Review: Luxetrance Lipsticks (Pat McGrath Labs)

Do you ever find a totally perfect product, and then freak out to find out it’s essentially discontinued? Well, welcome to my world because that’s exactly what happened with the Luxetrance Lipsticks! I had been eying the Pat McGrath Labs lipsticks for a while but had only bought the mini sizes because the full sizes are just really expensive! Only the Mattetrance lipsticks are available as minis, so I never had the opportunity to try the creme Luxetrance formula.

At the end of last year though, there was this incredible sale on the Pat McGrath website that saw the Luxetrance drop down to just AUD$17 (with free shipping) – and naturally, we all jumped on it. I was a bit late so there weren’t a lot of shades left, but I did manage to get two – Exxotica and 35mm.

As of the time of writing, only a very limited number of shades are still available on the official Pat McGrath website but they are still available at Sephora Australia if you want to get you hands on them. They are selling at full price of AUD$67 but I’m not sure if they will be reformulated and brought back in the future.

Now, let’s get into this review!

Product Description

The Luxetrance is essentially a cream lipstick, exactly the opposite of Pat McGrath’s famous Mattetrance formula. The Sephora Australia website says that this “laminates lips in a second skin of sensuously saturated colour while offering rich hydration and protection from free radicals.” I have two shades but the Luxetrance Lipstick actually comes in a total of thirty shades, divided into Skin Show (Nudes), Colour Blitz (Brights), Vicious Venoms (Darks) and Seasonal Colours so there is absolutely something for everyone.

Other product claims, simplified from the official Pat McGrath website, include:

• Contains Water Lily extract for hydration and protecting properties.
• A formula with excellent adherence and zero bleeding.
• Creates a pigment film over lips for seamless, one-stroke coverage and a smooth finish.
• Contains patent-pending Biomimetic pigments that shield lips against harmful agents with a comfortable finish and intense colour payoff.
• This formula is also paraben-free, if that is something that you’re concerned with!

Packaging

One of the most stand out this about Pat McGrath Labs‘ products (aside from the gorgeous formulas) is definitely the packaging – I know so many people who have been pulled in by this alone. The lipsticks all come in an individualised unit carton with a string bound opening. The material has a satin finish (nothing too fancy there) with gold foil accents. The quality is actually pretty great though – it’s double coated with an additional internal layer of cardboard, so it’s relatively secure during travel – and the design of it is beautiful and very unique to the brand.

There are a few different prints for the unit cartons which are specific to the shades; as you can see, 35mm and Exxotica have different boxes, but that same box may also be shared with some other shades (for example, 35mm and Attitude have the same unit carton design). This actually adds to the collectable quality of these lipsticks so I personally like to store all of my Pat McGrath makeup with the boxes too!

Opening it up, you can be ready to be wowed by the bullet design too because, again, the quality of this is so good! You are paying a premium for all of this but, when you compare the packaging of this to some other more affordable brands, you can see where the added cost goes.

The Luxetrance Lipstick has a black and gold tube design made from a heavy, glossy plastic. It’s cool and substantial to hold, so definitely feels like luxury in your hands. The finish does mean that I’m a bit conscious of it getting scratched in my makeup bag though, so this is one of those products that I’ve very careful about carrying around. That being said, it’s secure if you want to do it – the cap has a good magnetic closure and I haven’t had any issue with it accidentally slipping open.

The bullet (which you will be able to see below) also has a rounded tip, which is similar to a traditional shape but is a small detail that really defines the design. I don’t find that this impacts application in any way, but it’s pretty!

Personal Experiences

Aside from the hefty price tag, I love this lipstick! The formula is gorgeous and delivers on all of its claims. The shades that I got are perfect too, and I think there are a few from the Nudes range that would also be really pretty (though it’s a shame that I haven’t found them all in-store to swatch).

As you can see from the below two photos, the pigmentation of these Luxetrance Lipsticks are amazing and can definitely give you the claimed ‘one swipe application’. I would have to try out a lighter colour to really test it out but, from what I can see, the pigmentation is also very vibrant and opaque – but is not 100% accurate to the official swatches, so I would suggest looking at blogger swatches instead!

When it comes to this product, the most beautiful thing is that it really smooths over the lips with that ‘pigment film’ finish and gives a naturally plump appearance. It also looks and feels like a high end lipstick with no excessive scent and absolutely decadent colour. The Luxetrance is a lot creamier and more emollient than the Mattetrance Lipstick (which I had tried before), and is also quite hydrating so I have no issues with reapplication during the day.

On the downside, I find the longevity of this to be just a bit better than average – it is mostly resistant to fading but will transfer with any food or drink. It’s not bad in this aspect but, considering the price point, my standards are pretty high here!

Above are the two colours applied on me too. When I ordered these, I went by Temptalia’s swatches and found these to be the most accurate – they look a bit lighter on me, just because I like to sheer out my application for that feathered look – you can very easily get a deep and vampy look without needing to build up the product.

The colour and undertone of the shades is accurate to the description but, as previously mentioned, I don’t find the Pat McGrath swatches very good. If possible, I would recommend going to check these out in store.

Overall though, I love the formula of this lipstick and I especially love that super smooth pigment finish. I really want to get a few more of them but it’s really hard to bite the bullet considering that price tag.

I hope that the brand is going to reformulate them (because I don’t want the Luxetrance Lipsticks to go away), and that maybe mini sizes will be introduced in the future. I love my Mini Mattetrance lipsticks, especially since I never finish a whole bullet anyway, so I would much rather pay AUD$44 for three little ones.

Here’s the verdict!

SO WHAT IS IT?

A creamy, high pigment lipstick with a smooth finish and hydrating formula

THE GOOD

• Absolutely stunning packaging
• Gorgeous colour range with great variety
• One swipe pigmentation
• Smooths over lips and gives a natural plumpness
• Easy to apply and reapply
• Hydrating on lips
• Non-fading formula (but is not transfer proof)

THE BAD

• It’s expensive
• Inaccurate official swatches

RATINGS

• PACKAGING | 5/5
• PRICE POINT | 1/5
• SHADE RANGE | 5/5
• PIGMENTATION | 5/5
• HYDRATION | 4/5
• LONGEVITY | 4/5

OVERALL RATING? 8/10

WOULD I RECOMMEND?

This would be up on the top of my list if I were ranking on formula and packaging alone – but I really cant be recommending something so expensive to everyone! I love it and I can see the justification of the price, but it’s really just a luxury lipstick in the end.

If you have the money and want to splurge then this is totally worth it, but don’t break your bank to do so because there are also other great products at other price points (and mini lipsticks!)

WHERE TO GET IT FROM

If you’re wanting to try these and have the money to splurge, they’re currently available on either Pat McGrath Labs website or Sephora Australia. Both sites don’t have the full range available, but the latter is definitely carrying more at the moment.

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