Westman Atelier is one of the most well-received new luxury beauty brands of recent times. Much can be speculated about what luxury beauty means or what its function is. Still, the weight of any one of Westman Atelier’s (‘WA’ from here on) products in your hands quickly informs you of what this brand defines as a luxurious experience. From the pouch that the Super Loaded Tinted Highlighters come in, to the magnetic closures of the Baby Blushes, each product is tended to with generosity and care. Over the past few years, I’ve allowed my beauty routine to become central to both my morning and evening rituals. Therefore each product is carefully regarded as a tool to facilitate the process of unwinding or preparation. I consider WA’s products to be multi-functional, so I often have to think deeply about how I want to use a particular product that day, forcing me to slow down and enjoy each moment.
I start my beauty routine by applying the Lit Up stick in Brûlée to the high points of my cheeks. This highlighter is close to my skin colour; therefore, I tend to use it amply as an iridescent primer. Later as I add the finishing touches to my complexion, I add Brûlée again to the highest points of my cheeks for a realistic glossy finish. Sometimes I also use the Lit Up stick as a lip balm or lipstick topper for the subtle glimmer — its texture is not very sticky and imparts a healthy dose of sparkle.
The Baby Blush and the Super Loaded Tinted highlighter are two of the most used products in my entire makeup collection. The latter is unique in that it does genuinely live by its name—one deep swipe of the finger can impart a super loaded gold stripe on your cheek; however, it’s easy to blend out with the same foundation brush you used or with your fingers. With an eye primer in my crease, I pat a light layer of the Baby Blush onto my eyelid and follow up with the Super Loaded Tinted highlighter on barely-there-makeup days. This combination easily ties up the colour on my cheeks with my eyes for cohesion and instantly makes me look and feel more put together than I actually am!
Foundation Atelier XIII, Baby Blush Bichette and Lit Up Stick Brûlée
Westman Atelier Lit Up Stick Brûlée
Wearing: Atelier XIII, with Baby Blush Bichette on cheeks, lips and eyes. Lined the perimeter of my lips with Pat Mcgrath's Nightmoth and then finished off with Victoria Beckham Beauty Future Lash mascara.
My skin can lean quite green during the cooler months (read Olive, Fenty 445, Pat Mcgrath Deep 29, Hourglass Sable), which I have found is not commonly discussed when considering shades for deeper-hued women. Additionally, like many women of my complexion, my neck is a lot darker than that on my face or chest; this leaves foundation matching very tricky. The WA shade that worked best for me was Atelier XIII; it’s considered a Deep Caramel shade with a neutral undertone. I rely on neutral undertones for my foundations when I cannot find olive tones. Atelier XIII leans red on my skin tone, and perhaps for oily skin such as mine, tends to oxidise more rapidly. Still, I’ve enjoyed using this shade as a colour corrector on various parts of my face, such as just underneath my eyes and around my mouth area. I’ve also found that using a light hand with this foundation is the best way to leave behind a radiant and natural finish.
Perhaps a cliché, but a little really does go a long way. And that is my general feeling about the WA products, that a small amount tends to do the job for maximum impact in different places. The Baby Blush I dab firmly onto my lips and line with a dark pencil, whereas I ease up on the pressure for my cheeks to allow for a wash of colour. On another day, I may use the Lit Up stick on the high points of my décolleté as shimmer—and this may sound weird, but I enjoy blending a stripe of the Lit Up stick on the inner part of my arm, towards my wrist. I find it quite sensual and unexpected, especially when I spray a nice perfume over the top. For me, beauty is in the ritual, and there’s no one way to perform a ritual and I enjoy when a product or tool that I use facilitates in that ritual. Westman Atelier products do just that, and I look forward to what more they produce.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading thus far. This journal chronicles various personal interests, ranging from design critique to sartorialism and beauty and photography. What ties all these subjects together is the understanding of myself as a consumer and as a designer who sees these things as inspirations of my trade and therefore wants to reflect upon them. the purpose is in the process of journaling, not the polished result. I hope you enjoy it all, and thanks again for stopping by.
Where to start?
Read my first post, ‘Salut, Salut‘ to learn about my blogging history,
or ‘The case against personal branding for designers‘, where I share how the design of this website came about.
Alternatively, I also have an interview with my developer, who made a lot of what you see possible.
Warmest
Sherida
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