DHC Liquid Eyeliner EX

DHC is a Japanese beauty brand that only knew of for skincare until I attended an event that introduced me to their makeup products.

The most intriguing product was the DHC Liquid Eyeliner EX, not just because it has a super fine tip but because the ink is actually contained in the lid, which means that you don’t need to shake it about or have to worry about the nib not having enough ink and fading half way through drawing a line.

This eyeliner is waterproof and dries quickly to a matte finish and it is also extremely pigmented.

The brush tip is fine and not stiff, which makes it perfect for drawing a defined line and makes drawing a wing that much easier. Of course the line can still be built up to something thicker if that is the look you are going for.

In a normal climate the liner last all day without smudging, since moving to Oman, I have noticed that it has transferred slightly when the day has been particularly hot and humid.

Finally, I have to say that I love the packaging, it is slim and elegant, and after months in my makeup bag still looks good.

The eyeliner retails at £16 for 0.5 ml. You can pick this up from DHC online, Beautymart stands and Amazon.

This is the first pen style liquid eyeliner that I have really been impressed with and have already repurchased a back-up since I know I won't find this easily in the Middle East. I think my quest for the holy grail liquid liner is over.

Quick review: Bourjois Intuitive Liner

This product is my cat eye secret weapon.

No matter how much I have practiced I cannot achieve a good winged eyeliner. Apart from gradually filling in my entire lid attempting to make the lines an even thickness I also have the problem of having the flicks at completely different angles.

Quick review: L’Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim

From what I can tell when it comes to eyeliner you are either a slick but thick kinda gal or you like it nice and thin.

I fall into the second camp so L’Oreal’s Super Liner Perfect Slim is just right for me.

The eyeliner has a nib style applicator, which you sweep across the lid. It is easy to get close to the lash line and the nib is firm but not too rigid.

The nib also lends itself well to achieving a flicked eyeliner and of course if you do like your eyeliner thick this can still be for you, all you need to do is keep building up the line to however you like it. The black colour is a good intensity and I can wear this all day without a worry about smudging or fading.

In all I love this, except for one thing. As with any pen style eyeliner because all the colour is in the base when you store it upright it drains away from the nib. This means that unless I store it upside down, I’ll get a faint black line rather than the intense black I want. When I do remember to store it upside down this isn’t a big deal, but it’s not ideal.

I have had the liner for a few months and I’m glad to say that it hasn’t dried out. It costs £5.49 and can be found in Boots, Superdrug and supermarkets with a L’Oreal counter.

So what’s your preference, thick or thin?

L’Oreal Intenza Eyeliner 02 Golden Black

When I was 16 I had the most perfect black eyeliner, it was a pencil of black and gold. You might not imagine that it would be but it was perfect to wear on a daily basis, it wasn’t quite a jet black, but it wasn’t a dull brown. I loved it and I wore it down to a stub (I think I even have it somewhere out of sentimental value) but I have never found it again or anything like it.

So when I saw the L’Oreal gel eyeliner in Golden Black, I thought I might have found something close. In the pot, the L’Oreal liner looks like a deep black with gold shimmer but it is much more subtle when applied. The glitter is fine and barely noticeable on the lid and it is not a dark black. If you are looking for something bold then this definitely isn’t it, but it does give a nice subtle effect, which I love and it makes a change from regular black liner.

On the whole, I’m not a huge fan of gel eyeliners, mostly because I find them difficult to apply. The L’Oreal liner also comes with a good quality brush, which makes the application smooth and you can achieve as thin or as thick a line as you like, but it still takes practice to get just right (for me at least!)

I’ve been using the pot for a few months and I’m pleased to say that the liner hasn’t dried out. The wear is good on the lash line and it doesn’t stray but can be smudged out if you like that look. However, I wouldn’t recommend it on the waterline just because of the lasting power.

L’Oreal also offer the liner in a black shade and each cost £9.99 and can be found in Boots, Superdrug and supermarkets with a L’Oreal stand.

If you know where I can find my perfect gold/black eyeliner mix please let me know!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Nude

When white and pink eyeliner became the waterline trend I tried them and hated the look, rather than looking brightening the colours drew attention to my waterline and, in my opinion, looked odd.

But I still wanted to achieve that bright-eyed, awake look.

Cue Rimmel's scandaleyes eyeliner in nude.

