Tidy Victory - Great time at story time this morning at the library - we rented another DVD and the toddler was extremely polite to one of the adopted grandmothers who comes to help out.
In case you forgot, I have a blush obsession that I explained in this post. I haven't purchased any more blush products since then, except for trying some Lancome blush samples when I was looking for new foundation for the wedding (see this post).
I did get some Sephora gift cards for my birthday that I MAY purchase a new blush with - I've been looking at the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour blush. We'll see.
I do, however, need to replenish my eyeliner. I have to wear it on my upper lids when I leave the house - I have very light sparse eyelashes and I look like I do not have any makeup on if I don't put on some eyeliner.
Here are the eyeliners I have tried out so far!
<One> I learned how to put on liquid liner in high school - takes quite the steady hand, and a handful of q-tips. This liquid liner was my first and has since been my only - L'Oreal Lineur Intense Brush Tip Liquid Eyeliner. It stays put and really brings out my eyes nicely.
I used it so much the label wore right off! |
Now that I am older and more mature (wink wink) I am looking for a softer look on my eyelids than a sharp liquid liner. Don't get me wrong, I still wear it when I'm going out for a nice dinner with my husband or drinks with the girls.
Another important point is the liner must STAY PUT! I've talked about the morrocan oil I use on my eyes which means it can be tricky to keep makeup in place.
<Two> A few trips to Sephora ago, the fun Sephora girl suggested I try Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liner in Raven ($20.00). There is a sharpener inside the cap - to sharpen you just twist the eyeliner inside the cap and voila! I liked the liner - it did stay in place (I use Mary Kay Foundation Primer on my lids to help out with that, too) while giving me a less harsh look. The price point isn't TOO bad, but definitely a nice treat from my typical drugstore makeup.
Same thing, label is gone, but it's Smashbox I swear. |
I used that eyeliner at least 4-6 days a week, and it lasted about 3 months. Not bad.
<Three> I really liked the Smashbox eyeliner, but I wanted to know if there was a drugstore equivalent. With one trip to the store, I came home with L'Oreal Infallible Never Fail Eyeliner in black. It does not stay on my eyelid as long as the Smashbox and the color pigment isn't as deep, but for less than half the cost it will do when I'm just running to the store.
It has a sharpener on one end and a smudged on the other. I can't really do a smokey look - it just looks like I've been out imbibing in a few too many libations when I do. I'm more of a clean and classic makeup type.
Fast forward to now - there is no Sephora in my neighborhood and my Smashbox liner is used up. Out of desperation, I went to Walmart with my L'Oreal coupon and looked for a new liner to use until I could get to Sephora again. I wanted to try something new so I passed on the Never Fail.
<Four> I found this eye liner and thought I'd give it a try - L'Oreal Infallible Silkissime Eyeliner in black. And now I'm in love.
It goes on soooooo smoothly for a pencil liner. It is a self-advancing liner that you use the L'Oreal Dual Sharpener to sharpen (you could probably use a regular sharpener but I haven't tried yet). And it STAYED for an entire work day! I'm sold.
This is not to say I won't be purchasing the Smashbox liner again - the self sharpening tip is too convenient not to. I just really prefer the ease of application with the L'Oreal eyeliner. Same to say this is my new favorite liner in lieu of not having easy access to the Smashbox liner.
****Update - After using the pencil enough that I had to sharpen it, I discovered that due to the soft nature (it is a liquid pencil, after all) this can be difficult. A quick google search and I found that A) if you pop the pencil in the freezer for a few minutes then sharpen, it helps a lot B) a lot of people had a nice sharpener from Ulta or Sephora that also seemed to work better than my itty bitty ELF sharpener. Try that!
Do you see the pattern with my L'Oreal liners? A) There is ALWAYS a coupon for L'Oreal in the Sunday paper and B) I think it is the best quality drugstore product makeup-wise. I find that it applies easiest, stays on longest and has a better color pigment payoff of any of the drugstore brands.
So, stay tuned to see what I purchase at Sephora over the weekend (if I even make it) - I'm sure I won't just be using gift cards. Do you think they accept small children as payment? I kid (no pun intended)!
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