I very rarely buy this much from one brand all at once. Usually, I build up to a brand review over time. I’ll buy one thing, use it for months, buy another thing, keep testing, and then eventually write the review once I feel like I have enough real experience to give y’all a “real person wearing this in real life all day” review. That is one of the things I really care about here. I never want to swatch something once and call it a review. I want to know what happens when I do my makeup in the car, when I put something on at 5 a.m. and need it to last until 11 p.m., when I’m chasing my toddler, when I’m trying to get ready quickly, when I’m doing a long workout, and all the other normal life things that make makeup behave very differently than it does in a perfect first impression scenario.
All to say, I know these products just launched, and I would normally take way more time with them. But so many of you wanted to know what was worth buying, which shades were olive-friendly, which formulas were good, and whether the relaunch was worth the wait, so here we are. I bought everything myself, and I did buy more than I normally would because of the questions I got on Substack (thank you for all the questions and feedback!).
One note on the packaging before we get into the products: across the board, the packaging is very fun. These feel like little art pieces, and if I had a smaller collection or displayed my makeup, I would probably love having them out. As someone with a lot of makeup and not enough storage, they feel super bulky. They’re harder to store because they’re all interesting shapes and not flat, compact products, which also doesn’t make them easy travel products. They’re also much lighter than I expected. I’m not mad about that because heavy luxury packaging is not always the easiest to use, especially if you have any dexterity issues. But I was expecting the blushes and lipsticks to feel weightier in the hand and less drugstore-weight.
And with all of that, here is my review of a bunch of the new Marc Jacobs products, starting with the products I’m super excited to keep using, then moving into the ones I can take or leave, and ending with the one that honestly makes me mad.
In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own. Swatches are under a ring light to show true to color (photo #1) and then standard lighting to show the formula a little better (#2) for all the products.
Legally Bronze Talc-Free Blurring Powder Bronzer in 10 Light and 20 Light Medium – The bronzer in Light Medium is easily my favorite thing I bought from the Marc Jacobs Beauty relaunch, no question. I originally bought Light because I figured Fair would be too fair for me, and then I was chatting with people on Substack and someone mentioned that Light Medium was the perfect bronzer color, so obviously I had to know and bought that one too. They were right.
The formula is really great. It’s buildable, blurring, and easy to throw on. It’s not so sheer that I have to work forever to see it, but it’s not so pigmented that I’m scared of it, and it blends out easily without looking patchy. Light is honestly pretty orange on me. It’s not horrible, and it doesn’t look terrible once it’s blended out because the formula is so good, but it’s not the bronzer color I was hoping for.
Light Medium though – I am not exaggerating when I say I have considered getting rid of almost every other powder bronzer I own because this is what I always wanted bronzer to look like on me. It has this rosy brown tan thing going on, but in certain light there’s also a slightly green, olive-friendly undertone that makes it look like it was made for my skin. It gives me warmth without turning orange even a little bit. I swatched it next to some of my other favorite bronzers (shown here next to the Gucci 01 classic for reference), and hopefully you can see how special it is. Most bronzers on me either go too orange or too pink or otherwise don’t look like bronzer is supposed to look on my skin. they look closer to blush. Light Medium actually looks like bronzer on me.
I’ve worn Light Medium every day since I got it, and this is the product from the relaunch I would buy again immediately. If you have similar undertones to me but you’re paler, I’d look at Fair before Light. If you’re a light-medium olive who struggles with bronzers turning orange, Light Medium is really, really special.
Born Star Cream-to-Powder Long-Wear Eyeshadow in Serving – This is the next product I loved, and mostly because of the formula. It goes on super easily with a finger or a brush, doesn’t need a ton of building, and stayed on me all day without creasing, even without primer. It’s such a great one-and-done eyeshadow because it gives enough impact to look like I did something special without a ton of effort.
The shade isn’t what I expected based on the swatches online, but it’s still really pretty. Serving ends up being an everyday warm brown on me, but not too warm. I’m a little disappointed it isn’t pinker, but the good news is that it doesn’t go copper or Cheeto dust on me. It also has a little bit of a mauve undertone, which makes it work really well with the berry, mauve, and rosy blushes I tend to wear. It has a bit of a blue reflect but it’s not super strong.
If you want something similar but a little cooler and more pink, I’d look at the Half Magic Single Eyeshadow in Blushing Lizard. Blushing Lizard is also sparklier, much less expensive, and has a stronger reflect. Serving is smoother and more everyday to me, while Blushing Lizard gives you more obvious sparkle and dimension. I’m very happy I bought this, and I would buy more shades because the formula is great. I just don’t think there are many other colors I actually need, especially with the eyeshadows I already own. I’ve also heard a lot of the other neutral shades run warmer than this, and Serving is already pretty warm on me.
