Yes, Mother Is Worth It.

  1. This may turn into a stan/gush fest.
  2. Please understand that I am not judging anyone or trying to shame you into buying anything. I’m only commenting on people who bring up race when complaining about prices.

When Pat McGrath first began releasing her limited edition pigments and glitter lip kits, I admired them, but never bought any because a) they sold out so fast and I didn’t want to stress over it, and b) they weren’t exactly cheap. If I recall, a kit with one lipstick and glitter was around $60, and I knew that I wouldn’t use it that much because I don’t have many opportunities to walk around with glitter on my lips. Such is life.

But then Pat, also known as “Mother,” came out with a limited, now permanent, line of matte and satin lipsticks (she also has eye palettes and lip pencils!), and I was instantly on board. I mean, I wear lipstick daily. The price? $38. Now, I’m not saying that this is cheap by any means, but every time I post about them, someone always complains about the price. And I don’t mean commenting on the price like, “Dang, that’s steep!” I mean going on a mini-rant about cosmetics for black women being too expensive or black-owned brands needing to be affordable. This confuses me. The only reasoning that I could come up with is that people are not familiar with luxury brand industry standards and they aren’t familiar with McGrath as a world renowned makeup artist. I’ll break it down.

Christian Louboutin lipsticks are $90. They can miss me with that price though, lol. Because if I break that lipstick or lose it, I’m going into despair for 56 hours, minimum.

Tom Ford lipsticks are $50.

Armani lipsticks are $38.

Givenchy lipsticks are $38.

Guerlain lipsticks are $37. YSL’s are $37, Bobbi Brown’s are $35, Dior’s are $35…and moving on to more commonly purchased brands, Lancome lipsticks are $32, along with Estee Lauder. I could go on, but you get the point (I think).

Pat McGrath, a black woman, has been called the most influential makeup artist in the WORLD by Vogue, was creative design director for Proctor & Gamble, and listed in theĀ 2013 Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year Honors List as a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the fashion and beauty industry. She travels around the world to multiple fashion weeks and serving as an artist for several high fashion photo shoots. She encourages diversity in the industry and embracing your own type of beauty. She is an icon. She is an innovator. She is a trailblazer. She is fucking fabulous. I could go on, but I feel a wave of chills washing over me and my emotions are taking over.

So, even if you don’t want to pay $38 for a lipstick, I fail to understand why there is a need to bring up black-owned brands or black women in your justification or complaint. It’s almost as if some can’t possibly understand why a product made by a black woman that has various shades that cater to black women would be worth it. Oh wait…*looks off into the sunset*

I’m here to tell you that McGrath, with all of her contributions to the beauty industry, is worth it – and in my opinion even more so than several high-end brands that people take no issue with. And I’m happy that she knows her worth in an industry that constantly belittles, erases, and looks down on black women. I salute her.