little white truths

You may have heard me say before that I really like Marsk products - in theory.

I like the packaging and the general look of the products; the formulas generally feel like they're high quality; and they apply and blend well.


In reality, however, the loose blushes, bronzers and eyeshadows I've tried from the brand (quite a few now) don't quite deliver. Perhaps because they're loose, there's significant fallout and these eyeshadows in particular end up everywhere - plus within a few minutes the colour's gone (probably because it's spread itself where you don't want it due to rubbing/oily eyelids, and it's also slipped off so it's now sitting below your eyes).

PLUS - and this is a big one for me - all Marsk colour items at the moment are sparkly. That's right, they all contain noticeable glitter chunks, and we know how I feel about noticeable glitter. That's all personal preference of course, but I think brands should offer a variety of different finishes, and this one doesn't - at least at present.


If you're wondering how I ended up with so many Marsk products (two bronzers, a blush and two eyeshadows - all loose), it was via Lust Have It. I certainly didn't keep buying the products and then complaining that they're glittery ; )

Marsk claims/product details:

• 100% natural, mineral based loose powder
• Strictly cruelty free (not tested on animals) 
• Available in a range of striking shades that offer endless colour possibilities for a professional makeup effect
• Creamy texture, highly pigmented 
• Easily blendable
• Offer you the ability to create depth and intensity around the eye
• Vanilla Frosting is described as ' glimmering white that will highlight the eyes and define the brows'
• Can be used wet or dry
• RRP $24.95 for 1.2g

There we are swatched on my wrist above. You can see the glitter. Also, this particular product isn't that pigmented (maybe in part because it's white), so I had to use quite a lot to get the effect happening on my eyes below.

Also, within minutes of taking the below photo, most of the product had transferred/slipped off and all that was left was a sheen (as in, there wasn't any white colouring left). You could of course try it with a primer, but I personally don't think you should have to rely on a primer to get at least a couple of hours' wear from a product: products should have some lasting power on their own.


Verdict

While this is a nice colour, it doesn't last well so you're not going to see the benefit from that. The product lasts better if you eg use it as a brow highlight, but since this is a dedicated eyeshadow I think it should give some lasting power on the eyelids.

On the lasting power, I should mention that I have puffy eyes, meaning that shadows do tend to transfer due to the rubbing that happens. But I have cheaper shadows that last much better than this one: this one's pretty bad in that sense.

As mentioned, I'm not a fan of the glitter but the formula itself looks and feels ok: it's finely milled and blendable, and it applies well.

What it doesn't do well is stay where you want it to: do expect product fallout, even more than you would from most loose powders, which have a tendency to move around.

I will use this to add some shimmer to eg my collarbones and shoulders in summer, but I have better products to use on my face.

I'm glad I own it because it looks nice on display with my other Marsk products, but I would be pretty disappointed if I had bought it. At $25 for a single shadow, I'd be expecting it to at least stay put for a while.

Have you used Marsk eyeshadows, and have you experienced the same issues that I have in terms of lasting power?