Lady Gaga’s New Makeup Line Is Dramatic—This Is How We Wore It to the Office

Ever since rumors began to swirl that Lady Gaga (queen of
lashes, sparkle, and high-glam beauty moments) would be launching
her very own makeup line,
Haus Laboratories, fans and beauty lovers have been
agog—sorry, couldn’t resist—with major anticipation. And, after
months and months of product teasing, pre-ordering products on
Prime Day, and keeping careful tabs on the
Haus Laboratories Instagram account for any and all updates,
the time has finally arrived.

A few hours before midnight (PST) last Monday, September 16,
Lady Gaga announced during the brand’s Los Angeles–based launch
party that the line was officially for sale—both on the Haus
Laboratories website and
Amazon (the brand’s one official retail partner).

As Gaga explained in front of her L.A. fans and launch
attendees, Haus Labs has not only been a feverish passion project
on a personal level (sharing that she quite literally stewed and
stirred formula ideas on the kitchen floor), but it’s a full-out
“glam attack” on what the world automatically assumes a beauty
brand ought to be. Haus Laboratories, she says, is different.

As stated on the
brand’s website and as Gaga reiterated live on Monday, beauty
isn’t in the eye of the beholder—beauty is found in the way we
see ourselves. “At Haus, we want you to love yourself, and it is
our mission to spread kindness, bravery, and creativity by
providing tools for self-expression and reinvention,” she states.
“This is your glam. Your expression. Your artistry. Your
rules.”

Gaga went on to share that while she didn’t grow up ever feeling
beautiful—a battle that’s still very present—she did, however,
discover the power of makeup, and a beauty and creativity she could
foster while experimenting with the products sitting underneath her
mirror.

“I found the superhero within me by looking in the mirror and
seeing who I wanted to be,” she explains. “Sometimes, beauty
doesn’t come naturally from within. But I’m so grateful that makeup
inspired a bravery in me I didn’t know I had. I’ve come to accept
that I discovered my beauty by having the ability to invent myself
and transform. They said I was weird, but really, I was just born
this way.”

So what magical elixirs and powders lie within the
transformative possibilities of Haus Labs? Think lots of wearable
drama by way of shimmering
liquid eye pigments,
power- and pigment-packed glosses,
wickedly creamy lip liners, and, of course, some last-minute
surprises in the form of some extra, very Gaga-esque eye
adornments. (Up until launch day, we didn’t know we were going to
get a
felt-tip liquid eyeliner, lacy eye “Armor
Masque,” or wing-tip
cat-eye stickers out of the deal.) Oh, and everything, by the
way, is vegan, cruelty-free, and handily kept under a $30 price
point.

Now, as fun as all of the above is, it’s admittedly high-impact,
and my fellow minimal makeup–wearing co-worker, Courtney Higgs,
and I were left wondering just how wearable Haus would be in our
day-to-day beauty life. You know, when we’re not accepting an
Oscar, singing our hearts out in a stadium, or walking the red
carpet. So we decided to convene over the entire Haus collection
and choose products to test-drive during a normal day at the
office. Then, because we’re not complete buzzkills, we chose a few
more products to apply post-work duty for some extra intensity and
Gaga-inspired flare. (Hypothetically, an amped-up look we might
wear out and about on a Friday night.)

Below, we’re sharing both our daytime and nighttime-elevated
Haus makeup looks alongside photos and reviews. Keep scrolling!

I
don’t wear like to wear a ton of makeup during the day, so I
definitely wanted to make sure the look I created was mellow and in
line with my usual vibe. I did my normal skincare and face routines
and then went in with literally one dot of Glam Attack Liquid
Shimmer Powder in Chained Ballerina ($20) on each of my lids. I was
shocked at how much color I got out of the tiniest amount of
product, so to soften the severity I smudged the glittery black gel
with my ring finger until it turned into a soft, shimmery charcoal
color. Then, I lightly lined my eyes right at the lash line with
the Liquid Eye-Lie-Ner ($20). I loved how quickly it dried down to
a super-black, super-matte finish. For my lips, I used the RIP Lip
Liner in Drag ($16), and I have to say, this deep mauve hue was
super flattering against my brown skin—not at all chalky or ashy.
To finish, I patted, again, one tiny dot of Le Riot Lip Gloss in
Blaze ($) and smoothed it out until most of the sheen had been
subdued to look like a lightly glossy stain.

