I try a lot of lipsticks and while I’ve got everything I need in the red, plum, nude, matte and creamy departments, I’m lacking in one. I’m not a fan of the use of the marketing term ‘clean beauty’–as there’s yet to be a consistent definition across brands for it. However, I’m a big fan of beauty brands who go beyond the semantics. Brands who are thoughtful about the ingredients they use and most importantly have a transparent and sustainable supply chain.
That’s where my lipstick collection is lacking. I’ve been in the market for one that does all of the above but also has an incredible formula, sleek packaging and wearable shades.
I’m not gonna lie its been pretty difficult, but thanks to HIGHR, the sustainable lipstick sized hole in my life has been filled. The LA-made brand are 100% vegan, cruelty free and 66-74% organic. But sure, we’ve seen that before. What most impressed me is that the brand go way beyond what’s in the product to prove their eco credentials, plus the lipsticks are pretty great too. Keep scrolling for my thoughts on the collection.
HIGHR have saved and offset 13.1 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and track all of their operational carbon, including employee’s travel and shipments. Plus, they use 100% solar energy to develop their lipsticks. I’m sold.
It’s the gift that keeps on giving as the packaging is pretty stunning. Opting for metal instead of plastic, the result is pink, metallic and there’s a mirror in the lipstick tube too. Genius.
Now onto the formula. The lipsticks are creamy, soft and filled with organic castor oil, cocoa butter and shea butter so they feel like the most nourishing balms but with incredible long-lasting pigment.
The addition of skincare faves hyaluronic acid, organic rosehip oil and grapeseed oil, miraculously kept my lips in great condition even once I removed the lipstick.
There are 5 shades in the collection and most have a satin finish and smell quite wonderful too. Mercy is known as The Rosebud Pink and I never wear pink lipstick. They don’t suit me, the undertones are usually horrific and they don’t work with my skin tone, but here I am thriving in pink. It’s such a flattering shade and I’ve added it to my makeup bag.
Chiltern is The Candy Red, it’s bright, bold and set to be a modern classic. Truest is The Cool Rose and another shade that I’d never go for, but the demi-matte finish and flushed colour is ideal for brightening up my complexion.
Chateau is The Nude Beige and is totally the everyday uniform lipstick, it’s a bit too light for me on its own but I wore it with a brown lip-liner to get a dark nude lip. Finally, Bravado, The Scarlet Red is the kind of red that makes it look like you’ve taken hours to do your makeup. I paired one swipe of it with no foundation, a little mascara and brows and got so many compliments. A new staple for me.
What initially captured my attention about HIGHR are the incredible and much-needed environmental efforts they’re doing behind the scenes. So having products that are pigmented, moisturising and look fantastic alongside that is such a winning combination.
Keep scrolling to shop these other sustainable must-buys.
With bottles made from ocean plastic you can rest assured that there’s a circular economy going on over at REN. This day cream is soothing, calming and ideal for sensitive skin.
One of the pioneers in refillable and super luxurious packaging, but that’s not all. All of the ingredients are certified natural or organic and this highlighting duo is such a good complexion-booster.
One of the best shower products in existence and you won’t have to worry about throwing away tons of packaging as you can buy the refill and fill up your own used bottles.
With multiple molecular sizes of hyaluronic acid, this is the ultimate hydrator. It’s housed in the brand’s signature recyclable glass and made right on Tata Harper’s farm.
This swipe on highlighter in recycled aluminium and thoughtfully chosen ingredients including organic shea butter will add a natural glow minus the glitter.
