For a longlasting, intense lipstick, Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme is Je T’aime

Does anyone talk about Marc Jacobs beauty anymore? I hardly see anyone talk about it these days, unlike when it was first released. Must be the new kid on the block effect. I haven’t been blown away by anything from the brand thus far, but I was recently urged to take a look at the Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme range of lipstick.

So, during the last Sephora 20% off sale, this was my sole purchase.

What better time right? :D

The Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme lipsticks are a range of creamy, pigmented lipstick that are supposed to give you longlasting colour and moisture. They come in sleek black packaging, with a tight magnetic cover. There is a silver ‘button’ in the design which I realised belatedly after I put up the picture above, that it was missing because it was turned the other way. Oops! :P

But that’s not what you’re interested in right? What you really want to know is whether this might be the start of Part 2 of Creamy Lipsticks To Splurge On? :)

Before I get into texture, I must say I had the devil of a time trying to pick a colour. I was limited to what was available at the MJ Beauty counter at Sephora, and it was, for want of a better word, abysmal. I felt that the shades available in the Le Marc Lip Creme collection were either very dull or too deep/nude. There was no in between for some reason. Reds that I usually gravitate to were not inspiring, and other shades were blah.

After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, I eventually settled on 238 Je T’aime as being the best of the lot. Honestly, it too was uninspiring, and an imminently easy colour to dupe.

238 Je T’aime is a neutral raspberry-rose-red that I picked because it is a very safe shade that you can wear daily without fear of criticism. It has a fairly neutral base, and pulls a raspberry-rose shade that is really very flattering. If a little bland.

I grew to like the colour, because on me, Je T’aime is a shade I’d wear often for any occasion. You can wear this in the day without looking overdressed, and in the evenings, if you aren’t too much a fan of going all out red. It brightens the skintone and is really a good shade to pick if you want a workhorse colour.

It looks a little more coral in my swatch above, but if you scroll a little further below and see how it looks when I wear it, that’s a better approximation of the shade.

The tube has a fairly shallow slant without being pointy nor flat. So, what you really get is a lipstick with a rounded tip and that actually means you lack precision. So often, I find myself going out of line when swiping this lipstick on, simply because I don’t get the ‘edge’ right. I prefer my lipsticks to have that little more precision to the bullet, because it helps me get a more precise lip – important when working with bold colours.

But what about texture?

From the swatch, you may notice how it looks a little dry. It is creamy, but dry. Not as dry nor drying as the NARS Audacious lipsticks, but they go on me semi-matte. When I wear these, I get no hint of shine at all on my lips. However, online swatches all show the Le Marc Lip Cremes showing a bit of shine. I’m not sure where their shine is coming from, but for me, this goes on just like a NARS Audacious lip colour – semi-matte with intense colour.

And that’s what this Le Marc Lip Cremes have going for them – beautiful intensity of colour… if you can find a shade you like. Much to my surprise, despite the semi-matte texture, I found that these weren’t drying at all when worn. There is no strong scent, and it glides on lips very smoothly, leaving in its wake a beautiful, intense, creamy colour that is opaque in 1 swipe. You don’t even need to double back… unless you screw up your lip line as I often do. Darn these blunt lipsticks!

The other thing I love is how longlasting they are. Now, I don’t go all out to find longlasting lipsticks. I don’t really care, but this one surprised me at how well it stays put, and importantly, fades when I wear it. Even after greasy lunches, I get a fairly even fade-off colour, that doesn’t leave me looking like a misplaced clown. It doesn’t dry on lips to a kiss-proof transfer, but even when it does transfer (onto glasses, not lips) whatever remains still looks pretty good. So that impresses me.

When I wear this lipstick, here’s how it looks. Note that I don’t get a shine the way others do, but just LOOK at that intensity of colour!

This is with just 1 swipe of the bullet straight on my lips. It’s smooth, doesn’t dry out my lips, isn’t particularly moisturising, but incredibly long lasting even after drinking and eating.

But does it make it to my list of creamy lipsticks worth splurging on?

I’m going to say no. I’m glad I picked one up to try, and at a 20% discount, it was worth trying. But for me, one is enough. I can’t fosee myself picking up anymore and that is more to do with the shade selection than the texture. So, wait for the next Sephora sale before you splurge ;)

IN A NUTSHELL

The Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme lipsticks are semi-matte, creamy lipsticks that have a beautiful intensity of colour that is opaque in one swipe. It applies very smoothly, and is very long lasting on lips without being drying. However, I find that the blunt bullet doesn’t offer a precise lip line, and I find the shade selection uninspiring. That said, I like the shade I picked 238 Je T’aime, and if you’re in the market for something that wears comfortably and lasts and lasts… and lasts. Take a look at these, preferably when they go on sale.

PROS: Strong and intense colour goes on opaque in 1 swipe of the bullet, Lightweight, Long lasting, Not drying, No discernible scent, Sleek packaging

CONS: Uninspiring shade selection, Lipstick bullet is too blunt so it doesn’t offer a good precise line to the lips, Pricey so get them on sale

WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Anyone who likes semi-matte textured lipsticks, Anyone who wants an intense coloured, non drying, longlasting lipstick

PRICE: RM110 | US$30

AVAILABILITY: Sephora stores online

Do you own any MJ Le Marc Lip Cremes? Do you have a favourite colour?

I’ve been wearing these a lot, which belie my rather wishy-washy review of them. They are pretty decent lipsticks, just not really that spectacular. That said, for something longlasting, you really could do worse. Most of them dry out your lips to a husk. These don’t and for that, they are worth taking a look at … if you find a colour you like, and it’s on sale ;)

Paris B