Marc Jacobs Beauty alternatives

Earlier this week I posted about the eyeshadows from the new Marc Jacobs makeup line (read it here). I went to have another look at the collection at Sephora and it seems like the entire line is a big bunch of higher-cost dupes.

The foundation ($48), which is a "gel formula," is really fluid and has a weightless feel. It's not too matte, so it can give you a natural finish. However, the texture and coverage seems very similar to those of Urban Decay Naked Skin, Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation, and NARS Sheer Glow, all of which are less expensive. So if you already own one of those, maybe take a look at them again before purchasing this one.

I didn't get a picture of the brow gel, but it's pretty standard; a mascara-type wand in a clear gel. But why would anyone ever have to pay $24 for clear brow gel? Get the Maybelline Great Lash mascara; they have a clear formula that works great for brows.

The lip balm ($24) is just like the Fresh Sugar lip balm, except the one from Fresh is a dollar cheaper and comes in a lot of colors--which is nice if you want color when you wear a lip balm this thick, because any lip color that you apply over it will slide right off.

Each of the nail polishes is $18, which is ridiculous. Try Essie; there are a lot of similar colors, and for the price of one Marc Jacobs nail polish you can get two or more Essie ones, depending on where you buy it. The Marc Jacobs claims to have the strength and shine of 30 coats, to which I say, so what? There are so many factors in determining how long your nail polish lasts, like if you're scratching, typing, or doing dishes--the best you can do is get a really good top coat. Try Seche Vite top coat.

Top: Marc Jacobs
Bottom: Stila Stay All Day eyeliner

The eyeliner ($30) is a really typical felt tip pen style; Stila's Stay All Day eyeliner is even more pigmented, and lasts better too. For a drugstore option, Revlon's Colorstay felt tip eyeliner performs very much the same as the one from Stila.

The brushes in this line are very expensive--and also strangely designated. The one in the picture is supposed to be the foundation brush ($48), but why would you use such a fluffy brush for your foundation? A foundation brush needs to be more densely packed with shorter bristles for even, precise, and controlled application. Also, the bronzer brush is way too big for contouring, so it's more like an extra-large powder brush. Try Real Techniques brushes instead; they're so much cheaper (under $10 each), and is actually made by a makeup artist who knows something about brushes.

Bottom line: Marc Jacobs is a fashion designer, not a makeup artist. There's already a lot of great makeup out there, and I feel like they just made a bunch of dupes with really expensive packaging. I'm sure if I explored the counter a little longer I would've found even more dupes, because I found alternatives for half of the products. My experience with the Marc Jacobs makeup has made me applaud their marketing department for hyping up this collection as much as it has. See the entire Marc Jacobs Beauty line here.