Throwback Thursday With NARS

NARS used to have liquid eyeliners in nail polish-type bottles.  I believe they were introduced around 2001.  The three that I own probably date from 2005.  I'm not sure when they discontinued this type of packaging.

The shades I have are Neverland, Showgirl, and Silkwood.

There weren't any brushes included with these, so you had to supply your own.

Here are some swatches I did using q-tips.

from left: Neverland, Showgirl, Silkwood

The colors are pretty awesome, aren't they?  I think I used these once or twice and I kind of remember not being very good at applying them.  I'm now afraid to use them because they are so old.  I think they are destined for the trash.

I received these as gratis when I was working at Sephora years and years ago.

Revlon Colorstay Skinny Liquid Liner in Electric Blue Swatches and Review

Are you looking for a bright, in-your-face, "look at me!" blue eyeliner?  I have one for you.

Revlon just introduced a new liquid eyeliner that boasts a very skinny, fine tip brush.  It comes in four colors: Black Out, Mahogany Flame, Green Spark, and Electric Blue.  I bought Electric Blue.

Revlon says: "Finally, a liquid liner so skinny, it makes bold color mistake-proof.  All-day wear with non-stop impact."

Electric Blue is an apt name for this color.  It is a "YES, I AM WEARING BLUE EYELINER" kind of shade.  It dries to a matte finish and has no shimmer or sparkle.

This is the type of liquid liner that you need to shake up before use.  The brush really is skinny and tiny (Revlon says it is 0.1 mm).  You really can create an exquisitely thin line.  It is possible, however, to make a thicker line by adding and layering color because the liner doesn't pick up color as you go over it like some liquid liners do.  The liner is opaque in color in one pass of the brush, and it dries quite quickly.  The brush is soft and pliable, versus stiff like a felt tip liner.  The wear time for this liquid liner is really pretty good (as long as you don't touch it - more on that later).

thin line

thicker line

This liner is not without fault.  I have found that Electric Blue does rub off if I run my finger over it.  I suppose this is really only a problem if you are an eye-rubber, but it is something to consider.  It does also transfer to my upper lid by the end of the day if my eyelids are bare (no shadow or primer or anything).  I have fairly oily eyelids, so this might not be a problem if you have more normal or drier eyelids.  It also doesn't seem waterproof.  I doesn't run, just fades.  I don't think it claims to be waterproof, though.

Now, I will admit, steady hands and non-blinking eyes (both of which I don't have) would probably help with application and drawing a really fine line.  I find it easiest to actually rest the brush on the base of the lashes to help steady the brush.  I do get blue liner on the lashes using this technique, but I think mascara covers it up pretty well.  Plus, there are times when blue lashes are cool.

I decided to compare Revlon's Colorstay Skinny Liquid Liner in Electric Blue Electric Blue to Chella's Eyeliner Pen in Indigo Blue that many people received in their ipsy bag a few months ago.

Revlon Colorstay Skinny Liquid Liner in Electric Blue on the left, Chella Eyeliner Pen in Indigo Blue on the right 

You can see the Revlon liner is much, much brighter.  Much.

I've really been enjoying wearing this with nothing else on the lids, and light corals or nudes on the cheeks and lips.  The color is bright and modern, in my opinion.

If you are looking for an obscenely bold blue liquid liner, you might want to try this one for the color alone!

Revlon Colorstay Skinny Liquid Liners retail for around $8 USD.

Sephora and Drugstore Haul

Cosmetics companies are so good at making us (me) constantly buy new things.  All the pretty new colors they constantly manage to introduce that aren't like anything else on the market or in my stash (:P), and the beautiful packaging that it really just a feast for the eyes.  Plus, Sephora occasionally comes out with some nice free stuff.  So, here is my latest haul.

From my local CVS where everybody knows my name (cue the Cheers theme song):

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hr Eyeshadow in Caramel Cool -- After seeing so many swatches of the Limited Edition Dare to Go Nude collection, I knew I had to have Caramel Cool.  I think copper colors are flattering for my eye color, and I don't actually have any cream shadows this color (surprising).

Maybelline Master Hi-Light Highlighting Bronzer in Light Bronze -- This is one that looks pretty in the pan, and I've read that these blush/bronzer/highlighter hybrids from Maybelline have a good formula.

