Sparkled Beauty

It is really getting festive in the beauty world. This is Marc Jacobs Showstopper collection with essentials from the brand in full size (except the EDP) and some new/ Limited Edition shades.

Since its debut at Sephora, Marc Jacobs has been talked about quite a bit with a few standout products.

The price range is totally out of my budget, so while I am happy to receive the kit to review for you guys, I do note the price details if you do consider splurging on a single product.

The collection includes:
- Lash Lifter Gel Volume mascara in Blacquer (0.24oz, reg. $31)
- Magic Marc'er Precision Pen eyeliner in Blacquer (0.016oz, reg. $36)
- Style Eye-con No.3 Plush Shadow palette in The Star (0.12oz, reg. $50)
- Lust For Lacquer Lip vinyl in Kiss This (0.16oz, reg. $34), and
- Marc Jacobs Honey EDP mini rollerball (0.13oz - the full size of 0.24 oz is $30 reg.).

All house in a black patent leather makeup bag designed by Marc Jacobs of course, with a mirror included in the back pocket.

Let's have a look at each product in the collection.

The Lash Lifter Gel Volume mascara is supposed to have the E-Lash-Tic Lash technology, with micro-crystalline powders that coat and stretch the lashes for maximum length, volume, and curl.

I agree with the claim of smooth application and no flakes/ no clumps. The medium sized brush with short bristles is not hard to work with my short lashes. However, I found it did not do much other than making my lashes look a little darker. Not worth the money, I'm afraid.

The Magic Marc'er Precision Pen eyeliner is better - a waterproof liquid eyeliner developed in Japan, inspired by the calligraphy pen for drawing the finest lines. To a newbie like me, the liner was easy to maneuver, and the fast drying formula last quite a good while. It is a good liner, but nothing spectacular compared to its drugstore counterparts.

Now this Style Eye-con No.3 Plush Shadow palette in The Star is my favorite from the set.

It is shimmery and metallic, very holiday appropriate, and a dramatic holiday at that, due to the colour selection.

Marc Jacobs eyeshadows have advanced pigments that allow good color payoff and long lasting performance. I enjoy all three shades equally. The size arrangement of the palette makes sense, as they know we would not need much black to intensify the look as we do with the other two shades.

The Lust For Lacquer Lip vinyl in Kiss This is another fun one.

The formula is champagne grape infused, with antioxidants, essential oils, and a hint of effervescence. The applicator shape makes it easy to distribute the product on the lips, and its side is perfect to line the edges precisely.

This particular shade is not fully pigmented by itself, so I normally use it on top of a lip liner filled in.

Not much I have to say about the Honey EDP mini rollerball other than stating the obvious - It's floral and warm with top notes of pear and mandarin. The base notes of honey, vanilla and smooth woods dry down beautifully. Its size is perfect for your little holiday clutch for those fun parties, or makeup bag for daily use.

Here are the swatches of the coloured products.

At the top are the eyeshadow shades. The while and gold shade both have beautiful metallic sheen. The gold is more sheer, which I prefer to use to top up the eyeshadow in the middle of the lids for that little extra oomph.

The eyeliner is at the bottom left, dark and pretty. The lip vinyl is a beautiful reddish pink, with gold shimmers. On the lips, the shimmers are just enough for the shine, not chunky or uncomfortable. It does have a subtle scent of vanilla mint, hard to describe.

The Showstopper collection retails $107 (values $261), Limited Edition. The makeup bag and mirror are luxurious looking, nice to have but I personally can't justify the whole set. However, if you want the eyeshadow palette, the lip vinyl and the mini rollerball, they add up almost to the price of the set. Here is a FOTD I did with items in the collection.