Victoria Beckham Beauty – Review – Clean & Cruelty Free Makeup

Victoria Beckham Beauty is here and gosh did it make a statement. The beauty community went wild, VB fans squealed, finally the makeup line we’d been anticipating from Victoria Beckham herself.

But does it live up to the hype? Is it worth its price point? I have many questions and much to say, join me as I divulge all Victoria Beckham Beauty.

Why Victoria Beckham Beauty you might ask? Well, I love a woman who is all about empowerment and what more can you ask for than a former Spice Girl. A feminist for the 90s’ who’s power in tow with fellow Spice Girls spoke to millions worldwide, sending a strong message of Girl Power. This girl power built a fashion line for women and now later, a beauty line with one simple goal: to empower woman.

I say ‘a zig a zig ahhh’ to that.

With a major emphasis on clean beauty, I’m not joking ‘clean’ is mentioned five times in the about blurb alone, the Victoria Beckham Beauty brand clearly firmly sits within the clean beauty market. Do I think there’s a bit of a marketing ploy here? Perhaps. Brands are profiting from consumers fear of ingredients potentially doing harm, or at least perpetuating this belief by spreading falsehoods around certain ingredients. Therefore it has become trendy and profitable for brands to be ‘clean’, regardless of the fact that all ingredients are processed in a lab in order to formulate.

I also think that we as consumers are growing more aware of the products and ingredients that we put on our face and that which goes into our planet, therefore, we have to be smart in both our research and our shopping. With this, we expect more from brands that we buy from, especially transparency and this is something Victoria Beckham Beauty has promised.

Why buy the products then? Because I don’t have a problem with products that are well formulated. I have an issue with disingenuous brands and potentially dangerous products (perhaps that is something to discuss further in a future post).

I believe VBB is catering for a market and a popular one at that.

If you would like to know more about the list of ingredients which VBB excludes, you can do so here.

I also respect Sarah Creal, her CEO, Co-founder and development partner and this is key. This is where I believe this brand will find its success. Sarah Creal has a whopping great load of success in both developing and marketing at major brands such as: Bobbi Brown, Tom Ford, Prada Beauty and Estée Lauder, when she and VB met and worked on the VB X EL collabs. And so the magic partnership began.

The clean beauty market has needed makeup products that have been better formulated for some time; sadly in the past, you don’t always find the best payoff or longevity with these types of products, Victoria Beckham Beauty has done well here.

Amen VBB. Let’s face it, it’s 2019, you can’t launch a beauty brand without being cruelty-free. But I will applaud every brand for doing so.

So, with an awesome team, a female-led business, an ingredient focused, cruelty-free and environmently conscious brand, VBB was set to launch.

And so, with taste buds teased aplenty, I placed my order on launch day September 18th.

Now, at this point, I will mention that I didn’t check the delivery FAO box, therefore I didn’t realise that the items were to be shipped from America (VBB is a USA registered business). I wrongly assumed it would be UK based (or at least have UK warehouses) led by the fact my order stated that I had qualified for expedited UK delivery.

My order was placed on the 18th September yet wasn’t shipped until 7 days later on the 25th September which I wasn’t too pleased about. That’s rather a long time to wait.

Finally, my package arrived on the 3rd of October! Yes, it took 16 days and that was for expedited delivery. Yikes. When I had contacted customer services during this time they stated that my delivery would definitely be with me by the 9th of October!

So it’s fair to say I found this disappointing.

I didn’t have to pay customs, VBB seemed to have covered this (or I was just lucky).

Finally, I have the package in my hands. It opens with a gorgeous VBB logo and dust bag/makeup bag neatly hibernating inside.

You can imagine my disappointment when I see the smokey eye brick hasn’t been securely padded for transit, has popped open and has a small crack in a shadow.

Now look, some may think I’m being picky, ‘it’s just a crack?’. Here’s the thing. I’m a professional makeup artist. I know that a crack in a powder product inevitably leads to the powder shattering. I believe that when we buy a product, despite the price point, we are paying for it to be delivered as new.

VBB lid lustre was packaged securely in extra padding and arrived perfectly.

So this order hasn’t been the smoothest (it’s also not all that bad, let’s face it), granted. How the VBB team handled it has been great.

I contacted them to explain my disappointment and within moments I was offered a replacement palette or a refund. The way the team dealt with it was top notch.

