When I was invited to attend the press launch of the Victoria Jackson cosmetics brand in Malaysia a couple of months back, I must confess to not knowing what on earth it was. I’d never come across it before that, but I was game to see what it might offer.
Victoria Jackson cosmetics, according to the press info, is a brand by er… one Victoria Jackson who is supposed to be a Hollywood Makeup Artist. I’m as clueless about Hollywood makeup artists as I am about Hollywood so I’ll take it at face value. What I’ll do here, is tell you what I and a reader thinks of 2 products from the line that we got our hands on 🙂
Victoria Jackson Survival Kit Vol. 3
The Victoria Jackson Survival Kit is one of their top sellers. You get 5 lip colours, 10 eye colors, 1 lip pencil, 1 eyeliner, 1 mascara, 1 sharpener, 2 blushes, 2 mirrors and a set of brushes in a nifty kit that is about the size of a Blackberry mobile phone but thicker. Its a bit bulky to carry around in your handbag, but it takes up less space than if you were to carry each product separately. My thoughts on this kit is below.
First, ditch the brushes. They don’t do jack. Secondly, the eyeshadows aren’t too bad. There are 10 rather safe shades that are medium pigmented. They aren’t wonderfully silky or fine milled, and the shades tend towards the warm end of the spectrum, but they aren’t horrid either.You get some decent pigmentation with these as the swatches show, swatched just once, but the colours aren’t very special. The palette colours reminds me a little of the Stila Precious Pearl palette but the quality of the Stila palette is much better.
The lip colours are average. I am fussy about lipstick and I found these heavy and waxy with a slight waxy smell I disliked. You need a lip brush but the colour picks up easily and applies quite easily too.
The mascara is also just average. Something you’d use in a pinch but not something you’d buy the whole kit for. The eyeliner was hard so I disliked that, and the lip pencil was brown. Something I found strange.
You get 2 blushes in this kit – an orange/coral and a pink, both of which are warm toned. They are matte and quite pigmented and I found the orange/coral too warm for my skin tone. The pink was alright for me. The colours aren’t special but they should suit most at a pinch.
And here’s a simple look I did using this kit. There’s nothing dramatic in there, just a simple basic look which is what I think this kit works best for. As a whole, I think the kit average in quality. It might attract those who want a lot in one package, to get the best bang for your buck. If you are picky about the quality of eyeshadows and lipsticks, or dislike palettes like these, you won’t like it. However, if you want to play around with a bit of makeup or experiment with colors then you could take a look at this one. Its not great, but its not 100% crap either.
Pros: Handy kit, Eyeshadows and blushes are decently pigmented
Cons: Lip colours smell and feel waxy, Lip pencil is brown, Eye pencil was too hard and tugged at skin, Brushes are crap
The Survival Kit retails at RM189 or RM150 for members.
Victoria Jackson Lip Addiction Lip Gloss – Reader Review
I sent reader Ant this kit for her to try. The swatches above are hers and here’s what she has to say about them.
“From the swatches on my hand, the second from the right (more like a dark beige pink) is sort of like a lip stain. Can’t be thoroughly removed by wiping it off with tissue. Needs to be cleansed with cleansing oil though.
The 3 colours from the right are shimmer lip glosses. I like the 1st on the left (peach pink methinks), not shimmery at all. Strange that the packaging does not state the colour of the lip gloss.
The shimmer ones are alright but the peach pink I like has some kind of waxy feeling. All of these glosses have the same scent, not very strong. Can still be endured ^_^ ”
The Lip Addiction Lip gloss kit retails at RM79 (members) and you get a pouch with 4 tubs of glosses and a lip brush.
If you look online, there are a lot of disgruntled people who complain about the brand and the pushy sales people, because like here, the products aren’t being sold in stores or counters, but via direct sales so there is that element of pushiness. As I have not experienced this pushy sales tactic personally, I’m not about to comment on it here but I personally abhor it so if I were to experience it, it would probably colour my perception of the brand too.
I’m told that here in Malaysia, the products will be sold by way of roadshows at malls, offices and at selected beauty stores. You could check on their Facebook page for upcoming locations where the brand will be available soon as I’m told it’ll start being marketed in February 2011.
Have you come across this brand before this? I’m told its doing relatively well in our Northern neighbour, Thailand. I feel that its rather pricey for what you get though, but then I’m rather a self-confessed makeup snob and I’ve worked out what I like and dislike by now. I’m wondering what you think about it if you’ve tried it though 🙂
Paris B
Victoria Jackson Survival Kit retails at RM189 (non-members) and RM150 (members) and the Lip Addiction Lip Gloss set retails at RM79 (members). Victoria Jackson Cosmetics in Malaysia will be available via roadshows at shopping malls and offices and at selected beauty stores. Details on their facebook page.
definitely not something i would be very keen on purchasing, with rm150, can buy the book of shadow!