Rimmel say that the scandaleyes liner range has long lasting shocking color intensity with an ultra smooth and creamy formula that glides on easily. Waterproof, smudge-proof, sweat-proof, heat-proof, humidity-proof and scandal-proof. It is dermatologist and ophthalmologist tested and is safe for sensitive eyes.

Nude from Rimmel is something I believe will suit medium to dark skin tones that want to achieve that brightening effect and that didn’t get on with white/pink eyeliner. The colour is a light peach-nude and the formulation is soft and creamy making it lovely to use on the waterline.

The wear is good, lasting at around 7 hours in the waterline before disappearing. Even though it is a waterproof formula I had no trouble removing it at the end of the night. This is a win from me and it means that these days I'm opting for nude eyeliner on my waterline during the day rather than black for a more natural/day friendly look.

The liner costs £3.99 and can be found in Boots, Superdrug and supermarkets with a Rimmel counter. I suggest waiting for a 3 for 2 offer and picking this up along with my holy grail black eyeliner, Rimmels exaggerate waterproof eye definer, and another product of your choice :-)

Of course you can choose any combo you like!  Let me know what yours would be.

Quick review: Inika organic eyeliner

I didn’t become aware of Inika until late last year, the brands unique selling point is that it offers all natural and almost all organic makeup and is certified as halal too. I’m a huge fan of mineral makeup and Inika offer a full range of makeup products and more than just powders.

Ingredients: Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Glycerides, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil*, Mica (CI 77019), Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax*, Levisticum Officinale (Black Lovage) Oil (Olus), Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil*, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sorbic Acid, May Contain (+/-):, Iron Oxides (CI 77491) (Red), Iron Oxides (CI 77492) (Yellow), Iron Oxides (CI 77499) (Black), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Chromium Hydroxide Green (CI 77289), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Pigment Violet (CI 77742) *Certified Organic

The liner comes with a complimentary sharpener lid, which did fall off in my bag so I would recomend keeping it at home or in a makeup bag 

I recieved the certified organic eyeliner in the shade black caviar in my #bbloggersxmas goody bag. It is not the darkest of black but it is good if you want something less harsh to use on a daily basis. The texture is smooth and creamy, which makes it easy to apply and blend if necessary.

The wear on the lash line is good and I didn't get any smudging all day. However, the wear wasn't as good on my waterline. After about an hour I started getting eyeliner underneath my lid and setting the liner with a powder didn’t improve the wear. I'm starting to think I'm always going to struggle finding an eyeliner that stays on my waterline unless it is waterproof….. is there such a thing as having a very watery waterline?

The eyeliner costs £13.50, which is more than a high street brands but great for a product that is organic. Inika can be found online or in John Lewis stores.

Although the liner isn’t quite right for me, I am interested to try out more from the brand. What would you recommend I try next?

Rimmel exaggerate waterproof eye definer

First off I have to thank my best friend for introducing me to this eyeliner, her eyeliner is always perfectly defined, dark black and stays in place all day and her secret..........Rimmel exaggerate waterproof eye definer.

I've worn this on both my upper and lower lash line and it has lasted me a whole day at work (applying at 8am and arriving home after 6pm).

With other eyeliners, I tend to find that after a few hours the eyeliner has gathered in my tear duct or spread onto my lower lid, which isn't very attractive! Although it does fade in the waterline after a about four hours, I have taken to applying it in between my lower lashes, very lightly and this does not budge for the whole day. Being a waterproof eyeliner, you might expect that it is more difficult to remove at the end of the day, but I haven’t found this to be the case. I use eye makeup remover before and after washing my face and this removes everything.

The packaging is simple and effective. On one end you have the eyeliner, which can be twisted to be revealed and on the other is a smudge sponge. I use the sponge to either correct any mistakes or to smudge out the liner for a smokey look. There is also a sharpener attached to the end of the sponge, which needs to be pulled out to be revealed. I prefer to wear my eyeliner thin, so being able to sharpen the eyeliner is a really nice feature.

I had said in my 'what I will and won't spend my money on' blog post that I would be willing to pay almost anything for an eyeliner that does not budge from my waterline. The fact that this does just that and costs £3.99 is just a lovely bonus. This can be found in all the usual places, Boots, Superdrug and even supermarkets that have Rimmel counters and of course it is made even more affordable when there are bonus points or 3 for 2 deals happening.

