At last!!! In less than six months, I have managed to get my social impact score on Influenster up to a level which qualifies me for a VoxBox. Actually, I am not entirely sure if it’s down to that, or if it’s to do with the surveys and reviews I do on a regular basis. No matter, because…success!

Once Influenster emails to confirm you’re due to receive a box, and updates your profile with the relevant badge, you will have a specific time-frame (usually a month or sometimes more) to complete a set of tasks as part of the product’s social marketing campaign in order to increase your chances of earning more full-sized FOC goodies. This typically involves sharing a tagged image on Instagram, and posting an unbiased review of your complimentary item (or in this case, items).

My Marc Jacobs Beauty Matte Highliner VoxBox actually arrived about a fortnight ago, but I was unable to take any action due to very ill health. Fortunately, I am now recovering (just about!) so this blog will soon be seeing a lot more activity as compared to the past few weeks.

To be honest, pink (of any hue) is not a colour I would have chosen for myself, but having thought about it, I am glad they didn’t send me black/brown (which is what I was initially hoping to find in the box). I am, at best, a novice when it comes to applying make-up, and the bright colours forced me to come out of my comfort zone to experiment.

I had originally planned to test my new Marc Jacobs acquisitions as eyeliners, but because I prefer a more natural look, later decided to see how well they would perform as eyeshadow instead. As you can see, the Highliner is very strongly pigmented. The consistency is much like crayon (hence the name!) and goes on very smoothly. This, I think, is part of the reason it is so versatile.

The Marc Jacobs Gel Crayon comes in a variety of shades, and can be used in a multitude of ways (and not just in the eye area). My VoxBox even came with a little booklet that contained a few tips and ideas.

Unlike most conventional eyeliner pencils, you don’t need a sharpener. To extend the crayon, simply twist the bottom end. After a brief moment puzzling over how to achieve a fine point (warning – it does get blunt real fast), I worked out that the easiest method is to gently pinch the tip (it’s quite delicate) with a piece of tissue whilst rotating it a few times.

What impressed me most about these Highliners is their superb staying power…Once applied, the colours did not fade or shift in the slightest. This is a huge change from most of the eyeshadows I’ve tried, none of which would last for more than a few hours due to my combination skin that tends to grease up easily.

The downside to this long-wearing trait is the difficulty I had with blending. As it sets so quickly, the trick is to work fast and build up the colour bit by bit. It does help a little if you have have primer on. Unfortunately, the application of so many layers also meant removing the Highliner required a bit more effort than what I am accustomed to.

Apart from the above criticisms, this product is overall of very high quality. Retailing at around £20 each, the Gel Crayon is way out of my acceptable price range, but for anyone who is a little more experienced and wears make-up frequently, I’d say this is a brilliant investment.

Still wish I’d been sent blue or green though…There is a story behind this I may share one day, but I am sooo not into pink at all! 😀