Prada, known for its timeless leather goods and “ugly chic” ready-to-wear, has launched beauty. (Sure, it’s always had fragrance. Actually, its first fragrance, Prada Amber, launched 20 years ago, and throughout two decades the brand has built a fragrance family with a scent for everyone — from intensely sweet scents like Prada Candy to its most recent beloved scent, Prada Paradoxe. But we digress.) You can now buy those deep shades of matte-red lipstick it’s become known for on the runways.
What is Prada Beauty launching?
There’s makeup: 13 shades of hypermatte lipsticks, $50, with a luminous finish made to mimic Prada’s signature Saffiano leather; 13 shades of soft matte buildable lipsticks, also $50, with a more diffused finish inspired by the brand’s iconic nylon material; and a $70 skinlike foundation, with 33 shades that range from light to deep complexions. (I was pleasantly surprised with the sade range, because most luxury brands do not have good options for darker skin tones when they launch.) The offerings also include vibrant eye-shadow palettes, which include shades with a satin finish and soft-matte, hypermatte, and shimmering options. But quite possibly the most fun offering is makeup brushes adorned with the Prada logo for every step of your routine. There’s also (very expensive) skin care: a $95 foaming cleanser, a $135 micro-peel essence, a $410 serum, and a $390 gel-to-balm moisturizer that absorbs into the skin, leaving the complexion radiant all day. All of the skin-care products are formulated with a trademarked adapto.gn smart technology, an innovative and advanced technology that allows the product to adapt to the skin’s personal needs based on the environment, which explains the price.
Do I need Prada Beauty products in my life?
I tried the skin care throughout the month of February, and out of all the products, I really loved the micro-peel essence because, while most of the essences I use plump and hydrate my skin, this gentle micro-peel made the texture of my skin baby-soft by gently exfoliating it with ingredients like cranberry-fruit extract, known to bring radiance to the skin while removing dead skin cells, and AHAs, often used to improve the skin’s texture. It feels like a two-in-one luxury essence. I also tried the serum and moisturizer, and they are beautiful products if you are willing to shell out the coins. While the skin care is very innovative, the price point is quite high to consider it a need.
As for the makeup, the foundation is lightweight and has a skinlike finish, which is my preferred one. It wasn’t hard to find a shade to match my skin, even with my neutral undertones, which can be tricky for me, especially when it’s a luxury foundation.
Now let’s get to the part you’ve all been waiting for: the lipsticks. As a Black woman constantly searching for the perfect red on my medium-deep skin tone, I tried multiple shades, including Mahogany, B03, and Auburn, B103. They seamlessly glided onto my lips with a smooth texture and did not feel dry or crumbly like some matte lipsticks can be. The color lasted for a few hours, though I did have to reapply after eating. The shade I liked best was B03 because it’s more of a maroon color with brown undertones, so it’s in the red family, but was not a super-bold red too bright for my skin tone.
I’d definitely spend my money on the faux-fur bristle-inspired makeup brushes. With their brass handles, they are some of the most sturdy brushes I’ve used, but besides their handling, the bristles are constructed to be multiuse products, making them great for sculpting, foundation application, concealer, and more. There’s a unique triangular three-tiered brush that I haven’t been able to put down because it blends makeup so well. It’s also $90, which again feels extremely expensive compared to other brushes on the market, but they do seem like they’ll have a really long shelf life.
If neither the skin care nor the makeup feels like a fit, the fragrances are always a great way to have Prada live on your shelfie. Its Paradoxe Intense fragrance has notes of amber, jasmine, and moss, and a standard 50-milliliter bottle is $145, ideal for a luxury fragrance. Luxury brands entering beauty has always been exciting because it feels more accessible than clothing or accessories.
What are people saying?
One influencer, @nirishbeauty, who describes herself as “a broke college student,” shared her thoughts on TikTok, and while she was “pleasantly surprised” at the foundation, she admitted that she probably wouldn’t repurchase because she prefers more coverage. (She did love that the creamy texture prevented the shadows from falling out onto her cheeks, even the shimmery pigments that are usually prone to fall out on eye-shadow palettes.) “I can’t wait for days where I’m going to be like, Oh, I’m going to Sephora and spending over $200 on makeup from Prada Beauty, but until then, I’ll be very, very skeptical of this makeup brand because I know a lot of girlies are exactly like me,” she said. Another longtime influencer, Monica Veloz, made a video review of the foundation and was shocked at how much she liked it; it visibly covered her skin’s hyperpigmentation without too much product.
How can I get it?
All the products are available on pradabeauty.com. The makeup is also available on Sephora.com, and the skin care is available on Nordstrom.com and in stores.