FOTD - Smudged liner

I am hitting a bit of a makeup rut, wearing the same safe look every time.

Using what I already own I decided to go for strong cheeks and lips and attempted to do smudged liner, which is a look I love on other people but have never managed to master, until now?

Bella Pierre mineral foundation, mememe blush rouge, sleek rose petal, black eyeliner and a lot of smudging using a clean angled brush.

Whats your tip for getting the perfect smudged liner?

Quick Review - Avon Glimmerstick Eyeliner

I wanted to start a series of quick product reviews as and when I try new things out. I know that generally I am quite extensive, which I think is necessary with those pricy purchases however, some things just don’t need that much detail!

First up is Avon’s Glimmerstick Eyeliner in blackest black. I have mixed feelings about this, I have always heard good reviews so I had high expectations, which is never a good thing!

On the plus side, on the lash line it does last all day. I like that it is retractable and I don’t have to search around for my sharpener when I am in a hurry! It is also cheap, at £6 or under generally, even offered as a freebie with other purchases in occasion.

Unfortunately, there are more negative points. I haven’t found that it lasts on my waterline, contrary to other reviews. Since, the formulation isn’t creamy, it is difficult to spread and apply easily, and I struggle to get a lot of transfer to my waterline.

Considering the name, it isn’t an intense black (unless you press more than you should on your eye), that being said this works well as a day liner. The image below shows the bottom lines applied with the same pressure I would use on my lash line, and top line applied with a harder hand. I also did a quick water and smudge test, it is a very smudgy eyeliner, but does perform quite well after being wet.

Although being retractable is a plus, it means that the nib is a little wider than I would prefer so I find it difficult to get a thin line when I want one.

Overall it's a thumbs down for me, since I wouldn’t purchase it again. I like the fact that it lasts all day but so does my gel eyeliner and that is easier to work with. I do have a ‘diamond’ glimmerstick which I haven’t used yet, so I will let you know if that performs the same.

Let me know what you think of Avon Glimmerstick, has it lived up to the hype for you? or does Avon sell something better?

‘The Flick’ Winged Eyeliner Stencil

My vitality show purchase, an eyeliner stencil called ‘The Flick’ and black gel eyeliner by Saffron. I have always struggled with doing winged eyeliner so this seemed like a perfect solution. The kit comes with two stencils. I have to admit at first I thought, why? since if you just turn it over it will be fine…… then I thought that through :-)

They are made of a flexible, but not flimsy plastic and allow you to place over your lid and fill in the area you want your eyeliner. You determine where to begin your eyeliner and how thick, and all I do is try to match up the edges with key point on my face, for example, placing part of the plastic up against my nose or inner eye so that I can get approximately the same area on the other eye and make the liner even. The only difficulty I have found is this initial lining up and making sure you are holding it down well so that you do not end up ‘colouring outside the line’. It is then just a case of practice to achieve the look you are going for.

The eyeliner provided is by Saffron. It is extremely creamy and applies easily and then ‘sets’ so that it is nearly smudge-proof. I have been impressed with the intensity of the black which lasts throughout the day. The brush supplied works perfectly with the stencil since it is small and dense. However, since I always like to take my eyeliner to the inner corner, it also works well to let me do this free hand. I have also tested out its water-proof capability and it has passed the test!

My first, through to my most recent eyeliner attempts using ’the flick’. As you can hopefully see, the first attempt was a much thicker and a longer ‘flick'. My most recent was more subtle and a thinner line, which is the way I prefer to do my eyeliner on a daily basis.

I am sure both the eyeliner and the stencils can be found reasonably priced on eBay, although I have not checked since I probably paid more than I should have, but I am impressed with both so I can get over that!

Peach Faced

Having spent a hugely unproductive day playing with makeup rather than job hunting I have a number of posts coming to you of reviews/tutorials over the next few days. In the mean time I thought I would provide you with an idea of whats coming up.

My face of the day included a combination of everything I have brought in the last week. My eyeshadow was all from the new Sleek palette and gel eyeliner from saffron used with ‘the flick’ eyeliner stencil (may I add, first attempt!), sleek pout polish and mememe blush in rouge.

Be sure to check back for more detailed reviews, swatches and tutorials soon!