Swatches of Caramel Cool eyeshadow and Light Bronze Hi-light Bronzer:

From Sephora (I used a gift card that my mom gave me for my birthday back in November):

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush -- I didn't jump on these during the VIB preview sale because I wanted to wait until I saw some swatches.  This one appealed to me the most.  I still kind of want Diffused Heat just because of the way it looks in the pan.

Swatch of Ambient Light Blush in Luminous Flush:

Also from Sephora:

MAKE UP FOR EVER Lab Shine Diamond Collection Lipgloss in D8 and D14 -- This set has 2 full-size lipglosses.  D8 is described as a shimmering baby pink, and D14 is a shimmering indian pink (p.s. what is indian pink?).  This is a $38 value for $16, so it seemed worth it.

Swatches of MUFE Lab Shine lipglosses in D8 and D14:

The free stuff from Sephora:

Balenciaga Rosabotanica EDP deluxe sample and printed scarf -- This was a 500 point perk.  I had been saving my points for a really long time, waiting for something cool to come along.  I decided to use them on this because the packaging of the perfume and the scarf looked really pretty.  The perfume itself smells really nice.  I am terrible at describing scents, so I'm not going to bother trying.  The large box in the group shot above contained the Rosabotanica set.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Eyeliner in Intense Black -- I think this was just a deluxe sample with any $25 purchase.  Sephora says this is one of their best-selling liquid eyeliners, so I figured this would be a good way to try it.  It has a nice calligraphy-style pen tip, which is my favorite kind of tip, so I'm looking forward to using it.

Swatch of Stila Waterproof eyeliner:

What have you been hauling lately?

P.S.  I have a feeling I need to update my pop culture references.

LORAC Front of the Line PRO Liquid Liner Dupe?

I think I have discovered a dupe for the LORAC Front of the Line PRO liquid liner in the Physicians Forumla 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum liquid liner.

Both of these liners have calligraphy pen tips that are little flexible paintbrushes (versus, say, a felt tip).

LORAC liner on the left, Physicians Formula on the right

They both apply very nicely and make it easy to create a thin or a thick line.  They seem to be equally black, and have very long wear-times.

Physicians Formula on the left, LORAC on the right

The Physicians Formula claims to have ingredients that encourage lash growth, but none of the ingredients on the list have any research on them to back up that claim.

I cannot discern any difference between these two.  I wore one on my left eye and one on my right one day and forgot which was which by the end of the day.

These are both excellent liners, but the LORAC Front of the Line PRO is $23 and the Physicians Formula is around $11.

Sonia Kashuk Gel Liner in Ebony Review

The official name for this is "Sonia Kashuk Dramatically Defining Long Wear Gel Liner".  I've never used a gel liner before (I have used cream though) and read good things about this one, so I thought I would take the plunge.

It comes in a hefty little pot with a black lid that says Sonia Kashuk around the edge.

This liner does not come with a brush, but an angled brush or little skinny liner brush both work well.  It looks really glossy in the pot but applies as a matte black.

I was kind of surprised how tall the box is for this liner.  I was looking all over for it and couldn't find a little box I was expecting it to be in.  I had to read all the labels carefully to make sure it was the right thing!

This glides on like a dream and is opaque in one pass.  It also sets quite quickly, and once it is set it isn't going anywhere and it is going to wear strong all day.  It does remove nicely with a makeup remover.

Sonia Kashuk Dramatically Defining Long Wear Gel Liner in Ebony swatch

This is perfect for the summer months since it is budgeproof.  I like creating a little flip at the end for a little cat (or maybe kitten?) eye with it.

Sonia Kashuk's gel liner is a winner!  It comes in Ebony and Cocoa and is $8.99 at Target.

Some Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils Swatches (Vintage and Non-Vintage)

Urban Decay is having a sale on some of the (discontinued?) 24/7 Glide-On Eye pencils, so I thought I would swatch my stash for you, since I have a some that are on sale.  (They are calling these vintage colors.)

From left:  Binge, 1999, Covet, Ransom, Zero, and Rockstar, and Yeyo (which was part of a set and not available alone)

indoor light

flash

natural light

These are the colors on sale:  Binge, 1999, Covet, Ransom

on sale -- Binge is a shimmery navy blue.
on sale --1999 is a plum with pinky plum sparkle.
on sale -- Covet is a rich green with a little silver sparkle.
on sale -- Ransom is a slightly duochrome bluey purple.
Zero is a matte black.
Rockstar is a dark browny plum.
Yeyo (not available) is a shimmery white.

