Westman Atelier products: Are they worth the luxury price tag?

Iconic celebrity makeup artist Gucci Westman will celebrate five years of her skincare-meets-makeup brand Westman Atelier in July this year.

It’s a ‘clean beauty’ brand that’s only just make it onto my radar, despite my being a lover of other ‘green’ products from Aussie-born Ere Perez and Eyes of Horus for years.

But when I first spotted her new Vital Skincare Complexion Drops on the shelves of my closest MECCA at Bondi Junction the enticing soft pink packaging lured me closer – until I saw the whopping $113 price tag.

Naturally it made me pause. I am a lover of beauty research and turned to Googling the brand itself, finding its founder on Instagram and watching how Gucci herself applies the drops on YouTube.

It didn’t take long for me, and many others who have engaged with the brand in recent years, to see why the $113 price made perfect sense.

The Complexion Drops alone claim to improve texture, firmness and radiance with tsubaki oil, ginseng and pomegranate extract but even if it wasn’t capable of such drastic changes, the coverage alone would be worth it.

It applies like a second skin and doesn’t amplify texture, to the point where you almost don’t need a concealer to cover up blemishes, scarring or texture.

And even if you’ve got some really stubborn markings the other hero product – the brand’s Vital Skin Foundation & Concealer Stick ($113) – does an excellent job of masking imperfections without ‘caking’ on the product.

These sticks, of which Gucci has also made a contour ($80), blush ($80) and highlighter ($80 or $42 for the ‘petite’ version) in the same shape, are the perfect size for your purse and fit neatly in a makeup bag without the hassle of it ‘spilling’ anywhere like a liquid does.

One of my favourite products for a no-makeup-makeup-look is actually the Super Loaded Tinted Highlighter which I purchased in Peau de Rose.

My humble collection of Westman Atelier products, including the Complexion Drops and Vital Skin Foundation

It’s described as a multi-use luminous skin polish that can be swiped over the eyes, cheeks and forehead for an extra glow, and glow it does.

The packaging is luxurious and heavy (granted, not ideal for travelling), it contains hyaluronic acid, organic jojoba oil and caper extract to soothe inflammation and pairs so evenly over the foundation.

My most recent purchase were the Eye Pods, which retail for a steep $146 for a set of three magnetic containers, each containing a different colour.

I opted for the shades Rendez-vous because of the purple, pink-ish and green options, which pair nicely with my hazel eyes.

There were a number of reviewers complaining about the pigment itself not being dark enough but I didn’t have this problem, if anything I needed a lighter hand to apply the deeper shades.

None of Westman Atelier’s products contain silicones, parabens or PEGS, which was a brand decision made very early on in the designing of the products, so they could be as clean as possible.

The application process for each of these products is the easiest I’ve ever used, simply swipe and go or – at a pinch – whip out a fluffy brush to buff in some of the cream formulations.

None of Westman Atelier’s products contain silicones, parabens or PEGS, which was a brand decision made very early on in the designing of the products, so they could be as clean as possible

My skin is visibly calmer and less reactive after using Gucci’s products which is something – after further research – I discovered was one of her main aims with the brand (she has rosacea).

Now while you might resemble a disco ball after applying all of these creams at 9am SOMEHOW by 5pm you’re not slick and some of the oils have actually gone into the skin, thus reducing your sheen.

But if you do like a little bit of powder the Vital Pressed Skincare Powder ($125) is one-of-a-kind. 

It is so finely milled that it’s virtually undetectable and it contains a quinoa seed extra to minimise the look of pores, vitamin C and a probiotic – talk about covering all bases?

I’ve got the translucent shade but there is also a light pink and two deeper browns, depending on your skin tone.

It would appear that nothing is too difficult for Ms Westman to achieve in the cosmetic lab and I’d be lying if I said my pay packet isn’t going towards her Lip Suede range of lipsticks and ‘holy grail’ mascara next.

While it’s certainly not sold at a price tag for everybody it will eliminate the need for 90 per cent of your other products. So when you’ve run out of something, I recommend looking at the WA line.