Anyone can expect to be ghosted these days, but from a beauty brand? Not so much. So when Marc Jacobs Beauty suddenly started disappearing earlier this year, it was confusing! Over the past few months, the range went on sale, then never rebounded. The sales got steeper, product offerings dwindled, and rumors started to swirl. Was Marc Jacobs Beauty… ghosting? In July Business of Fashion provided a little bit of an explanation.
All we know is this: Marc Jacobs Beauty was the result of a licensing agreement between Marc Jacobs and Kendo, the massive brand incubator behind Fenty, Ole Henriksen, and Bite. According to a spokesperson from Marc Jacobs, the agreement was set to expire in 2021, which makes the future of the beauty line a big ol’ question mark. If the brand owns their product formulas, all will be fine. They might also renew. But there’s also the possibility that they don’t renew with Kendo or anyone else, or choose to reformulate, or just disappear forever.
Brands and products shut down all the time! It shouldn’t feel dramatic, but it does. Because doesn’t Marc Jacobs Beauty feel special? ITG’s nearly decade-long relationship started when it launched in 2013. We were backstage at its debut fashion show, where lead MUA Diane Kendal doled out vampy lips, smudgy kohl, and shiny lid lacquer. It’s been mentioned in countless Top Shelf interviews (Olivia Wilde, Lily Aldridge, Ali Wong, Laura Dern—shall we go on?) and!!! It even won a Top 25. Is nothing safe? Smart shoppers have already stocked up.
First priority: Accomplice concealer. It’s perfect for precision application, and just as good at creaselessly brightening undereyes as it is camouflaging zits (without making them shiny and obvious). It was a Top 25 award winner in 2019, and was also featured in our Monthly Favorites column twice because its creamy, dreamy stick formula is half the price of Cle de Peau’s version. But now, its future hangs in the balance! Bad news for pale folks: the lighter shades seem to be sold out everywhere. But if your skin tone is medium to deep, go buy a lotto ticket on your way to Sephora: there’s still product available here and at Harvey Nichols. It’s discounted 50-percent at both stores, but Harvey Nichols shipping will cost you.
While you’re there, how about some bronzer? There’s this one, which is almost translucent but adds a hint of blurring warmth—exactly what you need in the wintertime. The classic O!Mega bronzer is buttery and gigantic. (It even smells like a tropical vacation.) The highlighter is equally big, equally great, and a champagne-y gold pearl that’s flattering across the board.
And although the mascaras (so fluffy! so inky!) seem to have gone the way of film cameras and Altoids sours, you still have the chance to snag some liner. If you prefer a pencil, the Marc Jacobs site has this really pretty seaglass green, and Harvey Nichols still has lavender and marigold. (It’s the kind Shayna Goldberg used in this summer makeup shoot, a favorite from our archive.) And if liquid’s more your thing, find that in metallic at Sephora.
Want in on any of it? You’ll have to move fast. It could all sell out at any minute, and once it does, there’s no guarantee it’ll be back.