The pencils on sale are $9.50 and the non-sale colors are $19.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil in Mercury Review and Swatches

I love the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On eyeliners, so of course I had to try some of the 24/7 Glide-On Shadow pencils that they make.  I've had the color Mercury for a while, and really enjoy the ease of using it. 

Urban Decay says:

Big and blendable, this 2-in-1 waterproof 24/7 shadow pencil keeps going as long as you do. Our next generation of famous 24/7 pencils can be used as eyeshadow, eyeliner, or both!

This applies fairly smoothy and is creamy, but tugs a little.  My pencil is on the older side, so it may have dried out a little, and that may play into the texture of it, but I think it was always this way.  

It is very opaque and you can draw a nice thick line in one pass.  You can just as easily apply it all over the lid to wear it as a shadow on its own, or as a base for another color.  

This creases and starts to fade on my fairly oily eyelids after about 3 hours without a primer.  

Mercury is a dark, gunmetal, silver grey.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil in Mercury swatch (indoor light)

(flash)

(natural light)

Here, I used Mercury all over the moving lid.  I also used Milani Illuminating Face Powder in Amber Nectar as bronzer, and Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in Coral Gleam.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in True Teal Review and Swatches

The Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen is an awesome eyeliner.  It isn't a pen, but an incredibly creamy, soft eye pencil that applies like a dream.  

Pixi says: Waterproof, super-long-wear, no-smudge, no-budge eye liners. They glide on like seamless silk, and in a single sweep motion create a flawless, solid jewel-toned line. No retouching required all day - or night! Gentle on eyes, yet intensely coloured and super-silky. 
Long wearing, non-transfer, and waterproof eye pen gives the intense effect of a liquid liner but is much easier to apply.

I have to say I pretty much agree with their description.  This liner glides on with no tugging or skipping whatsoever, has an intense color, and wears well all day.  It's creamy enough that you can smudge and soften the line it for a less defined look before it sets.  I get a tiny bit of smudging on the outer corners of my eyes after 6-7 hours when I wear this on my waterline (like most liners -- I think due to my watery eyes), and it will smudge only slightly on my oily eyelids if I rub my eyes (ahh allergies...).

They are packaged is a pretty, flowered, light yellow pencil that has a tip on the non-liner end that matches the color of the liner (so it's easy to find the right pencil).  The flowers on the body of the pencil also match the color of the liner.  So cute!

True Teal is a jewel-toned dark teal with lots of blue in it.

(defined, smudged)  sunlight

indoor light (and out of focus lol)

One of my favorite ways to wear this color is with a copper or brown shadow on the lid and the teal liner on the waterline and lower lashes.

There are 10 colors in this formula, and they retail for $15.  Pixi is sold in Target and there are usually testers available in the displays.  I highly recommend checking these out!

CoverGirl Liquiline Blast Eyeliner in Blue Boom

I love Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliners, but since I can't afford to own all of them and I wanted a bright blue eyeliner, I thought I would try CoverGirl's Liquiline Blast Eyeliner in Blue Boom.

CoverGirl says: With Liquiline blast, you'll get all the intensity and staying power of a liquid with the ease and blendability of a waterproof pencil. Use the liner as-is for intense definition or smoke-it-out with the built-in smudger end for a subtle, smoky look.

CoverGirl Liquiline Eye4liner in Blue Boom swatches (defined, smudged)

This pencil is very creamy, highly pigmented, and long-lasting.  It applies without any tugging or skipping, and the smudger works great to soften a harsh line if you want a softer look.  I don't think it is as long-lasting or waterproof as the Urban Decay pencils as this one moves and creases a little bit on my upper lid if I wear a thicker line and smudge it up to the crease.  It does wear very nicely on the waterline.

One of my favorite ways to wear this color is with a copper color on my lid and this as a pop of color on my lower waterline.

There are six colors in this formula, including a bright lime green that would be great for spring.

If you like bright, royal blue eyeliner CoverGirl Liquiline Blast Eyeliner in Blue Boom is a great, affordable option.