Marc Jacobs Beauty in Singapore at last! All you need to know & more!

Ladies, the wait is finally over – Marc Jacobs Beauty has landed in Singapore at last!!!  The pristine new counters were unveiled yesterday, and I couldn’t resist going down to Sephora Ion to check it all out!

I was really excited to find that the entire collection is out in full force, yes a whopping 147 products in total!!  There is alot to take in – from foundations (there are 2 different types plus powder), bronzer, eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, glosses, nail polishes and even the recently launched brushes!!!

Ever since I posted on Instagram earlier today (if you hadn’t yet, please do follow me @silverkis as I tend to post images faster than full product reviews), I’ve had quite a few people ask me what are my top picks from the brand.  I have actually picked up quite a number of items from the US since the collection launched last year, and had a chance to swatch the other items that I had my eyes on in person today.  So here are my unbiased, straight-from-the-hip comments:

• Firstly, quality varies substantially, even within product categories.  One blush shade may have adequate pigmentation whilst another is sheer.  It is impossible for me to tell you to be sure to check out the eyeshadows (for example) because some palettes were great whilst others were dry and hard to blend.
• Product names may be deceiving – for example, the Genius “Gel” Foundation is really a liquid foundation without any gel-like properties at all; and the Marvelous “Mousse” Foundation is quite dry like the Tom Ford eyeshadow primer and needs quite a bit of work to blend out.  Also, you need a whole new beauty dictionary – lipsticks are named Lip Gels, and lip glosses are named Lip Lacquers, etc.
• The brushes are made of synthetic fibers, although they do feel soft to the touch.  But for the price, I believe you can get high quality natural-fiber brushes that perform better.

And in terms of my thoughts on specific products:

• My top picks from the brand are the Gel Crayons (i.e. gel pencil liners), Lip Gels, Lip Lacquers, and Nail Glazes (nail polishes).  Again, not every item within these categories are great, but from what I’ve seen thus far, they are all pretty decent.  I own the Lip Gel in Voila! (#120), Lip Lacquer in Kissibility (#302), Nail Glaze in Petra (#140); and have loved each of them.
• There are some really exciting eyeshadow colors, but their quality differs greatly.  I have been using Eye-con 3 The Rebel (#106) and have enjoyed it greatly.  I also swatched Eye-con 7 Lolita today, and found it incredibly pretty.
• The Shameless Bold Blushes were really generally dry and hard to the touch.  Intensity of pigmentation varied greatly – the best in pigmentation were Promiscuous Berry and Tantalizing Plum, but even then they are so-so at best
• I have the famed Magic Marc’er Precision Pen in Blacquer, and it is not my favorite.  Also, the Lash Lifter Gel Volume Mascara was a big disappointment.  Brief reviews of these can be found here.

Even with uneven product quality, there are some gems in there for everybody.  Prices are about 15-20% higher than the US, but if you factor in shipping costs and exchange rate fluctuations, plus you can make use of your Sephora Singapore 10% loyalty discount (with every $200 spent), the difference is negligible.  Products are flying off the shelves, so be sure to check them out soon!

xoxo