little white truths

As you may know, I'm currently focusing on this eyeshadow palette as part of Project Dent, so I've been using it every day for the past week and I'm ready to review it.

Do note that while I think the quality is ok, this is my least-favourite of the Marc Jacobs septets I own - partly because I can't use it alone and always need to reach for another palette to complete a look. The main reason for this is that it's too cool-toned to look good on me without adding some warmth through the crease at least so the look isn't too flat.

If you're interested in seeing my reviews of the other palettes, they're here:

Marc Jacobs claims/product details:

• A long-wearing eyeshadow palette that features seven shades - including four fashion finishes: velvet, satin, silk and lamé - to layer and dress your eyes
• Empower your inner eye stylist with these ultra-luxe eyeshadow palettes 
• Beyond his fashion design, Marc Jacobs is also known as 'the ultimate stylist' for making last-minute adjustments to perfect every look right before it walks down the runway
• Each curated palette includes a covetable mix of chic neutral, wearable shades, and provocative pops in a new super-plush shadow formulation to cover lids in lasting, velvety-rich pigment
• Available in six different colourways; choose the wardrobe that speaks to you, then layer it on to make the ultimate impression
• RRP $66 AUD for 7 x 0.08g

There's the whole palette, direct sunlight:

Left side, direct sunlight:

Now for swatches.

Direct sunlight:

Fabulous! is a pale, shimmering pearl with slight peach undertones. It has a soft, smooth and creamy texture and it applies and blends well. The pigmentation is good but it's not opaque so don't expect full intensity from it. While I do like it as a shadow, I tend not to use cool-toned highlight shades like this (too frosty on me) so I'll often find myself reaching for a gold instead to warm up an eye look. Still, it's a nice shadow and it wears well.

Always is a pale pink matte with silver micro glitter. It's a little crumbly and dry to the touch and the pigment isn't good (I've seen a lot of people say that about this shade). I can build it so that it shows up as a lid colour but by then my lids are looking dry because I've used too much powder, and note that it darkens when applied so it's not true to colour. I also get a lot of glitter fall-out from this shade so I tend to steer clear of it. This is the dud of the palette, and it's the only complete dud I've come across so far in these Marc Jacobs septets.

Dress is a medium-dark purple that has grey undertones when applied. It's finely milled and silky, but it's harder in texture than the other Marc Jacobs shimmers I've used previously. Still, it applies and blends well and it's subdued enough that it's suitable for everyday wear, which I appreciate. I use this colour a lot on the lid because it's the most wearable shimmer in the palette, and it lasts well throughout the day.

Outrageously is a bright, medium purple with a matte finish. It's soft, smooth and silky to the touch, and I need to approach it gently to avoid kick-back. It has medium pigmentation and you have to build it to achieve this, which I personally don't mind because I always approach brights with caution anyway. Note that I have some trouble getting an even application from this (which isn't unusual for a purple matte, these being notoriously hard to formulate), so I either stick to applying it to the lid or otherwise add it through the crease over an almost-finished look, because by then there's more powder underneath it so it's more likely to blend better.

Indirect sunlight: 

  

How You Want is a dark purple with black undertones and a satin finish. The texture is smooth and silky but it's slightly on the dry side. It applies well to the lid but I can't for the life of me get this to blend through the crease: what happens is that I run it through the crease and then can't blend it out so I'm left with stripes where I've applied it. This hasn't happened to me before with anything besides a dark matte, so I was surprised when it didn't blend because satins and shimmers normally do. I tend to avoid this shadow for that reason. Still, the pigment is good and it lasts well.

Who Has Time is a medium grey with strong brown and purple undertones. It has a metallic finish and it's the softest, creamiest shadow in the palette (so it's more in line with the shadows in the other Marc Jacobs septets I own). It's almost a duochrome but not quite (there's a slight green shift to it), and I like this shadow more than I was expecting to when I saw it in the pan: there's something classy and elegant about it. It applies and blends well, and it has the best pigmentation of all the shadows in this palette. It makes a great lid shade for a night out but I can still wear it more softly for a day look without feeling overdone.

For Less is a medium, dove blue-grey with a matte finish. It has a beautifully soft, creamy and silky texture, and like Who Has Time, this shadow is more in line with the shadows in the other Marc Jacobs septets I own in terms of texture. It applies and blends well, and it's a great shadow to run through the crease and then fade out as a transition. I really enjoy this shadow but it's very cool-toned so it's not super flattering on my warm skin, and I always need to pair it with a warmer shadow from another palette to pull back the coolness of it. Still, it's a great shadow and I enjoy it.

In sum

While I do like this palette overall, it's my least-favourite of the five Marc Jacobs septets I own for a few reasons. 

First, the quality isn't quite as good as the other palettes (not unusual for purples). Second, it's so cool-toned that I can never use it alone and I need to reach for at least one warm shade (often two) so my eye looks don't clang with my colouring. Third, it's not as everyday appropriate as the other Marc Jacobs septets I own and while I've been denting it, I've often felt that my eyeshadow looks too strong for the kinder run.

Overall I don't dislike this palette but I wouldn't pick this particular one because it's not as good or easy to work with as the others. Indeed, I can see myself panning it alongside a warm palette in the future because it's not essential to my collection.

Nice but not perfect.