Eyeliners (and primer and mascara)

Eyeliner is part of my daily routine. I tightline everyday with my brown L'Oreal Lineur Intense Liquid Eyeliner and curl my lashes with my trusty Shiseido eyelash curler, that is, unless I'm feeling truly lazy, in which case I just curl my lashes. The other eyeliners are for when I'm feeling artsy and I want to do something different, but I stick to only neutral colors for my eyeliners since I mostly only use them to line my lashline and waterline (anything on the eyelids I usually do with my eyeshadows), and I don't want my lashline or waterline to look colorful. My eyeshadow primer and mascara are also essential parts of my makeup routine, though I don't necessarily use them daily. Still, here is my take on some of my favorite non-eyeshadow eye makeup products (that is a mouthful)...


The purple funky-looking tube on the left is Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP) for those you who are not yet familiar. It is pretty much an HG (short for holy grail) primer for eye makeup in the makeup world, though there are people who swear by other products. So far, I've found UDPP to be a savior in terms of keeping stuff on my oily lids so I haven't thought to stray and try other stuff. The bottle is infamous for its impracticality, but I still love the design ^^

The other item that's not an eyeliner in the above picture is the L'Oreal Bare Naturale Mascara in Black (second from the right). It's close to HG status for me as a mascara, but it's not very great at holding a curl and sometimes flakes. I like it because it provides a very natural look that still enhances my lashes as long as I make sure not to apply too much of the product at once. The effect I get from the mascara are lashes that are lengthened and slightly voluminized but still look like lashes (though they feel hard). This mascara is pretty easy to get off with a eye makeup remover (I use Neutrogena's) and hasn't smudged on me, but it does flake a little bit. The major downside of the mascara IMO is that it causes my lashes to droop so that I have to curl my lashes again after putting on the mascara. Also, the product dries a bit more slowly than other mascaras I've used, so I have to be extra careful after applying to not open my eyes too wide so that my lengthened lashes touch my eyelids. Still, this is a major improvement from Voluminous, which smudges like nothing else, and Double Extend Beauty Tubes, which refuses to let my lashes be curly.

The compact on very right of the above picture (as well as in the picture below) is my Shiseido The Makeup Eyebrow and Eyeliner Compact in BL2 Deep Brown. I've grouped it with the eyeliners, but I've never used it as an eyeliner =P I only use the compact on my brows so it's still pretty new since I rarely ever fill in my brows (like my foundation and concealer, I only use it for pictures). It does a pretty good job as a brow filler, but the dark gray is a little dark for my coloring since my hair is a dark brown. Actually, even though the pan shows a dark gray and a brown, on my skin, the gray looks more like a grayish brown (see swatch below) It might be because the applicator I used is contaminated with the brown colors, though. As this is a brow powder compact, both colors are completely matte. The powder is finely milled and the staying power is good, as long as I don't get the urge to touch my brows (i.e., it will rub off).


On to the main show! Eyeliners!!

I didn't take individual pictures of the liners so you'll just have to look at the swatch =P The Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Gunmetal is a shimmery pewter with a slight blue tint. The 24/7 in Bourbon, on the other hand, is a shimmery reddish brown with small gold sparkles (smaller than glitter but bigger than shimmer). Both are very creamy and easy to work with. Like many others who have reviewed UD's 24/7, these can be smudged right after you apply them, but they stay still after they set. Neither of the 24/7 have smudged or faded on me when applied on the lashline, though if I put them on the outer corner of my eyes, they will run like all other eyeliners/eyeshadows I've used (the outer corner of my eyes are extremely oily, and not even UDPP can fix it). Also, these liners have pretty good lasting power on my waterline compared to other eyeliners I've used, but they still fade after 2-3 hours on my waterline even though they are waterproof. I've always used UDPP with these liners so I'm not sure if they would last as long without UDPP.


L'Oreal Lineur Intense Liquid Eyeliners are my HG liquid liners. I have these in Black Mica, which is a true black with some sheen, and Earthen Rock Brown, which is a neutral brown with some sheen. Although these liners are not waterproof, the intensity of the colors and the ease of application earns them a very special place in my heart ^.~ The applicator for these eyeliners is felt tip, and the liquid inside is just the right consistency for it to apply smoothly without making a mess. At the same time, I've found that it can be a bit harder to do a cat eye look (liner above lashline with a little flick at the end) with this liner because the the thickness of the applicator makes it more difficult to get the flick to look perfect. Other than that and the fact that this liner is not waterproof, I have no complaint ^_^

All of the photos in this entry were taken in natural light.

In short: UDPP is essential, L'Oreal Bare Naturale Mascara is close to HG but still somewhat lacking, UD 24/7 Eyeliners are pretty and practical at the same time, and L'Oreal Lineur Intense Liquid Eyeliners are definitely HG material (and, as an afterthought, the Shiseido Eyebrow Compact work fine).