My
only strategy to amp up the look for nighttime was to add more of
everything. I took the same Glam Attack Liquid Shimmer Powder and
placed two extra dots of the product on each lid as well as a
little along my lower lash line. This time when I smudged it out,
the dark color remained, creating a disco ball effect. To jazz up
my subtle daytime liner, I added the Wingtip stickers from the Eye
Armor Kit ($35) to the corners of each of my eyes, before going
back over my light liquid line with more of a heavy hand. I
re-applied the same lip products, this time letting the high sheen
stay in place. Overall, I definitely felt like I was wearing a ton
of makeup, even though I had probably only used around 10 dots of
actual product all day. That really says something about the
potency of these formulas. That said, the only one I’d likely
incorporate into daily use is the liner and the gloss; the rest
will have to wait for a big night out.

As
much as I love Lady Gaga, and as much as I admire her signature
ballsy makeup moments, mega-watt makeup just isn’t my jam when it
comes to daily—or even special occasion—wear. Day to day, I’m
either bare-faced (my preference), or I’ll stick to my
tried-and-true uniform of foundation, concealer, some blush and
bronzer, lots of mascara, and probably a subtle flick of black
liquid liner. That said, even though I was worried Haus would be
saturated with strictly high-impact colors and heavy formulas, that
was so not the case. I really appreciate that, true to Gaga’s word,
this line is wearable for everyone and every kind of makeup
aesthetic. Yes, the formulas are high-performance and saturated
with satisfying pigment, but it’s easy to mix and match in order to
customize your vibe. You can go all out with a Vampira-like lip,
elongated cat eye, and graphite glitter-crusted eyes, or you can
swipe on a clear crystal colored gloss and touch of liner and call
it a day. Plus, in addition to the brand’s customizable genius, the
formulas themselves really are amazing—super-blendable,
surprisingly easy and low-maintenance to apply, and boasting
fabulous consistency. I’m a makeup snob, and I’m honestly
impressed. For my daytime work look, I wanted to go with a
neutral-ish lip, glittery pink lids, and a little bit of liner for
some extra definition around my lashline. After taking stock of the
entire collection, I opted for the RIP Lip Liner in Myth ($16)
topped with Le Riot Lip Gloss in Entranced ($18). For my eyes, I
used (and obsessed over) the Glam Attack Liquid Shimmer Powder
in Aphrodite ($20) and Rose B*tch ($20) finished with a quick
draw of Liquid Eye-Lie-Ner ($20) since my makeup never feels
complete without a super-subtle cat eye. I will say that the
shadow and the eyeliner here were the standouts. Like, truly, I’m
obsessed with that shimmer and couldn’t get over how easy it was to
apply, how perfectly it dried down, and how subtle and beautifully
shimmery it looked. I can’t wait to keep experiment with some of
the bolder colors, but this was a good toe-dip for me. As far as
the lip liners and gloss, I’m left satisfied but not overjoyed.
That being said, I’m also not a gloss or liner person! I’ll keep
the glosses in my arsenal because I like that they’re sticky enough
to last and maintain their lacquer-like shine for hours (even after
lunch), but I had trouble with the liner shades. I didn’t find any
to be flattering for my skin tone or makeup vibe—they all read
either a little to purple or a little too orange/brown for
me.

For
nighttime, and because I do like an intense lip every so often, I
really went for it and traded in my daytime vibe for RIP Lip Liner
in Slayer ($16) topped with Le Riot Lip Gloss in Scream ($18). For
my eyes, I kept everything the same but added the Wingtip stickers
(and more liner) from the Eye Armor Kit ($35). This look was
intense. I liked or had an appreciation for everything
individually, but after all was said and done, I probably wouldn’t
go quite so all-out on both eyes and lips IRL. It was more dramatic
than I anticipated! If you’re into a dark and vampy lip, you will
absolutely love Slayer and Scream, but they are intense, so tread
carefully with your application. Even though I think the stickers
are brilliant, I probably won’t be wearing them. I’m actually
pretty good with my lining talents, and I like something a little
less elongated on my own face. But I think theses stickers are a
great idea for people seeking a really dramatic cat eye and for
anyone who might not have the confidence or patience to do the look
from scratch using a pen alone.