Marissa Carter has already made a name in the beauty world with her collection of Cocoa Brown Fake Tan, but now the brand has expanded to include a full make-up range including foundation, mascara and eyeshadow palettes. STYLEetc. got a preview of the collection to try out for ourselves to see how it stacked up.
Full Measure HD Foundation
The packaging of the Full Measure foundation is both minimalist and pretty, set in a sturdy glass bottle with a lilac plastic pump and lid. The lid was a little flimsy when opening so you need to be careful when opening not to spill any.
The pump worked well to distribute an adequate amount of product, we tested this on the hand first to see how it blended out.
The colour was a little darker than our tester’s natural shade, but this was wanted as the tester regularly wears tan. What was impressive was the thickness of the formula, for a lower end price point you do get full coverage. The foundation feels creamy and thick, a good quality when stacked up against competitors. This foundation costs around €9.95 (about £8.62) so is very affordable and good value. As the formula is thick you don’t need to use as more per application which allows it to last a bit further.
Warm Velvet Eyeshadow Palette
The palette was the item we were most eager to try at €14.95 (around £13.00). Each palette comes with 18 shades, which we were more than happy about. Most of the palettes onsite currently stick to a summer theme, offering warm and neutral shades that are ideal for creating a summer glow.
In the Warm Velvet palette, each shade is named with an affluent theme. Names like ‘Excess’, ‘Regal’ and ‘lavish’ set the tone for how this palette is received.
When swatched, the hues stand out against a lighter skin tone. The tans and nudes will provide a more natural base for darker skin tones and this will allow the golds and reds to be the accenting colours. In the metallics, the pigment was impressive for the the price. The glittery golds needed little product to achieve a standout look. For the matte shades, the pigment was definitely there. It did at times come out a little bit sheer on the orange hues but this layered well to build up a stronger effect.
After Dark Mascara
The After Dark mascara was the final product to try. This was cheap at €7.95 (around £7.00). The packaging matched the rest of the collection, opting for the brands signature lilac and pastel pinks to create a cute aesthetic. The tube was light and easy to screw off to reveal the mascara wand, with the wand itself taking a basic shade with just a slight curve to it for application.
This was labelled as ‘volumising mascara’ and we would say it wasn’t the most voluminous on lashes.
The colour was strong and it provided a nice, jet black hue to the lashes, but it didn’t quite boost them in volume. What we did like was the way the wand and product applied, the liquid formula was light and didn’t clump and the wand kept lashes separate. It left a natural looking result, this was perfect for matching with a daytime holiday make-up look. For a night out you may want to double this with a different wand to get bigger lashes.
Overall, we would say Carter Beauty is definitely worth a try for the price of it’s products. The make-up had good last and is well made and packaged nicely. If you like a natural look this is a good brand to go for and we are looking forward to see what the brand does next.
