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Physicians Formula: Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Trio

I purchased two of these Physicians Formula Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Trio’s last week when they were buy one get one 50% off at CVS. They came in a number of different sets based on eye color, I purchased the Green eyes and Blue eyes set.  My eyes are actually hazel but I liked the colors that these came with better and I have green contacts that I wear often anyways.  I’ll start by saying I have picked these up and put them down without purchasing probably 5 times in the past few weeks. They always caught my eye but then I couldn’t figure out why they were shaped so oddly and how you would sharpen them, so I would put them back down. However, since they were on sale I bought them.  After getting home I started having second thoughts though so I started reading some reviews online. They were all bad. Most people said the tips broke off and the point wore down quickly. There was no way to sharpen them and once the point wore down you were stuck with a blunt end that was too wide to use. That gave me second thoughts again so I started researching Kajal eyeliner in general just to see if I was missing something.  That’s when I had my aha! moment.  These aren’t supposed to be used like a regular eyeliner. When using them you hold them so the stick is parallel with your eye, this does not wear down the point.  So again when you use this do not hold it so that the tip makes right angle to your lash line but instead slide the eyeliner on it’s side across your lashline. I hope that makes sense!

Now that I had done my research I decided I would give these a chance instead of taking them back. I have good and bad things to say about these pencils.

I’ll start with the good.

1. I really like the color and pigmentation. I read a few reviews that said the color wasn’t saturated enough but I don’t have that complaint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. I found these to be fairly creamy and I did not have any tugging or pulling on my eyelid when applying this. Again, I read reviews where people said these didn’t seem soft, but I have not had that issue.

3. The box suggests layering shades together and I think you can create some really beautiful looks that way. My favorite so far is lining close to the lashline with the brown and then tracing along that line with the blue.

4. I’m still able to create some pretty cat eyes looks with these even without directly using the point of the pencil. I actually think its easier creating that shape with these then with my normal pencils.

The Bad

1. These are labeled as waterproof and are supposed to last well on the waterline. I do not find that to be true at all. It fades off of my waterline very very quickly. Also, while I like the pigmentation against my skin, it does not apply very darkly to the waterline.

2. These do not set well. I notice a lot of transference to my crease when I first apply these. It seems like they take at least a good 5 minutes to set which is not very convenient. Even then I am kind of paranoid about them smudging so I have been using a powder to trace along the edge of the line. This seems to work, especially for the liner underneath my bottom lashes.  Again though, these are promoted as waterproof  so I would think these would be less smudgy.

If you are looking for these in the store here is a picture of the Green Eyes set still in the box

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things To Know:

1. These are not low-maintenance eyeliners. I think they look beautiful but they take time to set.

2. This is not a precision eyeliner. Try not to use the point! Use them correctly and they’ll last awhile.

3. For the cleanest application I recommend using a powder to trace the edge of your line. This will prevent them from smudging all over the place.

4. I really liked the color and pigmentation of these.

5. I found these to be really fun to use, I recommend layering the shades.

6. I suggest wearing these for a low-key date night or a fun lunch with friends. I do not recommend these if you plan on going to the bar or dancing, I feel like if you got hot these would probably smudge away quickly.

Overall, I say give these a try if you have some extra cash to spend and you’re looking for a new product to play with. I really liked mine and I’m glad I didn’t return them

Sidenote: I think I have a new obsession with Kajal eyeliners. I want to try some real ones from India, I read you can order them online from ebay for like 2 dollars!

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How To: Minking Your Eyelashes

Looking for a more natural looking way to give your eyes a full and glamorous look? I’ve been “minking” my eyelashes for the last week and it’s fast, easy and looks beautiful!

What You Need:

1. A good eyelash curler

2. A volumizing mascara in the shade brown

3. A lengthening mascara in the blackest shade you can find

How to:

1. Give your eyelashes a good curl with your favorite eyelash curler

2. Apply 2-3 coats of your most volumizing brown mascara from root to tip. Try and focus the most product at the roots of your lashes.  I’ve been using Maybelline’s The Colossal Volum’Express in the shade Glam Brown

3. Apply 2 coats of your blackest mascara to just the tips of your lashes. I’ve been using Maybelline Lash Stilleto because it’s lengthening and I think the black dries with a slightly glossy finish.

