Marc Jacobs has come out with another $99 holiday palette, and although I think it's beautiful, I won't be buying.
Actually, scratch that. I think most of it is beautiful, or perhaps my eye is drawn to the shades I think are beautiful and I'm ignoring the rest. But upon first look, there are at least five shades in here that I would never use, which makes the high price tag hard to swallow.
So, this is something that I struggle with. I see colors I like and colors that will complement my skin, and I'm immediately drawn to it and start wanting it. The hype builds and builds, and somehow, the rest of my collection slips out of my mind and I think I can't do makeup without this one product.
But here's the thing. I know these colors will look good on my skin because I already have them. And at this point, I have tried nearly everything, so there really isn't ever going to be a collection of colors I haven't tried or owned.
Another really important factor to consider when buying a palette is how much use you'll get out of it as well as how much use you'll get out of each shade. I know that sounds obvious, but when the hype train in strong, I think we forget this a lot of the time.
Before I talk about that further, I want to share another picture of this palette as the PR photo of the palette (above) looks a little different than what it really looks like. This happens so often, and I find it really frustrating. It's only when PR samples are sent out or the palettes show up in stores that we can actually see the correct colors.
Photo: Temptalia
The above photo was featured on Temptalia's review. This picture looks quite a bit different from the press picture above. The colors (especially the rose ones) look much more muted.
There are still colors that I gravitate toward in this photo, but the pull is not as strong. And this was important for me in realizing why I didn't want to buy this palette. As I said, upon first look I thought there would be about five shadows I wouldn't really use (the third and fourth shades in the third row and the middle three shades on the bottom row), but in this more realistic photo, now I can see more.
I probably wouldn't use most of the top row because the shades are so light and wouldn't show up on my skin.
I wouldn't get much use out of the gold shade because it's much more yellow than I thought and wouldn't flatter my skin.
I wouldn't get much use the white and pink shades in the second row as they would be too light.
And I probably wouldn't use the purple shades in the third or fourth row since I prefer gold, bronzes, and mauves more.
So, in this $99 palette, I would probably get a good amount of use out of only six shadows. I like several of the other colors, but I wouldn't use them that much.
The color scheme of this palette is also a little confusing to me. It doesn't feel very cohesive and doesn't feel like the colors naturally go together. Apparently the colors work in rows, with each row creating a look. Personally, that's not my favorite way to put a palette together. I prefer when most of the shadows play well together instead of a layout like this.
I think this palette would also be a little redundant if you purchased the holiday palette from last year.
Photo: Temptalia
Though there are subtle differences, the two palettes have a very similar feel to me, and there are several tones repeated in both.
More than anything, I think this palette is just too expensive for what it is. Yes, it is a good value when you compare the prices of Marc Jacobs' other eyeshadow palettes, but it is still too expensive for a palette full of colors I already have and can find in cheaper--and good quality--palettes.
If you like the general color scheme of this palette, I would recommend getting the Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons palette instead. (And if you already have Bon Bons, I would recommend passing on the Marc Jacobs.)
The Chocolate Bon Bons palette has similar pink, purple, and dark brown tones while also being a more cohesive palette. At $49 this palette has 16 shadows, so only four less than the Marc Jacobs palette, for half the price.
The bottom line is that I don't love every single shadow in the Marc Jacobs palette, and for a palette that expensive, I would need to love close to every shade. And the shades that I do love I already have. It's a beautiful palette--packaging and all--but I don't need it. I have plenty of shadows I already love, and I won't be buying a palette I feel lukewarm about--hype or not.
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