I wanted to talk about the Marcelle Minerals line, but rather than doing individual reviews (as I usually do,) I thought we’d do them all at once. So, as these reviews won’t be as in-depth, feel free to ask any questions you may have and I’ll answer them as soon as possible! I’m sorry. I tried to do this, and kind of failed — the reviews turned out to be pretty long, plus there are a ton of product photos and swatches, so this post is a little ridiculous in terms of length. But the offer for asking questions still stands, of course!
Just fyi, these photos were all kept inappropriately large, just so you could see the textures of these products on the skin! So feel free to click away and enlarge ’em.
Powder Makeup — Ivory
Light to medium coverage, as far as minerals go, and you can’t use it wet to get more coverage, due to the applicator. Plus, it’s sparkly as heck! I’m not Edward Cullen, nor do I wish to be, thank you very much. While I’m in support of a bit of a glow, the particle size of the shimmer used is just overkill. You don’t just “glow,” you GLOW. Aggressively.
In terms of wear; this did stay on all day… but it didn’t feel like my skin. It felt a little gritty, actually, and made my skin look dry (even after liberal spritzing with a setting spray.) Quite frankly, the effect it gives is more “superdehydrated and wrinkly” than “youthful and glowing” — not impressed.
And don’t even get me started on that brush. “Ultra-soft” my ass! I’m alright with a slightly scratchier brush for bronzers and blushers, but this goes all over my face, and it’s incredibly irritating. C+
Bronzing Powder — Brazil
Holy lustrous lemons! Use in moderation! This is pretty high-pigment, for a bronzer, and is it ever high-sheen! That said, though, Brazil is gorgeous (though too warm for my liking.) Make sure to use a light hand, and she’ll get you summer-ready lickity-split.
For some reason, the quality of the colour products seems to be higher than the quality of the powder make-up. While I think this is ridiculous, it’s a good thing if you’re interested in the blush or bronzers! Unlike their foundation counterpart, they feel quite light and natural. A
Powder Blush — Natural Glow
First off, I am not a fan of this colour! I have a feeling Pink Glow would have worked better with my skintone; this was too dark and warm, coming off as very ruddy, orange, and sunburnt. However, I can see it looking great on other skintones, so I’m not docking any points for that.
The formula of this blush gives a lovely “glow,” with finely-milled shimmer that creates a stunning lustre. If this product does well on the market and sticks around, I’d love to see new shades! There’s currently only two, and both are very… conservative. Additionally, the brush makes it a little hard to get an even application of powder for the first few uses, but this seems to get easier as a) you get used to the built-in brush, and b) the brush becomes saturated with product. With the shade not considered, I’d give this an A-
Overall, I liked the concept behind these — but I really feel like there’s a lot of room for improvement here.
The good
–Very portable packaging
–Impressive ingredient (and “free of”) lists! No talc, oil, perfumes, etc.
–Have you seen these photos?! I love the sleek look of the Marcelle Minerals line!
–None of the products, even the powder, “flash out” on camera
The bad
–With my sensitive skin, I really wanted the brushes to be softer. And if they can’t make all of them softer, then perhaps just for the powder brush?
–Unfortunately, these do contain bismuth oxycholride, a common irritant. If you’ve had a bad reaction to it in the past, avoid these too!
–Shake out too much and you’ll make quite the mess. Consider yourself warned!
