I Tried Every Product In Lady Gaga's Haus Laboratories & Here's What Went Down
From Kylie Cosmetics to Fenty Beauty, there are few celebrities who don't have their name attached to a makeup line. But when I heard Lady Gaga was next in line to release a makeup collection, that hit differently. Since hitting the music scene with her debut song "Just Dance" in 2008 (for which she wore a Ziggy Stardust-inspired lightning bolt on her eye), she boasted a style all her own. Now that her brand, Haus Laboratories, finally dropped, I jumped at the opportunity to do my own Haus Laboratories review.
Majoring in fashion design around the time "Just Dance" dropped, I remember watching as fashion took a dramatic turn following the song's release. Lady Gaga's dramatic shoulder pads, heel-less platforms, sculptural dresses, and shocking costumes helped catapult avant-garde style to the mainstream. I listened to "The Fame" on repeat while I sketched one unconventional design after another. My classmates did, too. She inspired an entire industry.
But she didn't stop there; she continued to push boundaries with her beauty looks, too, as time went on. Her bold cat eye and makeshift soda-can rollers in the "Telephone" music video remain a major beauty inspiration for me today. It wasn't until 2018 that she began wearing classic — and even minimal — beauty looks regularly. Then, at the 2019 Met Gala, she paid homage to her early style, hitting the carpet in blunt blonde bangs, huge hair bows, and dramatic metallic gold lashes.
Lady Gaga is undoubtedly a beauty chameleon, so the news of her makeup line sent the beauty industry into a frenzy. I knew something great was coming, I just couldn't picture what it would be. Thankfully, at an event for the launch of Haus Laboratories in LA, all was revealed.
Haus Labs featured an enormous collection of lip and eye products presented in sleek, black packaging. Off the bat, I was surprised that the range wasn't packed with intensely bold colors and packaged in over-the-top designs. Rather, the line appeared wearable IRL, and there's nothing wrong with that.
The first product I tested from the line was the Eye Armor Kit ($35, hauslabs.com). "We created the false eyelashes of eyeliner," Lady Gaga said during her opening speech at the event. "It's a wing that simply sticks on the edge of any shaped eye for a perfect wing." I'm a cat-eye wearer to my core, so this was music to my ears. The sticker essentially does the hard part for you. It's already shaped perfectly and symmetrically, which cuts the guesswork and frustration out of trying to paint on a perfect wing. "The eye armor wing tips are reusable and customizable," Gaga added. "They're comfortable and perfect for the person that needs to run out the door."
With a pair of tweezers, I peeled off a single wing when I sat down to try the product myself. I adjust the left wing to my left eye and repeat on the right eye. Now all I had left was to draw a line from the inner corners of my eye to meet the beginning of the sticker. The Liquid Eye-Lie-Ner (which comes in the kit) glided on without skipping or dragging gave me the darkest black line.
When I tested the Glam Attack Liquid Shimmer Powder ($20; hauslabs.com), I applied it two ways. For a subtler look, I applied a swipe of "Aphrodite," a shimmery champagne shade, on my brow bone and blend it out with my finger. Next, I applied "Rose B*tch," a soft mauve, on my lid the same way, which gave me an overall soft and shimmery look.
Next, I decided to step up the intensity. Using the doe-foot applicator and a shimmery black shade called "Chained Ballerina," I swiped it on my entire lid, and the pigmented formula glided on like patent leather. (See it in action above.) Although the colors are much more muted than I expected from Lady Gaga, I love that you can control the intensity. As Gaga says, it's her Haus, your rules.
Finally, I tested the Rip Lip Liner ($16, hauslabs.com) and Le Riot Lip Gloss ($18, hauslabs.com). At the event, Lady Gaga told us she's tried thousands of lip liners over the years, but this one can't be beat. Upon application, I have to say, it went on smoother, creamier, and more pigmented than most formulas I've tried. It comes in six shades, five of which are variations of the classic nude. I applied "Myth," a nude-y mauve, and paired it with a peachy pink gloss called "Venus." Just like that, this combo became my favorite combined neutral lip color.
Overall, I was impressed with the pigment and color payoff of all the products I tried. I admit I was a bit underwhelmed by the color selections — the brand has yet to release a classic candy apple red — but the colors they do currently offer work really well. With the versatility of these liquid eyeshadows, you, too, can be a beauty chameleon.
