Simone Ashley's Cannes Film Festival lip combo only costs $22
Simone Ashley never misses with her beauty looks, but the entire Beauty Crew team audibly gasped when pictures of her Cannes Film Festival makeup look dropped. Created by makeup artist extraordinaire, Harold James, the glam was all about velvety, sculpted skin, a classic shadow wing, and a lip combo that polished the look off without pulling too much focus from the gown - a stunning scarlet number BTW. It took us a second to even clock the dress considering our intense focus on the makeup, but that’s a beauty editor problem.
It was this exact lip combo that had us all talking as we decoded the product picks James had reached for. Why? Because in addition to being genuinely stunning (with a deeper brown on the perimeter and a warmer brick tone in the centre), it’s shockingly affordable. We’re talking $22 for the duo.
The blurred, diffused lip aesthetic may look luxurious, but Ashley’s look proves that it doesn’t need to be expensive. To create the Cannes-worthy lip, James reportedly used two affordable hero products: the L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Le Lip Crayon in ‘Worth It Intense’ ($8.99 at Chemist Warehouse) and the L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Classic Satin Lipstick in ‘L'Ambere’ ($12.99 at Chemist Warehouse).
The magic lies in the contrast between the shades. ‘Worth It Intense’ delivers a cool-toned taupe brown that subtly contours and shapes the lips without looking harsh, while ‘L’Ambere’ adds warmth with its rich amber-nude satin finish. Together, they create that perfectly undone ‘90s-inspired lip, but with a chic 2026 twist.
We may not all possess James’ glam gifts, but recreating the look at home is still super simple. Start by softly tracing the outer corners of your lips with the liner, slightly diffusing the cupid’s bow for a fuller effect. Instead of creating a crisp outline, use your fingertip or a fluffy lip brush to gently blur the edges inward. Then tap the lipstick through the centre of the lips, pressing the colour in rather than swiping it on directly. This hack will help to add dimension and that covetable soft-focus finish.
@harold_james / James applying Ashley's makeup
Ashley’s take on the trend proves that statement lips don’t need to be bold reds or reflective glosses to be memorable. Sometimes a neutral, soft-matte combo (that happens to go for $22) will do the trick.
Main image credit: @harold_james
Want more celeb glam breakdowns? Kendall Jenner is also partial to an affordable lip combo...
Delaney began her career in the Australian beauty media industry in 2015, landing amidst the glossy world of women’s lifestyle magazines (or more literally, in their beauty cupboards). Since then, she has gone on to write across a multitude of beloved Australian media brands, including OK!, NW, InStyle, and Harper’s BAZAAR. She’s covered every side of beauty content, from directing beauty editorial shoots to rounding up the best glossy serums for golden hour skin. Having spent nearly a decade immersed in the beauty realm, Delaney’s knowledge of beauty is as extensive as her collection of tinted lip oils (read: extremely extensive). Delaney is currently the Digital Managing Editor of BEAUTYcrew, and her beauty wisdom also appears across beautyheaven, ELLE and Marie Claire. She enjoys channelling her personal hobby (testing beauty products) into her professional work (talking about testing beauty products), and considers perfecting the art of a cat eye in a moving car her life’s greatest accomplishment.
