Maison Jacynthe Makeup Launch

~ stashy

I’m sure you’ve heard of this brand by now since it’s making the rounds on all the Canadian beauty blogs! 😉 I won’t bore you too much with the mythos of Maison Jacynthe (yes, there’s a real person behind the brand, Jacynthe René) as it’s been written about countless times recently – let’s just get into the products since that’s what I’m here for.  In September, I was contacted to select some products to try out – here’s what I chose:
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• Eye shadow refill pan in 11 Macchiato
• Blush refill pan in 01 Romeo
• Large Compact

Rather than choosing only makeup items, I decided to pick the refillable compact because, you know that I don’t need any more makeup! 😛

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While the brand has a presence in its native province of Quebec, it hasn’t expanded much into English-speaking Canada yet – its promotional material and products were all only in French.
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But that will soon all change because Maison Jacynthe is in the process of adding English to all of its content – the website has already been updated (although not 100% of the French content is reflected yet – you’re still better off translating the French site into English using the web browser translator). Promotional material and packaging will soon have English as well.  Part of me thinks though, something is lost when I see the French translated to English:

Maquillage becomes Makeup
Fard à paupières becomes Eye shadow
Crayon yeux noir becomes Black eyeliner

Just loses that je ne sais quoi? 😉

The items I received came packaged very securely with a nice touch:
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The refill pans are packaged like how MAC packages theirs – simple flat inserts, very minimal waste.
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I’ve been testing these items for the past few weeks and here are my thoughts:

Eye shadow in 11 Macchiato (C$22 for 3g)

The formula claims to be soft, high pigment and long wearing – and 91 to 100% of its ingredients are organic (depending on the shade). The eye shadow range is well developed – there are currently 15 shades and I was quite stumped as to what colour to choose to avoid dupes of what I own. I wanted to stay away from the usual suspects: taupes or nudey type shades. Maison Jacynthe offers a lot of neutrals – which would YOU have chosen?

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Someone had to break each of those eye shadows for the photos. *quelle horreur* 😮
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It’s not the most conventionally “pretty” shade but it’s great as a liner and smoking out an eye look.

I almost chose one of the purples but I felt Macchiato is different enough from all the neutrals I own.
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I would describe it as a matte dark sage grey. It blends fine for a matte finish – it’s a tad on the dry side.  It does wear well as claimed – at around the 8 hour mark I see fading / creasing. I would compare the formula to that of the mattes from the Tarte Tartelette Tease palette. Also, I should point out that this pan contains a whopping 3 grams of product which is more than that of most single eye shadow refill pans on the market (MAC is 1.3g, MUFE is 2.5g, Inglot is 2.7g).
I rate this 7/10

One suggestion I’d make is to indicate beside each shade on the website which ones are matte, and which are satin finishes. It’s not apparent from the photos, and the website only states that there are 5 matte and 10 satin finishes.

Blush in 01 Romeo (C$26 for 8g)

The claims for the blush is similar to the eye shadow, except the percentage of organic ingredients is 93% to 95%. It is formulated with coffee extracts, corn, macadamia and apricot oils to brighten and hydrate the skin.
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This is a warm rust shade that is highly pigmented – almost too much for a blush. I busted out my MAC 137 Long Blending Brush to tackle this challenge – it does blend out decently. The effect on the cheeks is a “just-in-from-the-cold” type of flush.
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The formula is quite long lasting – I noted fading around the edges at around the 7 hour mark but the core colour lasts a full day.
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My biggest issue with this blush is, unfortunately, superficial.  It is scented with something herbal – it smells like camphor or eucalyptus. When it comes to makeup, I much prefer either soft sweet or floral scents, or no scent at all. It’s a personal preference.  Despite the lovely formula, I have to ding this for the smell.
I rate this 7/10

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I don’t feel the colour of Romeo is accurate on the site – I thought I was choosing a bright coral pink but instead it is a rust shade.

