Maybelline lasting drama in 01 black and eggplant

I got these still in New York last year, so it is a rediscovery. I love love love the eggplant gel eyeliner, used it today as a base for the eyeshadows, amazing :-)

 

 

Essence gel eyeliner update

I am sorry to report a certain fact about Essence gel eyeliners...I got a silver one from my sister and it unfortunately dried up within weeks. Recently, my sister has noticed that the same happened with her black one. And now I have heard the same thing from yet another friend.

I can still use my gel eyeliner with a really stiff brush, but it is quite difficult to apply. So, no matter how cheap they are to buy, you should either use it up quickly or get a Catrice one...

Catrice gel eyeliner 010 Black Jack with Jack Black review

Ever since I fell in love with gel eyeliners, I am always looking for a new one that I could test and see how to measures up again my current favourite - Maybelline lasting drama gel eyeliner.

And oh boy, did I find one...This lovely packaged eyeliner costs 3,99 EUR, 4 g, 0.14oz. 010 Black Jack with Jack Black. Purchased at Kruidvat (Dinant).

The colour is highly pigmented and the consistency of the product is...well liquidy gel, that is the best that I can describe it. Once you apply it, it dries up on your eyelid and DOES NOT move, budge, smudge ALL DAY LONG. I was very impressed first time I tried it (admittingly, my expectation were not too high) but I am a convert after I have tested it for days at work and in the evening.

What I love about this gel eyeliner in particular (apart from the perfect design and low price) is the fact that it stays where you place it, it does not smudge onto the lid, effectively ruining your makeup. To prevent that from happening with a Maybelline gel eyeliner, I put black eyeshadow over the eyeliner to settle it (this happens because I put it in a thick line, that is how I like it).

Hence, I highly recommend this product, if you see it - grab it, love it, wear it! Maybelling lasting drama costs up to 15 EUR in Belgium depending on where you buy it (Inno Galeria definitely the most expensive option) - in Aachen it costs 9 !! EUR...and they have a brown and blue variety. Life is not fair :-)

Catrice make-up product highlights

Right packaging sells, we all know that and for some reason, Catrice manages to catch my eye every time. Here are pictures of my favourite products that I either own already or will buy in the near future (hopefully).

Eyebrow kit

Catrice cosmetics alert

I am starting to form a certain theory: the further away you get from Brussels, the better of choice of cosmetics you get. I mean, I went to Dinant today (gorgeous weather, super town) and of course I popped into the local Kruidvat.

Imagine my excitement when I found shelves and shelves fully stocked with Essence, Rimmel, Gosh and a relative newbie to me: Catrice cosmetics. Especially the last one made my eyes run with water: lash growth serum, black and brown gel eyeliners, bent eyeliner brush, amazing eyeshadow quads, excellent choice of matte eyeshadows, nail varnish in any hip variation (nude, urban) - everything beautifully packaged. In fact, their see-through, plasticky packiging is nothing short of sexy, I was grabbing everything left and right! And the biggest bonus of course is a budget-friendly price!

Eyeliner brushes

Once you see the difference the eyeliner makes, you will never go back to a simple eye makeup, or at least that is what happened to me :-). So here are my eyeliner brushes:

1. Essence brush, it came together with gel eyeliner, a super little brush that I use a lot
2. L'Oreal HIP, again it was packed together with the gel eyeliner, but definitely NOT my favourite brush.
3. Yet another freebie, Maybelline brush that I highly recommend
4. HEMA angled brush, perfect for eyeshadow eyeliner, I also use it to set my gel eyeliner
5. Hm, a no name brush actually meant for nails, but it works also for eyeliners, not too well though
6. Sigma eyeliner brush, it is pretty thick and if you have big eyes, it will be perfect for you
7. Sigma angled eyeliner brush, a fantastic brush that I also frequently use
8. AND THE WINNER IIIIIIIIIS: Sonia Kashuk bent eyeliner brush, it makes applying the gel    eyeliner an absolute piece of cake :-) Good news, I saw bent eyeliner brushes at Inno Galeria!

Essence Preview whoom ! boooom !!!

Could it be? This should be available during March and April.

Essence whoom! boooom!!! cream eyeliner palette

This cute little palette consists of 4 cream eyeliners: white, greek, blue and grey. Since my other Essence eyeliner dried up pretty quicky, I am also wondering how long it is going to take this time.

So far so good, though! I tested the green one today and I am uber happy! It did not smudge all day long and the colour is really pretty! I am not sure what I will do with the white one yet...but the rest looks like fun! The tiny brush that comes with the palette is not suited for the job AT ALL (flat, long and soft bristles...), so feel free to use your usual eyeliner brush.

Essence - new gel eyeliners

The good things just keep on coming! Essence has launched a whole series of new fabulous products, together with these lovely babies! Gel eyeliners in different colours, I just need to get my hands on that green one!

Gel eyeliners review

I am crazy about gel eyeliners so imagine my excitement when I discovered they were finally available at Di and Kruidvat (Maybelline Lasting Drama). This afforable product (cca 12.99 EUR) does not fade out during the day and the colour payoff is amazing. The gel in the container has not dried up for months. The fact that is it packed together with a flat bristle dome-shaped brush makes is a perfect starter combo.

I bought a plum version in New York, I do not think it is on offer in Europe yet. :-(

L'Oreal HIP (high intensity pigments) - I bought it in blue and I am happy to report that the pigmentation is indeed rich and the colour does not botch all day long (available at http://www.allcosmeticswholesale.com/).

ESSENCE gel eyeliner in grey (Denim Wanted line)- locally available (Kruidvat), very cheap (4 EUR). The colour is long-lasting, it has nice metallic sheen to it. Unfortunately, mine dried up within days after I opened it and it is difficult to transfer it to my eyelids.

Final tip: to remove eyeliner from the brush, it is best to use two phase (normally for waterproof makeup) makeup remover soaked in a cotton pad.

Open up your eyes

In my opinion, there are three easy ways to look rested, sophisticated and "put together":

• Blush - for that fresh outdoorsy face
• Undereye concealer - an alpha and omega in beating the tired appearance
• Eyeliner - defines the eyes, deepens, intensifies your look, optically thickens and elongates the lashes

Eyeliners are available in many shapes and forms but they have different effects.

• Pencil eyeliners are easy to work with and chances are you are most familiar with this type. However they smudge quickly.
• Felt tip pen eyeliners are relatively easy to work with, because they offer a steady tip
• Liquid eyeliners - I find it really difficult to place them as close as possible to my lashline, my hand is shaking like crazy when I do that, so the result is...shaky. Moreover, they tend to "crack" during the day.
• Cake eyeliners - usually dark coloured powders pressed into a small pot, they are smudge-proof and the colour intensity is strong
• Gel eyeliners - are equally long lasting and colour intense as cake eyeliners, there are my favourites