Louis Vuitton bets on beauty, at luxury prices few applaud

$160 LIPSTICKS RAISE EYEBROWS AS LV’S MAKEUP DEBUT TESTS LIMITS OF PRICING

- BY MANJUSHA RADHAKRISHNAN

Rip off your designer Band-Aid, because Louis Vuitton wants $160 (Dh587) for a lipstick — and that’s just for the case and one refill. Need another? That'll be $69 (Dh253) for refills.

Balms come with the same sticker shock, while eyeshadow palettes are strutting in at $250 (Dh918), with $92 (Dh338) refills. Nearly double Hermes, and the beauty crowd is rolling their eyes so hard you'd think LV just launched an eye-roller too.

First-ever cosmetics line

Now, the pretty part: launched yesterday, La Beauté Louis Vuitton is the maison’s first-ever cosmetics line, a dreamy trio of lipsticks (55 shades), tinted balms, and eyeshadow palettes. The French house tapped none other than legendary makeup artist Dame Pat McGrath as creative director. She’s been LV’s backstage secret weapon for over two decades, and now she’s bringing her magic front and centre.

‘New level in luxury beauty’