Foundation Friday Over 50 | #16 | Marc Jacobs Re(Marc)able

In today’s Foundation Friday for Over 50 I’ll be putting Marc Jacobs Re(Marc)able Full Cover Foundation Concentrate* to the test to see how it performs on less-than-perfect mature skin. This is the most requested foundation recently so you know I had to run out and get it to try for you!

FF #16 Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs Re(Marc)able Full Cover Foundation Concentrate retails for $55 for .75 oz. and comes in 22 Shades

From the Marc Jacobs website:
“. . . 24-hour full, flawless coverage is yours in an instant with this ultra-lightweight foundation concentrate. This revolutionary oil-free formula contains twice as much pigment as a leading full-coverage foundation, but it is emulsified with groundbreaking ingredients so the smallest amount completely covers with dot-on perfection.”
 Marc Jacobs Bottle Blog
The foundation comes in a heavy weight frosted glass bottle with a wand dispenser. Apparently it’s so highly pigmented that a few dots from the wand is all you need.
Marc Jacobs Open Blog
This foundation is a silicone base (6 of the first 7 ingredients are silicones) with some flower waxes and a tiny bit of water and alcohol (18th & 19th respectively). It also contains “patented golden pigments” that are supposed to help it blend easier.
MJ Swatch Blog

Third time was a charm… finally settled on shade 34 Beige Medium

With 22 shades it should be easy to find a good match but the majority of colors are VERY golden/yellow because of the “patented golden pigments” that it took me 3 tries to find a shade I could wear (even using the Sephora Color Scanner).
MJ Swatch Rubbed In Blog
Based on the claims from the MJ website, we’re looking for full coverage, flawless, 24-hour wear, and easy blendablility. . . let’s see what happens:

Day 1

I didn’t like how this rubbed into my arm with the fingers so I applied it with a Real Techniques Expert Face brush on unprimed skin to start.

MJ B&A Day 1 Blog

It’s a very dry, stiff formula that doesn’t blend easily and a little goes a long way. The color was way off, I may have used too much, it looked awful.

Day 1 Close 3 Blog

The foundation clings to every hair, wrinkle, and pore, making my skin look much more textured than it is, every wrinkle and pore were accentuated. It looked thick and cakey yet mottled and weird!

Day 1 Close 2 Blog

I had a brunch to go to and I wasn’t wearing this out in public so I washed my face.

End of Day 1. . . an EPIC fail!

Day 2

Went back to Sephora for another color, it took 2 more tries to get a decent match. At Sephora they recommended the Marc Jacobs Perfecting Coconut Face Primer (for an additional $44) to make it blend more smoothly. Instead I used Smashbox PhotoFinish Primer Oil (a sample), even less of the foundation and the Real Techniques Brush again.

MJ B&A Day 2 Blog

Application and color were much better. It spread better and the color was a pretty good match. Sadly though it didn’t look any better than Day 1.

Day 2 Close Nose Blog

It clings to every piece of dry skin, hair, pore and wrinkle. Settles into pores and wrinkles. Sits on surface unevenly and visibly. Coverage is not great.

5 Hour Check-In:

Day 2 5 Hrs Blog

Why am I smiling?

OMG, help! This looks so bad, and what it going on on my nose??

Day 2 5 Hrs Close 1 Blog

I will definitely not be getting 24 hours of wear out of this, but why would I want that anyway? 

I want it OFF. Now. There will be no 10 hour check-in.

Day 3

In desperation I fell back to my tried & true method which is to use Laura Mercier Foundation Primer and apply with a Beauty Blender blending sponge.

Day 3 App Sponge Spots

VERY difficult to blend with sponge… it just dots around and doesn’t blend. Really have to spend a ridiculous amount of time working it to get it blended.

MJ B&A Day 3 Blog

Results are slightly better than the brush, but still not great.

Day 3 Close Pores Blog

Uneven coverage that’s sheer to medium. It’s so dry, stiff and hard to blend that it’s not really buildable. Settled into pores.

5 Hour Check-In

Day 3 5 Hours Blog

Better than yesterday so the Laura Mercier primer helped a bit. But, it’s starting to wear off on nose, and chin so I’m not expecting that 24 hour wear.

Day 3 5 Hrs Wear Close Blog

My forehead looks shiny but it feels drying around my chin.

10 Hour Check-In

Day 3 10 Hrs Blog

The wear is definitely better with the primer but it won’t make it 24 hours as promised. It hasn’t gotten any better with time.

Day 4

The consistency of this foundation reminds me so much of the Cover FX Custom Cover Drops that I decided to try mixing it with a primer and applying with fingers.

Day 4 App Smeary 2

No matter how I tried it, this foundation just is so dry and stiff that it’s very difficult to blend.

MJ B&A Day 4 Blog

I worked pretty well, giving the most skin-like finish but it was slightly smeary and a little uneven.

Day 4 Close Cheek Blog

It looked fine from a distance, but close up you can see that it still settled into pores, went on unevenly, and accentuates wrinkles.

5 Hour Check-In

DAy 4 5 Hrs Blog

A testament to the Smashbox PhotoFinish Light Primer that it still looks good at 5 hours… at least from a distance.

DAy 4 5 Hrs Nose Blog

10 Hour Check-In

Day 4 10 Hrs Blog

Overall Performance

Coverage: It did not provide full coverage with a few drops as promised. It provides medium coverage that’s difficult to apply with all methods. It’s so dry and hard to blend that building it up to full coverage was not possible. It is the most pigmented foundation I’ve ever used so it does cover tonal issues well, but blemishes and darker spots still need an additional concealer.

Finish: It has a matte finish that’s not flattering on older skin. It made my skin look more textured than usual and accentuated wrinkles and pores. It looks dry and cakey on most of my face yet became shiny and slid around in my T-zone later on. It looks okay from a conversational distance, but the dry matte finish makes it very unflattering up close.

Pores: It settles into pores giving the polka dot face and makes them look bigger and more visible!

Wrinkles: It settles into wrinkles and makes skin look older.

Wear: It didn’t come close to it’s 24-hour wear promise, lasting less than 5 hours. With primer it lasted longer but by 10 hours it was showing wear.

Feel: Face feel is light and dry. I wasn’t aware of it from a weight standpoint but it did feel drying to my skin. The hand feel is dry and powdery/velvety once it’s set.

Phone Test:

Phone Test

FAIL!

Flash Photography Test:

MJ Flash Photo Blog

IT PASSES!

The Verdict:

Marc Jacobs made a Re(Marc)ably bad foundation that’s not for mature skin. It made my dry skin look dryer, my oily skin look shinier, and my wrinkly skin look wrinklier! This was one of the most disappointing foundations I’ve tried to date. It didn’t live up to any of it’s claims, it’s expensive (although a tiny drop does go a long way), it’s hard to work with, it looks bad.

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FTC: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are always 100% honest and my own.

Links are affiliate links. If you click the link and buy something, I receive a commission for the sale. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and you are free to use the link or not as you choose. If you do use my links, I appreciate your support.

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