NARS Mesopotamia Eye Paint Review, Photos, Swatches!

NARS Mesopotamia Eye Paint

NARS Mesopotamia Eye Paint ($25) is a multi-use eye product that can be both used as a cream eyeshadow and an eyeliner. It provides high-impact pigment with a silky, weightless feel. It glides on the skin smoothly and quickly dries down to a budge-proof finish.

So, you've tried one gel/cream eyeliner and you think you've tried them all. Well, despite the similarities between different brands of gel eyeliners, the formulas can differ quite a bit. Some formulas are drier than others, some are creamier, some are budge-proof and some smudge to no end.

I don't ask for much when I'm looking for a good potted eyeliner. My only requests are that the formula is smooth so that it will provide clean lines, opaque color and that it won't smudge/fade or crumble after several hours of wear.

I love the texture of NARS Eye Paint. The formula is more of a gel than a cream, as it has quite a bit of slip to it. Because of the slippery texture, it's very ideal for smudging and creating a smoked out eye. As with many cream products, once you apply it to your lid, you have to smudge it quickly, otherwise it won't budge. I love that fact that it doesn't set so quick that you have to worry about it drying before you're finished working with it (such as MAKE UP FOREVER Aqua Creams). It really smokes out nicely with a blending or smudge brush, and the intensity can be built up with additional layers.

Mesopotamia is a very dark intense brown. I think it's a great color for every day and I actually most of the time prefer it over black as it works well with my warm coloring and has a softer look. I've actually been using it on my eyebrows as well. For the brows, a little goes a very long way and I only have to lightly touch the product with the tip of the brush to fill in one of my brows completely.

The lasting power is very good. I notice that when If I don't apply a base, I'll have some fading when used as an eyeshadow, but when applied as an eyeliner it lasts well throughout the day. On my brows, the color doesn't budge all day.

Swatches of NARS Mesopotamia Eye Paint

NARS Mesopotamia smudged and lined on my upper and lower lash line as well as applied to my eyebrows

How to Apply the Perfect Winged Eyeliner Every Time!

Applying winged eyeliner is difficult, even for those who apply it every day. I've been winging my eyeliner since I was around 14 or 15 years old, and I still don't get it right on many days.

There are so many methods for applying winged eyeliner, but today, I'm going to over the way I typically like to apply pen style eyeliners. I find that when I use this method, my liner turns out perfect every time! And, it's super quick!

The eyeliner I'm using in this mini tutorial is my one of my favorite eyeliners - the Physicians Formula 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum. It's incredibly easy to use, the tip is perfectly shaped for a thin, precise line and it never dries out or frays.

Step 1: In the first photo I started out with a clean eye. Typically, the ideal time to apply eye liner is after your eye shadow and before your mascara. (For the records, I'm wearing mascara for this tutorial, but it's much easier to apply eyeliner without mascara, as your lashes won't get in the way as much.) *If your eyelids are prone to getting oily, powder your lids and apply an eye shadow base.
Step 2: Examine where you want to start your wing. Use your bottom lashline as a reference. In photo #2 you can see the arrow going from my bottom lashline extending diagonally outward. You almost want it to look like a continuance of your lower lashline.
Step 3: With the tip of the liner touching the very end of your upper lashline, draw a thin diagonal line (45 degree angle) upward as shown in photo #3. It should be going in the direction of where your eyebrow ends.

NYX Black, Gold and Bronze Glitter Eye Pencils Review, Photo and Swatches!

NYX Black, Gold and Bronze Glitter Eye Pencils

I know, I know, you're probably sick of these NYX reviews, but I swear, I won't bore you for much longer. ☺

I snagged a few of these NYX Slim Eye Pencils ($3.50) at ULTA the other day and have been incorporating them in my eye looks every day since.

I purchased Bronze Shimmer; A deep bronze with gold glitter, Gold Glitter; A copper-gold with gold glitter, and Black Shimmer; A deep black with silver glitter. (On the NYX website, Bronze Shimmer is listed as Bronze Glitter and Black Shimmer is listed as Black Glitter.)

Of the three, Black Shimmer performs the best - It's smooth and applies opaque without having to apply several layers. Bronze Shimmer is smooth as well, but slightly less pigmented. It takes a couple of layers to achieve an opaque line. Gold Glitter gives me the most trouble, as the pencil tugs against my skin and I have to apply several layers before getting a semi-opaque line. It's a shame because it's such a pretty color.

Swatches from left to right: Gold Glitter, Bronze Shimmer and Black Shimmer.

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner Review, Photos and Swatches!

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner ($15) is a felt-tip liquid eyeliner pen with a long-lasting, no-smudge formula and a glossy finish.

The Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner is available in (5) shades: Olive Green, Brown, Purple, Navy Blue and Black. All shades are available on the Eyeko website, but only Black is sold at Sephora, while the other shades can be purchased online.