Currently there are only 2 shades of blushes available (both are matte, the other shade is called Juliette – a light pink). Since blushes are my passion, I’d love to see the blush selection expand to include a dusty rose and a peach shade, at the very least. 😀

Large Compact (C$29)
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I’m so pleased to have chosen this to house the refill pans. This item is well-made and quite chic looking. The mixture of the real wood base and the brushed aluminum makes it look quite modern. There is a nice weight and quality to the materials used – it really stands out against the sea of black plastic compacts I own.
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The Large Compact can hold:
• 4 eye shadows OR
• 1 compact powder + 1 blush OR
• 1 compact powder / 1 blush + 2 eye shadows OR
• 1 terracotta (bronzer / highlighter)

Maison Jacynthe also carries a smaller size compact which is half the size of the Large. I’m a huge fan of customizable palettes so this palette is a welcome addition to my collection.
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The concept is similar to that of the Inglot Freedom System, except the lid doesn’t completely remove, but rather, swivel from one corner. It contains magnets in the base to hold the pans, and a magnet at the opening to secure the lid.

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I know it will be asked, the colours in the Inglot palette are (from upper left hand corner, clockwise): 357 M, 326 M, rainbow 101 R, and 349 M.

The only thing I noted is that the compact has no logo or branding whatsoever. It would have been a nice touch to have “Maison Jacynthe” etched into the cover or the back – even a sticker would have been something.
I rate this 9/10
It’s kind of funny that my favourite item is not even a cosmetic item, but the case!

I have an empty spot in my compact which is going to cause my eye to twitch until I fill it with another eye shadow. And now that I’ve tried the formula, I can certainly see either #10 Bonon or #14 Cubano joining the other pans to complete the palette! 😉

The Maison Jacynthe makeup range also includes the following which were not shown:
• Lipstick – 9 colours
• Pressed powder – 2 colours
• Concealers – 3 shades
• Terracotta (bronzer / highlighter) – 2 shades
• Mascara
• Eye liner

The skin tones on the concealers and pressed powders all skew on the fair end of the spectrum. It would be great to see the line expand to include medium to deeper skin tone.
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Lastly, I noted that the products are made in Italy (even the empty compact case), by a company called Colorisi as clearly shown on all the packaging. Which is great – Italian-made cosmetics are typically high quality – but, since Maison Jacynthe prides itself as a Canadian company, wouldn’t it have been great to have had these made in Canada?

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Back of the eye shadow refill pan.

Currently, Maison Jacynthe sells its products only online and ships to Canada, US, and Europe. Shipping cost is based on weight and destination. I tested placing an order for an eye shadow (to ahem, fill that hole in my palette!) and the cost to Toronto through regular Canada Post was C$9.50. I added a toning water and the price of shipping remained at C$9.50. I added 4 more items and the shipping still remained at C$9.50.  So it is more economical to buy more than 1 item per transaction! 😉 And, I will say that their e-commerce platform is excellent – very slick and user-friendly. Thank you to Maison Jacynthe for reaching out to me with this opportunity to try these products!

Note: I received these products without charge from Maison Jacynthe so I can try them out, and provide my impartial reviews on them.

It’s really not often that a natural company can do both skincare and makeup – often they stick to just skincare or just makeup. Off the top of my head, I can only think of LUSH, 100% Pure, and Juice Beauty that do both.  Of course, Maison Jacynthe has the added advantage of being a homegrown Canadian brand. If you can think of another natural brand that offer both skincare and makeup – please do share!

40 thoughts on “Maison Jacynthe Makeup Launch”

  1. I’d not seen this brand doing the rounds yet, so it was nice to see from my POV! French always sounds fancy but it’s totally lost on me, anything past the numbers 1-10, a few basic food items and “maquillage” is totally lost on me! (I know my emergency words for being lost in France, get me a ham sandwich and take me to the makeup ha!)

    Interesting range of eyeshadow range, Macciato looks much more grey toned than it does on you, I think I would have chosen either Lungo or Bourbon. I love the look of that palette though, and agree a sleek little logo etched in the corner would have been a nice touch.

    It is a bit weird for such a new Canadian company to be made exclusively in Italy – especially when you guys do manufacture such good products!