And that’s it! Super easy and a fun way to mix up the same boring black mascara that you wear everyday.  Your eye lashes will look fuller and longer than ever! Give it a try and let me know how you like the results!

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Favorite Drugstore Liquid Eyeliners

Nothing looks more classically beautiful than black winged eyeliner. One of my favorite ways to get this look is liquid liner so I’m always trying new formulas. After testing out almost every product available at the drugstore I have found the liners below work  best for me. Keep in mind I prefer a felt tip because I think they are easy to use and allow me to create the most versatile eye shapes.

My first and absolute favorite Liquid liner of all time is L’oreal’s Carbon Black Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Liner. It’s super black, not too wet and stays all day. It also dries super quick. I find this has some of the darkest pigmentation of any drugstore liner I’ve tried. I’m obsessed with this and think it should be a staple product in everyone’s collection. It retails for about $8.99 and I usually try and get them when they are BOGO 50%

Another liner that works really well is the Maybelline Line Stiletto Liquid Liner. It also has a felt tip and is really easy to use. It dries fairly quickly and doesn’t smudge on me once it sets.  My only issue with this is the darkest shade blackest black has a slight brown undertone to me. This retails for 5.99 so it’s a little cheaper than the L’oreal formula. The handle on this liner is also a little shorter than the L’oreal liner and my personal preference is the longer handle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are looking for even cheaper alternatives I have 2 recommendations; Wet N Wild’s Liquid Eyeliner and Elf’s Studio Liquid Eyeliners. Both of these products can be purchased for between 1 and 2 dollars and have amazing pigmentation. The Wet N Wild liner has a flexible brush tip that may be a little more difficult to use if you are new to liquid liners.  The Elf liners have a very hard stiff brush tip. I think these are great products but I do find the formulas for both are very wet and require some extra drying time if you don’t want a smudgey mess. I also find the wear time and staying power of these are slightly shorter but you can’t beat the price.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I own all of these in various shades and I’ll continue to repurchase them. If you have a drugstore favorite be sure to let me know so I can try it out if I haven’t already

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Tarte NeutralEYES Volume II Palette

The Tarte NeutralEYES Volume II Palette is a 10 shadow palette with colors ranging from pale pink to a a milk chocolate brown. This palette comes with a Tarte emphasEYES brown eyeliner, a dual shadow brush, and a sample of their eye primer. I think it also came with a card with some ways to use the palette but I lost it. I bought mine from ULTA for $44.00. I’ve had about a month to play with it and I have some good and bad things to say.

I’ll start with the packaging:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The case is pretty sturdy and the lid is magnetic so it snaps into place. I feel like this would work really well for travel. It’s not too bulky or large and you could easily throw it in a suitcase and not worry about it shattering everywhere.

Next the eyeshadows themselves:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You get an even mix of matte and shimmer shades with the palette. The top 5 colors are matte and the bottom 5 are shimmer. None contain any noticeable glitter which is great because I hate glitter fallout. The colors themselves look nice in the pan but I find that the colors themselves don’t have the best payoff. The first 2 top shades and first 2 bottom shades had the least color payoff for me. When I swatched them on my arm you could barely even seem them. I also found that the 4th bottom shade also shows up very light.  Considering I spent 44 dollars on this set I was a little disappointed that almost half the shades didn’t show up against my skin. However, the buttercream shade (third in the top row) and the two brown shimmer shades on the bottom have great payoff and I love wearing them. The brown shimmer shades both remind me of cooler toned versions of Urban Decay’s smolder. I also think the grey shade in the top row looks nice paired over Maybelline’s Tough as Taupe Color Tattoo. Here are the colors swatched on my arm:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The feel of these varies, the matte shades are a little more powdery while the shimmer colors are pretty creamy. One huge plus is these colors literally last ALL day on me. Tarte products always have amazing staying power for me these are no exception.

