I first saw Dear Dahlia through an Instagram ad and thought, “Damn, this is a glamorous makeup line!” It reminded me of classic K-Beauty & J-Beauty brands with premium packaging. Their catch phrase is “redefining luxury vegan beauty”, and one look at their site confirms this.
When Sephora Australia announced it would be stocking Dear Dahlia online, I was so excited to know another all vegan and cruelty-free brand that I could recommend to friends, especially those who really want their products to look as luxurious as they feel and perform.
First up, you’ve got lots of lips.
Treatment essences, shine lip treatments, plumper and tinted balms - of course some velvet lip mousses and classic matte lipsticks as well.
My pick is the Blooming Edition Paradise Tinted Blooming Balm (phew!) encased in a marbled bullet that “adapts to your lips’ PH” with a shimmery pearl finish. Truth be told, I’ve never really understood the science behind these “it develops to your perfect tint” products, and I often assume it’s all just the same vague shade of peach or pink. Having said that, this is a gorgeous gift and the kind of no-brainer that’s wearable for almost anyone.
There’s also a Perfect Brow Longwear Sculpting pencil and the most Insta-worthy Paradise Shine Eye Sequins (if you’ve caught any videos of this being applied, it’s absolutely stunner). Exploring the Dear Dahlia website, there is so much more to come including foundation and concealer products and limited edition collections.
I just love to see vegan and cruelty-free brands that don’t shun the superfluous fun casing and pretty touches, although the price point is mid-range (higher than something like Fenty Beauty for example), it’s on par with your luxury brands and will look beautiful sitting up on your vanity. For someone trying to transition their beauty collection to cruelty-free and vegan, this line won’t feel too foreign from what they are used to picking up at the makeup counter!
Let’s hope that Sephora shoppers embrace this brand enough to get some in store, and that we continue to see premium beauty where vegan and cruelty-free is the default and style is woven into the brand.