I picked up a few of the holiday items from Marc Jacobs Beauty this year and think all the pieces are beautiful! They describe this as being a high-glam collection with glittering jewel tones for eyes and gold glam highlights for lips and cheeks. Everything is listed as limited-edition but I hope they will keep the highlighter as a permanent item. What I bought:
- O! Mega Glaze All-Over Foil Luminizer in Gilty ($49 for 10 g/0.35 oz, made in Canada)
- Enamored Hi-Shine Gloss in Shine a Light ($28 for .16 fl oz/ 5 mL, made in USA)
- See-Quins Glam Glitter Eyeshadow in Gleam Girl, Topaz Flash and Copperazzi ($28 each for 3.5 g/0.12 oz, made in USA)
The entire vibe of the collection is indeed shimmering and glam. I think the lip gloss and cheek highlighter are glowing but conservative enough for the natural makeup wearer while the eye shadows are full out glitz and glam. Swatches and thoughts on each piece starting with the O! Mega Glaze All-Over Foil Luminizer in Gilty which is a stunning gold.
This one is described as a warm peachy gold but I find it more complex than that. It’s not quite as sharp as a duo chrome shimmer but as I move my arm or hand in the light I can definitely see a shift in color depending on the angle. It has a warm gold shimmer and a soft peach base with a hint of rose-gold on my olive skin. I think this one is going to suit a wide range of skin tones, on me it’s definitely highlighter material but not a pale one. If you have fair skin this will look deeper perhaps a little bronzey gold on your skin. I think this will look amazing on deeper skin tones too. Shimmer is visible but it’s smooth and does not emphasize lines. It’s not a glaring frost with one swipe but you can layer for more intensity. A look at how the color glows depending on whether direct sunlight hits the pan below.
Swatches heavy vs light/blended:
The Enamored Hi-Shine Gloss Lip Lacquer in Shine A Light looks like a yellowed multi-chrome gold with pink and green flashes in the tube. On the lips it’s a lot prettier than what I see in the tube which I’d describe as a multi-shimmer deeper nude gold with pink flashes. I love a pretty gold shimmer for holiday, this one is pretty alone or layered! It’s true to Marc Jacobs gloss formula – smooth, no sticky tacky feel, cushiony and comes with a flexible sponge applicator. Even though it’s loaded with sparkle there’s no gritty feel or texture.
On bare lips, photos don’t do it justice:
Also a few swatch comparisons to a few similar looking colors, NARS Full Vinyl Lip Lacquers in At First Sight and Cape Town, Marc Jacobs Cream and Sugar, Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss 712, Becca Glow Gloss in Champagne Creme. I’ve linked the previous reviews if you want to see colors on my lips.
The See-Quins Glam Glitter Eyeshadows are full out glam party shadows. They’re pressed pigments and come with an insert to keep everything in place. The glitter and shimmer is quite intense but pretty for holiday. I’m not sure I could wear them for everyday looks, but I found the color Topaz Flash to be the most conservative for my skin tone. Gleam Girl is a glistening champagne beige sparkle, Topaz Flash is a complex bronze taupe smoke, Copperazzi is a warm orangey copper sparkle. I did not have an easy time using a brush to apply these, for me fingers were the best option for control, less fallout and better color payoff. If you use a brush I’d recommend a dense synthetic one like the MAC 242S or something similar. Once on the eyes if you don’t touch them there’s no fall out and they stayed put all day. If you touch your eyes there will be some sparkle transfer.
By comparison the Natasha Denona Chroma Crystal Top Coats have a sheerer base and more conservative sparkle (and those are still intense!). The Hourglass Scattered Light shadows are more refined in sparkle with less chunky glitter. If you want shine and shimmer but no glitter the new Armani Eyes to Kill Stellar are beautiful sheerer options without glitter. I swatched them at the counter and want them all but have not caved to buy yet.
I can’t say one is better than the other in this case. My recommendation would be based on how much you like or dislike glitter. I think Topaz Flash is my favorite. Since it’s a little deeper it makes for a pretty smokey eye on my complexion.
Below a look with three pieces from the collection, also wearing:
- Armani Power Fabric Foundation in 6.5
- Marc Jacobs Finish-Line Perfecting Coconut Setting Powder * to set
- Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette *
- Marc Jacobs See-Quins Shadow in Topaz Flash all over lids
- Marc Jacobs Air Blush in Flesh and Fantasy * on cheeks
- Marc Jacobs O!Mega Glaze Luminizer in Gilty to highlight
- Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Gloss in Shine a Light on Lips
- brush shown is the Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Buffer Brush *
Overall pretty and glowing! In this world of highlighter overload Marc Jacobs has managed to launch one that I think is unique enough to justify owning even though I already have so many other options. Gold with any yellow tones can be hard for me to wear because I have yellow/olive undertones but Gilty has enough warmth with a shift in the shimmer to prevent it from being full on 24K yellow on my skin. I definitely wouldn’t call this a NEED simply because I have so many highlighters already, but I do really love it.
I really like the way Shine A Light looks on the lips. In the tube I was a little worries about the yellow-greenish flashes of shimmer but once on the lips I don’t see any green. It’s ultra smooth without any tacky feel. It does have a slight minty taste but no tingle (at least not on me). It has a transparent quality to it which allows your natural lip color to show through.
The See-Quins Glam Glitter Shadows are going to be hit or miss for many of you. They are very glitzy pressed pigments and they are intense. Definitely fun for the holiday season and I think the quality, color payoff and pigment are excellent. But if you’re more conservative makeup wearer I’d suggest trying in person before buying to be safe. I bought the most neutral options but there’s a really phenomenal purple color with some other shades you might want to check out. If you are conservative and want to go a little bolder with the eyes I still think the Pat McGrath Opulence Collection Palettes are the way to go. They have enough shimmer and glam to give you a bolder look but aren’t too crazy with the sparkle.
You can find the Marc Jacobs Beauty Holiday 2018 collection out now. Everything is limited-edition. I bought mine from Sephora and Neiman Marcus. Also available at Marc Jacobs Beauty.
Have you checked out the collection yet? What did you think? If not – what’s your favorite gold colored highlighter?