I've tried several pen liners from the drugstore, and my favorite has to be Physician's Formula 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner because of the non-fraying, flexible, yet precise tip that doesn't seem to dry out and the overall performance, but it's not the deepest-darkest black, so when I want a very intense liner, I look no further than my Eyeko pen.

The liner is a deep-black with a glossy finish and the tip is firm and comes to a fine point. Although you can create thick or thin lines, I find it much easier to create thicker lines because for the highest amount of pigmentation, pressing it sideways on your lid and sweeping the pen across the eye is the most effective. The tip seems to dry out quickly, so applying the liner straight-on with the tip isn't going to work the best.

Revlon Colorstay Creme Gel Eyeliner Liner Review!

Revlon Colorstay Creme Gel Eye Liner

Revlon Colorstay Creme Gel Eye Liner ($10) is a bold, waterproof and smudge-proof gel/cream eye liner. It's a part of the Revlon "Colorstay" line, so it's also long-lasting. When you pull the applicator up, a mini brush pops out for convenient use.

Available in four (4) shades: Black, Charcoal, Brown and Plum.

Charcoal is a soft black with silver iridescence. A nice choice if you want a black liner that isn't as harsh as black.

The brush design isn't exactly the best - it works, but I think a standard angled brush would've probably been more useful. I'm still able to control how thick I want the line, as well as create a good wing. The only thing that's kind of annoying is when the product dries in the brush, it hardens up a bit, making application less easy. Every few uses I have to clean the brush, and because of the waterproof formula, it isn't the easiest brush to clean with regular hand soap. I usually use Dish Soap as it breaks up the oil pretty well, or eye makeup remover. Olive oil even works, followed with any soap.

(lined my top lid with Charcoal)

Lancome Artliner Precision Point EyeLiner in Brown Review!

Lancome Artliner Precision Point EyeLiner

Lancome Artliner ($29.50) is a product I've been curious to try for the past few years. Many have dubbed this liner pen as their favorite liquid liner, and with it's relatively high ratings, one can only wonder what the fuss is all about.

I use to be a liquid liner on the upper lid and kohl pencil on the waterline type of girl, but after realizing that just about every pencil irritates my eyes, I actually gave up wearing both and resorting to gel/cream liners and deep, dark eyeshadows (used as liner) for the past few years. MAC Liquidlast Liner was my Holy Grail liquid liner for several years (it still remains a favorite), and only recently have I started reaching for the liquid after I developed a little love relationship with Physician's Formula Eye Booster (it's just quick and easy). So I felt like it was time to give in to the Artliner, after several occasions of swatching it on my hand on my frequent trips to Sephora.

It's basically a liquid liner pen that offers dramatic color and precise product product placement that is said to last all day. Many love this liner for it's ease-of-use, smooth application and long wear-time.

There are seven (7) shades to choose from: Noir, Ice Black, Smoke, Brown, Navy, Forest and Aubergine. Naturally, I would have gotten black, but I opted for brown, for a softer look.

Wearing Lancome Artliner in Brown 

(list of products I'm wearing are at the end of the post)

Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil Review!

Milani Liquif’eye Eye Pencil

Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil ($7.49) is basically a pencil liner with a super-smooth texture, that when applied, it glides on smoothly like a liquid liner - no tugging of the skin like a traditional pencil. It’s said to provide high pigmentation with long-lasting wear.

Milani Liquif’Eye Eye Pencils are available in five (5) shades: Black, Brown, Gold, Silver and Aqua. I own Brown and Aqua, but in this review I'll be focusing on the Brown pencil. (Swatches of both is at end of the post)

These pencils have been compared to Urban Decay’s ever popular 24-7 Glide-On Eye Pencils ($19 each) for their similar smooth texture, pigmentation and lasting power. Some even say they are exact dupes. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I don’t own any Urban Decay Liners so unfortunately, I can’t compare the two.

I do own other liners with smooth formulas – MAC Pearlglide and L’Oreal Extra Intense Liquid Eyeliner Pencil to name a couple, along with other liners such as MAC Eye Kohl, Stila Kajal Eye Liner, etc. Texture-wise, Milani excels above all of these.

 In this photo, I lined my upper lid with the Brown pencil (went over it twice for a deep line) and I applied a little under my eye and quickly smudged it with an angled liner brush and lastly applied the liner across my waterline.

Illamasqua Mislead Eye Liner Cake Review, Photos and Swatches!

Illamasqua Eye Liner Cake in Mislead

Have you ever heard of "cake liner" before? The first time I ever heard of it was several years ago when I became interested in learning more about theatrical makeup (Ben Nye, Graftobian, Cinema Secrets, etc) and came across Ben Nye Cake Eyeliner - well, I never got around to trying it, but it's a product that's always sat in the back of my memory of products to try one day.

Cake Eyeliner is pretty much the only type of liner I haven't tried before. I've for the most part tried all of the liner options out there - pencil, cream, gel, liquid, kajal, powder, you name it. My preferred choices on most days are gel and liquid.

