When I was switching to a cruelty free beauty routine, I was shocked that Marc Jacobs Beauty is cruelty free. I don’t know why, but it was easy to assume that all of the big beauty brands are tested on animals.
I’ve noticed some confusion online about whether or not Marc Jacobs Beauty is, in fact, cruelty free since the perfumes are not. Marc Jacobs Beauty is cruelty free and owned by Kendo, which is a huge corporation that owns a lot of cruelty free brands. The Marc Jacobs perfumes are owned by Coty, which is not a cruelty free company. I was so happy to know that I can still splurge on my favorite MJ. A lot of my favorite makeup products come from the brand.
Since I did splurge last week on aMarc Jacobs mascara, it’s the perfect time to share my review. For review purposes, my lashes are black, straight, and short. They will not hold a curl all day. They are not voluminous by any definition of the word. I look for mascaras that will volumize, define, and lift my lashes. I’ve been using the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara and love it!
The Marc Jacobs Mascara claims to be ultra-volumizing. It gives the look of false lashes without the fuss of applying falsies. The brush is curved and made out of traditional bristles (vs. rubber bristles). It claims to volumize the hard-to-reach lash line. The tip of the wand is designed to add even more drama. It comes in the color Blacquer, which is the darkest, shiniest black. It instantly volumizes and does not smudge.
This Marc Jacobs mascara is formulated without parabens, sulfates, and phthalates. It is not vegan.
In my experience, this Marc Jacobs mascara does nearly everything it claims. I do get instant volume. One swipe on my lashes, and I’m good to go. Of course, I do love a lot of volume. Typically, I do three coats for maximum volume. It actually volumizes the roots of my lashes, which adds a lot of drama. The formula is not wet or dry, it’s somewhere in between and leans towards wet.
The brush separates and defines my lashes. I don’t think the defined tip is all it’s cracked up to be. All I’ve noticed it does is clump the mascara on my inner lashes. To avoid clumping, I clean off the excess mascara before applying it on my lashes.
This Marc Jacobs mascara definitely lives up to the no-smudging claims. This literally never smudges on me. In the pictures above, I had been wearing it for 8 hours. In fact, I was also wearing Marc Jacobs Beauty eyeliner. As you can see, it all stay put.
Let’s talk about the packaging for a moment. I know packaging is the point of the product, but it is worth mentioning. The shape of this Marc Jacobs mascara makes it really awkward to hold. I have yet to drop the wand while I’m applying the mascara, but I can easily imagine it happening at some point. The packaging is high end and gorgeous, but it’s not practical. The angles make it uncomfortable to hold. Although, it does look beautiful on my dressing table.
The price of this Marc Jacobs mascara is also a point that I need to address. The full size is $26 and the mini is $14. The VIB sale (which is still going on right now) is the best time to purchase. Even with 20% off, this mascara is still $20. Given that drugstore mascaras keep climbing in price (some are at $13), I don’t mind splurging on this. In fact, one of my Pacifica mascaras is $17. That’s without a sale or discount. Of course, it makes sense to wait until a sale to purchase any Marc Jacobs product. And I will gladly splurge on this any chance I get.
Have you ever tried this Marc Jacobs mascara? Do you think it’s worth the price?
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Rebecca has been writing about style, beauty, and lifestyle topics since 2011. Thank you so much for reading this post! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. I love hearing from you!
