wasn’t a fan. They weren’t long-lasting enough for my liking and wore off very obviously. But I gave them another shot, so these are my updated thoughts.

The Lip Contour does glide across the lips quite easily and has a nice level of cushion, but I found on me it grabbed in certain places and looked patchy. (I had applied it all over my lips, for reference.) I just think you can do better at the drugstore. Pick up a Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner for just a few bucks. They have longevity, moisture and aren’t patchy.

The Liquid Lip formula is extremely watery when it first goes on and then sets down completely matte. I do find it quite comfortable even after a few hours have passed so it gets points for that. Although the wear time actually wasn’t as bad as I remembered it previously, I think they are just OK to be honest. You can get a very similar effect at a cheaper price tag with the Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink, or the Wet n Wild MegaLast Liquid Catsuit, or the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream.

Final Thoughts: If you absolutely want to try the lip products, then get the Contour Set. It’s a more economical way to sample the brand. However, I don’t think the products are worth the price if you buy them separately.

2. Smokey Obsessions & Warm Brown Obsessions Eye Shadow Palettes – $27.00 each 

The mini Obsessions palettes come in 6 different color themes (Gemstone, Mauve, Electric, Warm Brown, Smokey, Coral) with 9 shadows per palette. I first picked up the Warm Brown version and then I “borrowed” (but never gave back) the Smokey version from my mother’s stash. I have not tried any of the other color themes. I think these are lovely and I reach for them quite often on my more “makeup-y” days. The matte shadows in particular are where the Huda formula shines in my opinion, and that is the texture I grab the most. They practically blend themselves. The shimmers and metallics all pack a punch in terms of color saturation but I have to admit they can be a bit crumbly.

Actually this is the one issue I have across the board with all Huda shadows. They are very powdery. When you pat your brush in the shadow to pick up color or push the brush over your eye to apply, it’s fallout city. I would recommend tapping your brush several times to offload excess or perhaps doing your eye makeup before your base or concealer. Otherwise you may have a mess. That all being said, after you apply the shadows and clean up the fallout, the colors and textures are absolutely beautiful. And they don’t lose their intensity throughout wear.

Warm Brown Obsessions: contains 8 mattes with 1 shimmer texture. These are very warm bricky-browns, reds, and purples. The golden shimmer shadow in this palette is just stunning! The first time I applied it I remember exclaiming “Wow!” out loud to myself.

Smokey Obsessions: contains 4 mattes with 5 metallic shimmers. Lately I find myself reaching for this palette more than Warm Brown. It seems like every palette that has come out the past few years is warm-toned, so I love seeing something cooler. The colors in this palette are also a lot more wearable for everyday.

Final Thoughts: I think these are definitely worth the price. You’re getting 9 quality shadows in 2 textures for under $30.00. And since these are available in different color themes, you have more freedom to choose exactly what you want.

3. Desert Dusk Eye Shadow Palette – $65.00

The Desert Dusk palette was a huge launch for Huda Beauty last year. Everything about it is impressive: the packaging, the amount of shadows, the amount of finishes, and most of all, the price tag. A whopping $65.00! Let’s break it down. You’re getting 18 mostly warm-toned shadows in 4 different finishes: mattes, pressed pearls, duo-chrome toppers, and pure glitter.

Mattes – As with the mini Obsessions palettes, the mattes are a beautiful texture and they perform beautifully on the eye. Buttery smooth to the touch, and easy to blend over an eye primer. The 8 mattes in this palette are: Desert Sand, Musk, Eden, Amber, Oud, Amethyst, Saffron, and Blazing.

Pressed Pearls – Let’s be honest, these are just satin-finish shadows but here they are called “pressed pearls.” Regardless of semantics, I would use the same description here as for the mattes above. They’re beautiful. When I swatched Blood Moon for the above photo, it needed absolutely no building up at all. It glided over my skin even without a primer base. The 6 pressed pearls in this palette are: Blood Moon, Nefertiti, Royal, Cashmere, Angelic, and Turkish Delight.

Duo-Chrome Toppers – The texture on these is somewhere between the pressed pearls and the pure glitter. I wouldn’t bother using a brush, you won’t get the same intensity. You’ll just get a crap ton of glitter fallout on your face. Use your finger instead to lightly stamp over the lid or the inner corner of your eyes, and definitely put some kind of primer or glitter glue down first. The color shifts are fun and whimsical, but bear in mind these guys are gritty to the touch. The 3 duo-chrome toppers in this palette are: Celestial, Twilight, and Retrograde.

Pure Glitter – Not much to say here except this is gritty as hell and a bit of a mess to apply. I honestly tend to stay away from pure glitters as I don’t want to be picking glitter off my skin days later. When Stila released the Glitter and Go Liquid Shadows they changed the game when it came to applying glitter in my opinion. Everything else is just too much fuss. Cosmo is the only pure glitter in this palette.

Final Thoughts – This is a hard one. I think the Desert Dusk Palette is worth the price tag depending completely on who the buyer is. If you like warm-toned shadows, like fun colors and textures, and are looking to experiment with your looks I think it’s worth it. They are indeed offering you a lot for the price in terms of quality and quantity. If you don’t like or want any of the things I just mentioned, it’s definitely not for you and you’d be better served going to more affordable brands like BH Cosmetics or ColourPop. I think this is a beautiful palette but honestly I don’t reach for it as much since it’s not everyday-friendly to me. So, in hindsight it probably wasn’t a worthy purchase.

What are your thoughts on Huda Beauty products? I’d love to hear!

xo, Erica