The freebies that come with this are great. The eyeliner is such a crazy consistency. Its an aqua-gel liner in pencil form, it’s so soft it almost feels like a liquid when you are applying it.  The only problem is that since it’s so soft you could blow through this pencil in 2 weeks if you used it as an everyday liner and I’m pretty sure they retail for $22 so that would be a big budget buster. The brush is great and I enjoyed the primer as well.

Things You Need To Know:

1. The color payoff isn’t great on some of these shades but the lasting power is unbeatable.

2. My favorite way to wear this palette is to apply the buttercream shade all over my lid and then mix the 2 shimmer brown shades into my crease.

3. This palette has a good mix of matte and shimmer shades and avoids chunky glitter

4. Be careful when you apply the eyeliner to your waterline, it melts into a liquid and I’m always getting it in my eye which burns like crazy for the first 10 seconds. (However the staying power is great so I still use it, I’m just very careful)

5. I use these with a primer to get the most color payoff

Overall I feel like this palette was more a miss than a hit for me. I definitely can find ways to wear it and the eyeliner it came with was awesome but I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone on a budget. This was kind of an impulse buy for me and I wish I had done a little more research and swatched the colors in the store. While I still love Tarte products this just didn’t impress me very much.

 

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Rimmel VolumeFlash Scandaleyes Mascara

This Rimmel VolumeFlash Scandaleyes Mascara is my new favorite volumizing drugstore mascara. It’s oversized brush reminds me of Covergirl’s LastBlast mascara’s wand but is a non-plastic version of it.  This mascara is a little clumpy and thick but I love that when I’m wearing a dramatic smokey eye or just want eyelashes that pop. It’s a very intense black and I like using it to top my Maybelline’s Illegal Length Mascara.

Out of all the Rimmel Mascara’s I have tried this one is definitely my favorite. I spent around 6 bucks on it and grabbed it at my local CVS.

Things To Know:

1. This is a very thick formula. It isn’t super wet but it is not a dry formula either. Somewhere in the middle.

2. I like to use 2-3 coats and do NOT let it dry between coats. I find it looks best when first apply one coat of a lengthening mascara.

3. I think this looks best with a smokey eye or evening look. It’s a little clumpy for an everyday mascara.

4. I did notice a little smudging when I wore this on my lower lash line

5. This will give you noticeably thicker and darker lashes

I would definitely suggest this for anyone who likes a bold eyelash look and doesn’t mind a thicker clumpier formula.

 

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Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Mascara

So I finally got my hands on Maybelline’s newest mascara the Illegal Length Fiber Extension formula. I picked the shade blackest black and I think I paid about $7.99 for it. I’ve been using it for about 2 weeks now and I’m actually really impressed with the formula.  Personally, I wasn’t very wowed with L’oreal’s Voluminous False Lash Mascara which also was touted as a fiber mascara. However, I am loving Maybelline’s version.

The wand is fairly skinny and tapers at the tip. I find it does a really nice job separating my lashes and doesn’t get messy or clumpy when you pull it out of the tube.

The formula for this isn’t too dry or wet but a nice medium consistency and it does add a lot of length to my lashes without any clumping.  While I usually favor mascara’s that focus more on volume and thickness I find I really like the look I get with this particular lengthening formula.

Things You Need To Know:

1. This is a true fiber mascara and claims to be able to build up to 4 mm of measurable extension to each lash. I think it does a very good job at living up to that claim.

2. I found this worked best if I did NOT let the mascara dry between coats

3. I usually apply 2-3 coats for the most dramatic look

4. I did not notice any smudging or flaking throughout the day

If you’ve been eyeing this and wondering whether or not to pick it up I would definitely say go for it! It gives you a great everyday mascara look and if I add a coat of my favorite volumizing mascara on top I get a great dramatic evening look.

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