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    1. Haha food words in any foreign language is important! And the toilet! (some swear words too…)

      I was concerned the other shades would be dupes of what I already own – I can said truthfully that I do not own a shade like Macchiato. I saw a swatch of Lungo and it’s a rose gold shade – I would have never figured that from the online photos (and I’ve got a lot of those type of colours in my stash).

      Exactly, so many great products are made in Canada – why go so far away from home?

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  3. Nice picks! I love the packaging of the compact, it’s very modern looking. Have you decided if you’re going to get anything else to fill the rest of the pan?
    The eye shadows Lungo, Affogato, and Bonbon are speaking to me! I can see what you mean about not being able to tell which shades are matte and which ones are satin, though.
    That’s the biggest reason why I rarely shop online unless I’ve seen the product in person…it’s disappointing when the shade on the website isn’t true to life 😦

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    1. I’m liking either Lungo or Bonbon for the empty slot! But, I’m going to wait until at least until the new year because all of my low-buy budget is allocated already! 😛
      It’s true, I find online shopping only good for standardized items like books, electronics etc… but clothes and makeup it’s not ideal, unless you’ve had the chance to see / try them in person beforehand.

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  4. Great to see more Canadian brands about! The colors look really nice, though I admit I hate that Inglot-style swinging palette. The wood doesn’t speak to me, either, but maybe I’m just used to plastic/metal/cardboard! It does seem odd that there is no logo anywhere – at these prices I’d kind of assume the packaging would be more sophisticated.

    Still, it’s so nice that they’re good quality. Made in Italy is nice, as well, but yes, it’d be nicer if they were made here!

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    1. This is the first palette I have that’s wood / metal. Everything else I have is either plastic or cardboard. I really dig it! I DO wish the lid came off entirely, it’s a bit unwieldy to hold when it’s swiveled open.

      Canada! Canada! Canada! 😉

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  5. This is the first I’m hearing of the brand! I like the shadow because it’s not a typical nude, glad you picked it! The blush is very pretty but not a shade I would typically reach for. I agree on expansion with dusty rose or peach. I LOVE the compact, it’s not like any compact I own. Stop making your eye twitch and fill it up! 😂

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    1. Oh I’m glad this is your first encounter with this brand – I’ve honestly seen this brand reviewed on a weekly basis since the makeup launched! Good for them for getting the word out there but I didn’t want to bore people. 😛
      Haha, I’m still on a low-buy and my budget is already allocated to stuff from the Sephora VIB sale so I have to pace myself. My eye will just have twitch for a little longer…

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      1. Hahah!! I’m sure you are seeing a lot more Canadian blog posts than me. How long has the low-buy been? I got VIB in May and I can’t wait!!! Im gonna have to start a low-but after that and my eye will twitch for sure.

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        1. Low-buy was all year but I over spent in May / June so I was on a No-buy from July til Sept. Buuuut since it was my birthday (July) and vacation (Sept) I was able to sneak in some stuff LOL. I’m back on spending in October as you can see… 😛

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    1. That blush really does blend out nicely! At the rate of usage, it will last us 10 lifetimes!!! 😛
      I really want to try a shimmery eye shadow from them too – usually those have better textures (plus, I have a hole in my palette! 😦 )

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  8. Lovely review!!! I’m on my laptop otherwise I’d put some emoticons in there! This looks like a really nice line. Love the shadow colors, especially Lungo and then the bottom row of the darks. I find the packaging so interesting. I’ve never seen that before and I like the natural look of the wood. PRETTY!

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  9. Lovely descriptive review! The only product I can think of that I have used and love that is a makeup product and a skincare is from First Aid Beauty | Eye Duty Triple Remedy which is a eye makeup concealer as well as acts as skincare! I had written a review about it too a while back on my blog 🙂

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    1. Thanks! I remember your review of that First Aid Beauty product! I was intrigued – I love the idea of skincare and makeup all in one! So smart and really useful when we’re all so busy and want everything to be multitasking!

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