Money Shot Multi-Use Illuminating Gel Highlighter – This is lower in the ranking not because I don’t love it, but because I really wouldn’t tell everyone to run out and buy it. The formula is awesome. Even though it’s a gel, it actually sets down and stays all day. I was worried it would stay tacky or move around, but it wears way better than I expected. It works exceptionally well tapped over another eyeshadow as a topper.
I wouldn’t use it all over the eye on its own. When I put it directly on my lid without primer or another shadow underneath, it looked a little patchy and pooled in some places. It just wasn’t as smooth as I wanted it to be. Over something else, though, it’s perfect. The color/effect is exactly why I love it. I love a super sparkly eyeshadow so much, and this is right up there with my favorites. It’s very sparkly, cool-toned, and has this blue-purple-green reflect that is basically the sparkle of my dreams. In person, the blue comes through much more than it does in photos. The blue reflect helps cut anything too peachy or warm, and it gives that bright, shiny sparkle I’m always hoping for.
I did also use it as a face highlighter, and I think it’s really fun if you’re a person who likes a very sparkly cheek and has an occasion for that. I’m not into that kind of look, so for me, this is really an eyeshadow topper. I’m really happy I got this, but I completely understand that a blue sparkly gel highlight situation is not for everyone.
Joystick Buildable Cream Blush Stick in Last Word and Self Centered – I can really take or leave these. The formula is really pretty, balmy, sheer, and easy-to-build up. The finish looks nice when I first put it on. The problem is that my face eats these so fast. On me, they last maybe an hour, even if I set them with a powder blush, which is disappointing.
I’m still happy I picked up Last Word. It’s a cool purple that actually stays purple on me, which is weirdly hard to find for green friends. A lot of purple blushes end up looking pink once they’re on my face, but this actually adds purple, so it works really well when I want to cool down a blush look or dial back some yellow without using a purple powder. Sometimes I just really don’t want to add more powder and want to bump up the dewiness of a look instead, and this is perfect for that.
Self Centered is fine, butit’s warmer than I expected and not as mauve as I wanted. On me, it’s more of a terracotta/bricky learning mauve, which is pretty, but also very much something I already own in formulas I like much more. I also think the formula Last Word is smoother and easier to work with, while Self Centered looks a little patchier on me. I’m keeping Last Word because the color is really useful for me, but I’d skip Self Centered unless that warmer bricky shade is really missing from your collection.
Heart On Long-Lasting Soft Shine Lipstick in Eat It Up – This one is so frustrating. The formula is beautiful. It feels balmy and nourishing, swipes on easily, and looks smooth on the lips. It is comfortable and wearable in every way I want this kind of lipstick to be. And the color is perfect.
I swatched Eat It Up against MAC Alone Time, Victoria Beckham Pose, Ravie Zinnia, Ravie Dahlia, Merit Bespoke, Merit Archival, Merit 1990, Merit Slip, Bite Beauty Pepper, Bite Beauty Chai, Givenchy 16 Nude Boisé, Lisa Eldridge Toasted, Westman Atelier Soda, Westman Atelier Onyx, Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Blush Balm Lip Tint in 90s Kiss, YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick in 15 Showcasing Nude, MAC Pink Peppermint, MAC Signature Move, MAC Velvet Teddy, MAC It’s Personal, and Queen of Musia Becky Sharp, and nothing was quite the same.
On my olive skin, it reads like a muted, desaturated, grungy mauve that doesn’t go anywhere near orange. It is so good. So why am I so mad? I will never get over how this lipstick tastes. The fragrance is there, but it’s not horrible. At first I thought I could handle it. But the longer I had it on, the more I felt like it just wasn’t worth it. The taste lingered in a way that was really not okay. I was still updating friends hours later after taking it off because my mouth had a terrible aftertaste. I truly can’t remember even noticing the way a lipstick tasted this much ever before.
I also have it on good authority that there are other people who could not handle the taste either (hi fellow support group members!!). If you can handle it, I’m so jealous, and please enjoy the fantastic shades. I’m still glad I got to compare it because the shade really is harder to dupe than I expected, but I still don’t think I’d recommend it unless you are truly not bothered by this specific lip product taste. I’m going to keep hunting for a dupe.
What products should I test next? As always, all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored. I bought everything in this post myself.
Makeup and Skincare Reviews 