Category Archives: Eyeliner

Milani Brow & Eye Highlighter Review, Swatches, Comparisons

Purchased – Affiliate Links

Earlier this year, Milani released three Brow & Eye highlighters, which have a variety of uses. Milani -->describes --> the shade I bought, 01 Matte Beige / High Glow as following:

Both sides can be used underneath the brow bone as a highlighter. Matte Beige can be used as an eyeshadow or eyeshadow base. High Glow can be used in the inner corners of the eyes to brighten.

I purchased this pencil primarily for the matte end, which appeared to be (and is!) a more yellow shade than the other nude pencils I own, which suits my skin color very well. First, here are both ends of the Milani pencil:

And here’s a comparison of the nude/beige liners and chubby pencils I own:

The MAC & NYX are very similar in color – and a bit too dark for me. The Rimmel is a little darker still.  The Jordana and Milani shadow pencils are similar in color – too pink for me – but note that they’re not dupes; they have very different textures. The Milani brow highlighter is definitely the best color for me – just a bit lighter than my skintone. It’s a great color to use as a browbone or inner eye corner highlighter; I’ve also used it as a reverse lipliner (blended well!) and on the inner rim of my eye (no irritation, but it doesn’t last very well there).

Overall, I’m pleased with the purchase – it’s a great color, but I do wish it lasted better on my waterline!

*I purchased the product(s) featured in this post. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

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Rimmel Scandaleyes Gel Liner Review & Swatches

Purchased – No Affiliate Links

I find it difficult to write reviews of perfectly adequate products. If I love or hate something, I have plenty to say; when something is acceptable but unexciting, it’s harder.

Rimmel’s Scandaleyes gel liner is fine.  The pigmentation is good; the wear is normal for a gel.  The texture is acceptable – it’s thicker than the L’oreal gel liners, so I find it a bit more difficult to get a crisp line, but there’s nothing terrible about it.

The included brush is fine.  It’s decent for a “free” brush, but it’s a little too firm to be ideal with gel liners – it digs little holes into the gel and gets unevenly coated with liner rather than gliding on the surface of the gel.  I may repurpose it as a lip brush.

If you’re looking for a cheap-as-possible gel liner, I’d recommend the Wet n Wild instead – it’s a few dollars less and also a perfectly adequate liner (though it does dry up quickly). If you’re looking for an excellent drugstore gel liner, I’d recommend the L’oreal – it’s a few dollars more, but worth it.

What makeup items do you find acceptable but unexciting?

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L’oreal Dark Slate Infallible Gel Liner Review & Swatches

Purchased – Affiliate Links

Today, I have a review & swatches of the L’oreal 24-Hour Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner in the gorgeous  shade Dark Slate.  Although the L’oreal gel liners are on the expensive side for a drugstore products – around $10 – they’re worth it to me.  They have a thinner texture than most other gel liners I’ve tried, which makes them easier to work with overall and especially helps in creating a sharp, precise line. I also really like the included brush (I would buy it separately).  See this post for more brush photos.

Dark Slate is an interesting and lovely color. When I think slate, I think blue-gray, but this is more of a dark taupe or brown-grey to my eye.  Applied heavily, it’s quite dark and more grey – applied lightly, it’s much more brown.  I’ve been loving using it more heavily on my upper lashline and more lightly on my lower lashline; it’s softer than black, but still defines very well.  If I have just a touch of product on my brush, I can also use it in my brows.

L’oreal Gel Liners last all day on me without smearing or flaking. They do set relatively quickly, so once applied, you don’t have much time to play around and smudge the liners. The flipside of that, of course, is that you’re less likely to accidentally smear the line while it dries.

Great formula and great color – highly recommended!

*I purchased the product(s) featured in this post. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

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Smashbox Always Sharp Eyeliner Review & Swatches

Press Sample – Affiliate Links
Smashbox Always Sharp

Smashbox Always Sharp liners in Raven & 3D Orchid

Today, I have a short review of Smashbox Always Sharp eyeliners ($20 at Sephora).  Really, I can say it all in one sentence: the always-sharp packaging works as advertised, and the liners themselves are fine – decent quality, but nothing exceptional.  If you’d like more detail, read on! Continue reading →

Black Eyeliner Swatches, Comparisons, Wear Test

Purchased Items & Press SamplesAffiliate Links

eyeliner overload!

I’ve done black eyeliner swatches before, and even did a post with a wear test way back when my blog was new, but I have different eyeliners now and I wanted to see how they compared.

Instead of trying to keep track of which swatch was which, I wrote an abbreviation for the brand on my arm. The follow table has the abbreviation, name of the eyeliner, and type of eyeliner. Continue reading →

Jordana Made To Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil Review & Swatches

Purchased Affiliate Links

I am so behind right now – I have tons of awesome things to post about, but very little time (it turns out that planning a wedding takes a lot of energy – mine is in a week and a half!).  Today, I have swatches of two of Jordana’s new 12-Hour Made To Last eyeliner pencils – a gel-type eyeliner pencil – which were released quite recently. There are six shades (black, purple, brown, aqua, charcoal, and deep green) and I purchased two: the charcoal & the green.

Continue reading →