Several Irish beauty travesties need to be righted. No, not the inelegance with which many of us tan our knuckles. I’m thinking of the frequency with which big brands forget us. When, oh when, will we get a Sephora, for example? The good news is that we no longer have to wait until we’re in the US or UK to get our hands on the chicly packaged, daringly coloured Marc Jacobs Beauty range, as it’s now available at Harvey Nichols, in Dundrum in Dublin.
Smooth, soft primers and foundation; buttery, intensely pigmented gel-texture eye liner pencils; eye shadows so finely milled they almost feel liquid: few brands have such mastery of texture. It also offers a lovely variation from the most wearable, pared-back nude products and sheer finishes, to deep, powerful metallic finishes and intense colour.
There's also its Shameless Foundation, which is dewy but lasting and buildable, for a flawless base in a diverse range of shades. The limited-edition Leopard Frost collection, packaged in leopard print. Before seeing them I was not keen: frost always reminds me of those bluish 1990s lipsticks that deadened the face and yellowed the teeth. But Jacobs has reinvented frost to embellish rather than drain. Check out the Leopard Frost Eye-conic Longwear eyeshadow palette (€46.50) and Leopard Frost lipsticks (€29.50).
If you would rather dip into the regular range, here are a few of its hero products.
Dew Drops gel highlighter (€39) is noted for its sumptuous glossiness.
Re(cover) Coconut setting spray (€35.50) smells divine and allows you to set just-finished make-up or revamp make-up at the end of the day.
Le Marc lip crème (€29.50) is a lipstick whose creamy softness is a pleasure to apply and wear. The range is particularly good for nude shades.
The long, slender packaging of the Eye-conic Longwear eyeshadow palette (€46.50) is as appealing as the powders within. Choose from a variety of tones and finishes. There are plenty of fun colour options, but I will usually choose a muted palette, for maximum wear.