When I stumbled across Illamasqua Eye Liner Cake ($23), I decided I had to try it, despite there not being too many reviews out there.

Illamasqua Eye Liner Cake is a pressed powder formula, that when comes in contact with water/liquid, becomes an intense liquid-liner.  

There are three (3) colors in total: Mislead (black), Zeal (pine green) and Danger (navy). I chose Mislead, because one could never own enough black liners, right? haha

You can use water to mix the product with, but when using water, I notice the color isn't as vibrant and the lasting power isn't as good. There are of course other options in order for it to last longer - such as MAC Fix Spray, Illamasqua Sealing Gel, Benefit SheLaq, Visine, etc. I usually use Visine and it works great.

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Liner in Black Ink + Photos & Swatches! PLUS BB Cream Shadows!

I thought I would give a little update on how my Bobbi Brown Gel Liner has been working out for me lately.

I am still in love with it! My opinions about the product remains the same. It doesn't smudge on me, doesn't flake off, lasts all day and is very pigmented!

I received Black Ink in a swap recently.. maybe around two weeks ago and I've been using it just about every day. Other days I use Graphite Shimmer just to switch off. The colors are somewhat similar, but Graphite Shimmer is a little more of a charcoal black with a touch of shimmer and Black Ink is a flat, intense black. It is by far the blackest liner I own. (Hooray! I'm always on a conquest for the blackest blacks) I am still rating this product a 5 out of 5! ♥

And a side note, I came across some full size BB gel liners at my CCO (Cosmetic Company Outlet). Unfortunately, none were sold separately. They were all a part of various BB makeup sets. They did have some Cream Shadows (which I thought were liners at first because of the same packaging) I like the consistency of them. They are buttery soft and apply very smooth. They also had several palettes that have a mixture of gel liners and cream shadows. (I actually got a brand new one in a swap.. pics at the end of my post!) I have heard from many others that they have found BB gel liners at their CCO's sold individually, so if you're interested in purchasing one, check your local CCO first! :)

And, this is the palette I received in a swap. What i love about the palette is, it's soo sturdy and each liner has a tight lid so the colors won't dry out. Thank you, Bobbi Brown for using your brains with this! :) haha.

Bobbi Brown Honey Glaze Long-Wear Eye Palette

For whatever reason, it was impossible to get a good picture of this palette. I didn't swatch any of the colors yet because.. well, It's so pretty I don't want to ruin it. LOL But, if anyone wants swatches, I'll gladly do that for you. This palette was available at my CCO (In Aurora, IL) and I caught a glimpse of it on http://www.allcosmeticswholesale.com here. OR you can purchase it directly from Bobbi Brown here. I'll post a review once I use it!

Review: Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Liner in Graphite Shimmer + Photos & Swatches!

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner

Product Description - This award-winning liner offers the precision of a liquid liner and the ease of a gel-based formula. Awarded: "Elle" Magazines's ‘Top 5’ (Nov. 2009), "In Style" 'Best Beauty Buy' (2008), and "Allure" ‘Reader's Choice Award’ (2008).

To apply: Dip tip of Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush into gel formula (coat both sides of brush head). Wipe off excess on tissue before applying to eye. Work quickly as product becomes transfer-resistant once dry.

This is a product I've been wanting to try for EVER! I picked Graphite Shimmer Ink. On the website, it says that it is a dark gray. I would maybe call it a deep charcoal gray with silver flecks. Once applied, it looks much darker. It basically looks black. Its very creamy and spreads very well. For me, it doesn't fade throughout the day. And, at the end of the night, I don't have trouble removing it. I usually will powder my lids so my liner won't smudge or budge, then apply it to my lash line with an angled liner brush. I've been using Sigma's angled brush. I prefer BB now, over MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, Stila Smudgepot & Wet n Wild Creme Liner.

Here are a few descriptions of what I like and don't like about the following liners..
MAC Blacktrack Fluidline - I love this, but the texture always gets dry for me halfway throughout the pot. I LOVE when I first purchase it, but it doesn't ever stay creamy. I can tell its a bit thicker than the other creme liners mentioned. Also, this sometimes crumbles on me. What I do like about it is, it is extremely black and the lasting power is pretty good. I have repurchased this several times.
Stila Black Smudgepot - I love the consistency of this product. The consistency is somewhat similar to BB. It is very creamy and light. It applies very nicely & black. For me though, it fades throughout the day and I'll have to reapply. I'm not sure If I would repurchase this.
Wet n Wild Creme Liner - Again, good creamy consistency. It doesn't crumble for me, but just like the Stila Smudgepot, this fades throughout the day. Great deal though and will probably repurchase b/c of the price and it works well.

Here are some swatches, courtesy of kmbirkel. Indigo Ink & Ivy Ink look gorgeous! They look like they would go well with any of the NARS eye shadows I posted in my previous post! I think Black Ink will be my next purchase.



Do you have a favorite gel/cream liner? What is your preference or HG liner?