Brand launches are tough. Things don’t always run on time and as perfectly as people wish. It is how a brand responds when something doesn’t quite go right that truly makes a difference: and that difference can be whether a person chooses to shop with them again or not.

Full marks here. The parcel & stuffing packaging is all recyclable.

The compact is made of metal with a real glass mirror, no unrecyled plastic hiding here and no crappy brushes that just get thrown away.

Victoria Beckham Beauty has a strong sustainability message stating:

Not only are these items environmentally friendly and handbag friendly but effortlessly beautiful too. There is an air of sophistication, a sense of vintage style, irking back to days gone by. In tortoise shell patterns, brown and gold hues, they are truly beautiful pieces that you want to show off. They are both weighted, a true sense of quality here, no tatt to be had.

Ok, let’s get down to the goods… I bought the Smokey Eye Brick in ‘Signature’.

First things first, the dual base shadow is genius. It’s the shade we hit pan in first in our palettes so makes perfect sense to have twice the amount. Excellent.

I love the shade range in the palette I’ve chosen (and them all tbh, I think it’s a great starting collection), each complements one another. It is perfect for an every day eye or for vamping it up for a smokey one. There is a slight shimmer running through some, however, this doesn’t read as shimmery on the eyes, more of a satin finish with a slight iridescence; it’s really beautiful.

The shadows are feathery light and smooth and pack a punch in terms of pigment; I’m pleasantly surprised. They blend beautifully and there is no patchiness in sight.

In terms of longevity, the eyeshadow lasts very well. There is little fade in pigment throughout the day, the colours stay true. This really is a beautiful pallete and a classic one at that.

Wow-we! I was not expecting this payoff! We are talking intense, smokey, sexy, smudge. The kind of smokey eye VB is known for. An elegant, fine glitter reflex sparkles and catches the light and the beautiful brown hue makes eye colour pop. It is super easy to apply, utterly fool-proof. A quick smudge with a finger and a little dab and blend and you’ve eyes to glam. This gives lids to truly lust over.

I want one in every shade!

Lid Lustre wears beautifully on its own but also layers well over the shadow. It sets well and there is barely any fall out, which is impressive for a glitter shadow. There is a slight creasing towards the end of the day but this is to be expected with this type of emollient product. I feel it adds to the sexy, grungy smokey eye and there is no loss of pigment.

The size of the Smokey Eye Brick has been noted many times online, yes it’s very small, it’s compact. However, it’s compact in a beautiful way. There is no excess plastic packaging to be found here, the palette is perfect for travel and great for the environment while at the same time not skimping on product. Let’s break down the grams with some comparisons for fairness.

VBB Smokey Eye Brick £48.00 8.5g (£5.64 per gram)

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette Pillowtalk £40.00 5.2g (£7.69 per gram)

Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette £48.00 3.4g (£14.11 per gram)

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eyeshadow £44.00 1.2g (£36.66 per gram)

Speaks volumes eh…

Let’s look at Lid Lustre

VBB Lid Lustre £28.00 5g (£5.60 per gram)

Chanel Illusion D’ombre £26.00 4g (£6.50 per gram)

Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow £26.00 3.5g (£7.42 per gram)

As you can see my order wasn’t plain sailing but it was certainly redemed. I did notice others in the UK receiving their orders much quicker than I did, perhaps this was down to a sheer overwhelming of orders which can happen with a brand launch, who can say. What I can tell you is that when an issue arose with a product, the VBB company jumped to rectify it and that is a sign of a good company; one I would shop with again.

The makeup itself is simply stunning. The eyeshadows are velvet in consistency. They are packed with pigment and really do blend like a dream. You won’t find any patchiness here. Lid Lustre are quite literally worth lusting over. Divinely decadent, simply smudgy and stunningly sexy, taking any look from day to night in a matter of seconds. Call me a fan and give me them all! I adore the makeup bag that comes with every order and think this is a lovely touch. What am I dying to try? The kajal for sure, and launching just yesterday came lip tints and lip liners. There is definitely more to come for this collection, including skincare.  I believe this may just have been what the clean beauty market has been waiting for. Bravo Mrs Beckham, Bravo.

Available from Victoriabeckhambeauty.com

If you liked this review you may enjoy this recent Charlotte Tillbury review!