Well before clean beauty, quiet luxury, and minimalism became fixtures of our daily vocabulary, there was Marc Jacobs Beauty. When it debuted in 2013, the line was celebrated for its sleek, black-and-white packaging and coconut-infused formulas,
I was a student at the time, and I would save up my money to buy Marc Jacobs’s luxe coconut-water primers, liquid highlighters, and acclaimed powder bronzer. This line offered excellent-quality products, and it was notably one of the few brands with shades to match and complement my medium-toned skin.
I was crushed when the line was abruptly discontinued in 2021.
Now, Marc Jacobs Beauty is back, yet it’s totally unrecognizable, with eyeshadows designed to look like inflated, star-shaped balloons and blush sticks topped with yellow daisies. (The packaging immediately divided our testers and beauty-team members — with feedback ranging from “ew” to “I need that.”)
When I first saw the new packaging, I didn’t love it, nor was I amused by the punny, innuendo-laden shade names, such as Heart On, Legally Bronze, and Kinky Business. But it’s what’s inside that counts, right? I was eager to spend my adult money scooping up long-lost favorites.
Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that the new Marc Jacobs Beauty line — which includes eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick, blush, bronzer, mascara, and a highlighter, with prices ranging from $26 to $42 — was unlike its polished predecessor in other ways, too.
In my testing, the entire line fell flat in terms of performance. The products are a ho-hum mishmash of so-so textures, finishes, and longevity. Makeup artist Devika Bhandari agreed, calling the line “mid” and saying it “leaves something to be desired.” I would not add a single item to my collection.
Where Marc Jacobs Beauty was once a miraculous find, it’s now lost in its aesthetics. And with so many terrific makeup brands out there — at considerably lower prices — there isn’t much to recommend in this line, aside from a whimsical entry point for the Marc Jacobs brand (if you don’t want to spend hundreds on the clothing or accessories).
Here’s everything we tried, our impressions, and some products we would buy instead.
The swivel-hinged Born Star Cream-to-Powder Long-Wear Eyeshadow comes in a rainbow of chrome shades, as well as in a few neutral brown and beiges. Marketed as a cream-to-powder shadow, it felt drier than expected, more like a supple suede, though it had decent longevity. But aside from the one rainbow-toned option I tried (marketed as duochrome, though I noticed a multi-chrome shift between many colors), this product lacked the rich pigment I’d expect from a nearly $30 single shadow. Also, due to the puffy packaging, it’s incredibly difficult to store; my four single shades took up more drawer space than a standard six-pan palette.
For those who love vibrant, shifting chrome shades, makeup artist Dhara Brahmbhatt suggests the $48 Danessa Myricks Beauty palette instead. She said she finds that this palette (at $8 per shade) delivers superior performance.
If you’ve got the cash and want a single eyeshadow, Wirecutter beauty writer Abbie Kozolchyk recommends Jones Road’s $26 The Best Eyeshadow. This line is featured in our guide to the best makeup for mature skin, and its 16 shades are more neutral, everyday options with a buildable pigment, buttery feel, and velvety finish.
In Marc Jacobs Beauty’s sea of loud packaging, its relatively simple Drawn This Way Long-Wear Waterproof Gel Eyeliner was a surprise. It comes in 10 metallic and 11 matte shades, and it was our favorite product overall from the launch. But $26 is a steep asking price considering that our eyeliner pick from About-Face costs $15, and it comes in a similar range of shades with intense, hard-to-smear color payoff.
Beauty writer Amanda Rosenthal is also a fan of the original Marc Jacobs line. And she noted that the new pencil’s pigment is just as intense as she remembered, though the current iteration is slightly creamier (a plus) but also more crumbly (a negative). Brahmbatt said that the product offers a nice balance of being smudgy enough to smoke out initially and then settling down to a long-lasting finish. Ultimately, while this eyeliner performs well, it isn’t unique enough to justify the price over existing favorites.
The Flashes Lash-Defining Volume Mascara started out promising. Its sturdy wand grips sparse lashes, and the product adds length and fullness for a slightly oomphier-than-natural everyday look. In fact, the brown shade briefly became a daily staple for me due to its soft finish and ability to stay put during a New York City heat wave. Like a lot of the products in the new line, however, this mascara is just a smidge too expensive for me to justify adding it to my day-to-day routine — especially since I achieved near-identical results using Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara (a longtime of mine and of Wirecutter that costs only $11).
The makeup artists were even less impressed with the Marc Jacobs mascara. “It’s a little disappointing,” Bhandari said after putting a few swipes on me. She said that while this product is fine for a no-makeup look, if you’re spending $30 on a prestige mascara, you generally want something with high impact and dramatic volume.
The new collection includes several nods to the famous daisy motif associated with the brand’s fragrances — most notably the lemony-hued, floral-embellished cap of the Joystick Buildable Cream Blush Stick. And though it’s giftable for diehard Marc Jacobs fans, the packaging reminded me of something I might find in my niece’s playroom.
I liked the blush’s satin finish, and the Shady Business color added a beautiful warmth to my medium skin tone. I also appreciated the consciously developed, inclusive shade range. But the formula felt heavy and thick, even on my dry skin; that feeling worsened as I built up the pigment, and it was uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time.
The original Marc Jacobs line included the first bronzer I’d found that truly complemented my skin’s undertones. And the new line’s Legally Bronze Talc-Free Blurring Powder Bronzer comes in a shade that’s just right for me (Medium), yet dozens of other brands now do as well — at a fraction of the $42 price tag. (The $16 Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer, in the shade called Bronzer, is a longtime favorite of mine.)
Plus, this new version lacks the signature luxurious coconut scent that I loved getting a hit of every time I opened up the compact. The finely milled powder feels soft and applies smoothly, but over the course of the day, it began to feel heavy and look greasy on my dry skin. Brahmbhatt noted that while the Marc Jacobs bronzer blends effortlessly, its pigmentation is quite low, so you have to use a lot of product to see results. For the price, it fails to offer anything really special.
Available in only one glittering, opalescent shade, the Money Shot Multi-Use Illuminating Gel Highlighter comes in an understated silver pot reminiscent of the 2013 aesthetic. And while I initially loved its lightweight gel texture (which melted into a fluid consistency upon application), it didn’t age well. After just three weeks of testing it, the product began to dry out, and the gel turned crumbly, resulting in a patchy, uneven application.
On the skin, it looked a little sci-fi and pixie-like, which is great for a costume party or festival but not necessarily for everyday wear. This highlighter is a multi-use product (you can put it on your cheeks, eyes, and lips). But I wouldn’t wear it daily, and it didn’t have lasting quality, so for me the $29 price tag was too steep.
The Heart On Long-Lasting Soft Shine Lipstick had a comfortably balm-like texture, and it hugged the lips nicely. But it had to be reapplied every few hours, which isn’t ideal considering its $34 price tag. Beauty editor Jennifer Sullivan, who also loved the original line, also tried the lipstick, and the new version failed to spark joy like the old ones did. “I feel like that price includes the collectible aspect of the product, and I’m not a collector like that,” she said.
The brown shades Kinky Business and Burning Desire appear to be rich nods to 1990s trends. Yet you can find similar shades in more-hydrating, longer-lasting lip balms for half the price. Namely, the Keys Soulcare Comforting Tinted Lip Balm comes in seven distinct shades (and a sheer one).