True! Loads of colours there!
RM 150 is roughly the price of me Tarte the Jewelry Box palette, and its HUMONGOUS!!! ^.^ true, its more portable, but what the heck, ima stickin’ with my baby!! ^.^
But then again, I’d have to see it in real life to believe it ahahahaha. ^.^
I do wish we had Tarte here. I have one of their palettes and I really like it, even if the texture feels a little soft. Been meaning to write a review but its a discontinued palette so I’m not sure if I want to. In terms of texture their eyeshadows are great.
I’ve seen this brand at shopping malls here in Melbourne, but they never looked attractive enough for me to venture into. Hehe…But at RM150, I’d say it’s pretty expensive for an unknown brand.
Have you experienced any pushy sales people from this brand? I keep reading about it. I think its got a lower price point overseas compared to here. Something like US$30 vs RM150 is quite a big difference, if you do a dollar-dollar comparison.
i dont like gimmicky stuff, like you (as in, u dont like them either, not meaning you are a gimmicky thing) so i def wont like this. i cant stand all in one colors cos they are never what i want.
what i DO want tho, is to ask u whether u’ve ever tried SKII miracle whatever and whether it works for you, because i am really desperate for a good serum!!
Whew! I thought you didn’t like me 😛 I’ve tired SKII (nearly) everything when they first come in many years ago. It worked initially. Skin felt soft, but after 2-3 replacements of each of the skincare items, I started breaking out and I never went back.
Too pricey compared to palettes from more “renown” brands. I’m not a fan of lip palettes, stubby liners or brushes. Urban Decay palettes seem more worthwhile for the quality and size of the products.
I do tend to agree. I’m not a fan of lip palettes or brushes in palettes either.
Wow Paris! This review looks familiar LOL 😀
I thought only their lip glosses feel waxy, lip colours as well? boo..
RM79 (member’s price?) Wow, this is quite pricey though
Anyways, thanks again for giving me the opportunity to try out the glosses 😀 *muacks*
teehee… thanks for helping out! You did a great job 🙂
Meh, am not impressed with it. RM150 is pretty pricey for something that does not deliver well too.
Yeah – perhaps this wasn’t my best introduction to the brand 😉
Too bad the palette isn’t that good – because it surely seems handy to carry around in your bag! What a rip-off for a so-so palette! Lousy mascara, hard pencils… but I rather liked the eyeshadow colour selection from the last row. Now, about the lipsticks, I really couldn’t care less about them. I’ve got an intense dislike for lipsticks that don’t come in a stick form. I guess it’s because I’ve never found one that was worth it.
I’ve got three palettes, one by NYX, another by Lancome and the other by Urban Decay. The one I use the most is Lancome’s: classic eyeshadow colours, a good blush and hey – I even use the pan lipsticks!^^ Can’t beat the quality.
Sadly I felt disappointed it wasn’t as nice as I hoped it would be too. I don’t usually do mixed palettes. I prefer everything kept separately and like you, I much prefer my lipstick in tubes! 😀
I recently purchased the lip addiction kit for RM 65. I was given a free membership card and was informed that I could get a 50% discount on all products during my birthday. Ever since I purchased the glosses, I haven’t gone a day without using them! They look super natural on my lips but at the same time, make my lips fuller and vibrant. Many have complimented me on my lips and it has definitely changed the way I look. My mom, who is 57, also uses the gloss as it brightens her face and gives her a classy look. I would definitely recommend this kit to anyone.
Yes, I agree with u Uma. I just try it from the their booth, and even I wash it, the color fade away but I still can feel the collegen in my lips. And when I woke up in the morning, my lip look vibrant and so healthy.
Yeah, I bought the lip addiction too…. the colour are nice and beautiful. And i t makes my lips soft and supple. And I have the compact kit as well… I like their colours including the eye shadows… they are so natural looking and I can wear it to office without feeling I am putting too much make up on…I like the foundation (duo) the most. It is not sticky and making my skin look so natural. I use the darker shade for contouring as well…U should try its aqua cleanser (can be used as make-up remover). It is not oily at all. SO I just have to bring aqua cleanser whenever I am travelling. So far, thumbs up for VJ!
hi,saya beli product VJ dari satu booth di Kuching, Sarawak. Masalahnya sekarang saya rasa tertipu bila saya dapat tahu product yang saya beli tiada tag nama \’Victoria Jackson\’ dan product tersebut \’made in china\’. apa yang perlu saya buat. adakah perlu saya buat laporan dengan tribunal pengguna.