Rekindled my love for liquid eyeliner pen and took a leap of faith

ever since my skin got bad, i tried to avoid gel eyeliners because they would require an eye and lip makeup remover. even though my skin can tolerate some makeup, i'm not sure if they can tolerate the makeup remover! so i've been utilizing my liquid eyeliner pen a lot more. my heroine make smooth liquid eyeliner is running dry soon, and my kate spider liner melted and smudged throughout the day, i figured it's time to try something new to see if it'd work as great as the heroine make smooth liquid eyeliner.

this is totally an impulse buy. i heard how good it is from a girlfriend of mine, she said the pen is really fine, and long lasting on her eyes. while passing by my budget toiletry shops in chinatown, i picked it up considering the lower price. (you see the price tag on the title image! $21.90 is the usual retail price at watsons, and $16.40 is the price at swanston)



i picked up the colour "intense black". there is two other shades if i remember correctly - brown and soft black.

CLAIMS

below are its claims on the front of the package:

1. 0.01 tip for super sharp lines
2. water proof
3. easy removal
4. stain free

in summary, it's an eyeliner that will deliver super fine lines that're jet black. formulated to have amazing staying power, it's also easily removed without staining your eyelids.

i just found out it's has a film type formula too, meaning it stays put on the lids really well but easily removed with warm water.

surely, something must be missing here because as far as i know, there's always gonna be a compromise between staying power and ease of removal. one of the claims must be false. which is it? 

INGREDIENTS


PEN TIP

since i have other eyeliners of similar type, i can show you a comparison of their tips.



honestly, the difference is too small and insignificant. heroine make looks the finest at the tip, maybelline might be finer than kate.

the tip is a brush tip, making it very easy to control and contour against your eyes.

COLOUR AND FINISH



the maybelline hypersharp liner in intense black wasn't as intense as i hoped for it to be! both the heroine make and kate appears to be blacker than maybelline. however, it's fully matte, so that's something new for me. i've been looking for a matte eyeliner! you will notice heroine make has most sheen.

MY EXPERIENCE:

i got about 2-3 hours of wear time from the eyeliner before it started melting and transferring to my lower lids. BAD NEWS!!! i was so disappointed when it happened. what happened to it being water resistant and sebum resistant!? i used it to line the inner corner of my eyes, which might be a mistake on my part (but heroine make never did that to me).

even after i avoided using it on my inner corners where it's easily in touch with my tears, i noticed the outer half of my eyeliner transferring to my lower lids as well. :( YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THIS!!! now this is acting exactly the same as the kate spider liner. :( what am i going to do with 2 bad eyeliners?

now that the worst thing that can happen is mentioned, i'll talk about the other claims.

the pen tip is indeed very sharp and will be very useful for people who need to draw fine eyeliners. the tip is a brush tip, my favourite kind of tips because they can bend and conform to your eyes so that you get that perfect line.

the ink does not feather into any fine lines even on my arm.

and i like the matte finish because i feel like it enlarges the eyes better than a shiny eyeliner.

lastly, this eyeliner is easily removed with vaseline. i find that it requires a little bit more tugging when i used a makeup remover (bifesta cleansing lotion). i have yet to try removing it with warm water, so i'll give that a try next time. as far as i know, this has a completely different formula as the heroine make, even though both claims to be a film type formula. heroine make will come off in a sheet if i did rub it with vaseline, while this actually melts off in it.

VERDICT

i'm still on a quest to find a matte version of the heroine make smooth liquid liner. if you're not going to use this for your inner corner of your eyes, and you only use this on your outer lid (not even remotely near your lash line), you might like this eyeliner.

for me, it's not water proof enough.

My thoughts on the highly pigmented gloss after wearing it just once.

i have been keeping a look out for these lip gloss ever since they made their debut last year. i didn't buy it immediate because 1) i wasn't in the right condition or mindset to wear makeup last october, 2) the price is too jarring.



i got it a few days ago as it had a 50% discount. it's a weekly special at watsons, so i took my chance and made my long awaited purchase. there's only one shade that have captured my heart since a year ago, so i brought it home.






STAINING POWER: it stained my bare lips pretty well within 10 minutes. the longer i have it long, the darker the stain. i love the natural look of my wine stained lips! (note: my lips are clean and bare prior to application)

FORMULA: the product is very hydrating and can be worn on its own (without any lip balm). in fact, i think it's best to start off with a pair of bare lips if you want to get stained well. the viscosity of the product allows it to be spread out evenly, thus ensuring an even stain. even though it adheres well to the skin, it isn't overly sticky.

STAYING POWER: the gloss itself isn't long lasting, but the stain is.

SCENT: lightly scented, i can't quite pin point what's the smell but it doesn't smell unpleasant.





HOW TO PERFECT YOUR APPLICATION: when i said some skills are required to fully maximise the benefit of this product, i just mean for you to utilise the paddle applicator for a perfect application. i find that the best way to apply this new kind of liquid balm (similar to the maybelline lip polish/elixir and innisfree creamy tint lip mousse) is to use enough force to smooth the product over your lips. lip smacking pre-maturely may result in an patchy application. also, make sure your lips are clean and bare without a trace of lip balm for the best application experience.

OTHER PRECAUTIONS: you may also want to dip the applicator slowly back into the tube to prevent over spilling of the product because the thickness of it will increase the risk of trapping air and thus, spilling out of the tube. you don't want to get this sticky mess onto anywhere that's not your lips.

VERDICT: a lovely formula with amazing colour payoff. i love how it moisturizes my lip which packing the colour on so intensely. i would prefer it to the loreal shine caresse glossy stain as the former is more hydrating and pigmented. one layer of product gives you about 70% of the colour, but if you're aiming for super dark lips, two coats might be necessary.

First Impression And Swatch of the Sigma Lip Base (Indulgent)

this is the first time i used a lip liner and i really liked it.

my mom isn't into makeup like me, but she do use lip liners, so i've always associated lip liners with the older generation since young. moreover, lip liners aren't marketed as heavily as lipsticks are, i just never thought of buying myself one.

sigma has sent me some of their beauty products (you can read more on a separate entry) and here's my first impression review on their lip base in the shade indulgent.



COLOUR: nude pink that can look a little peachy under warmer lighting.

FINISH: matte, but has a slight sheen to it that resembles natural lips.



SCENT: unscented.

TEXTURE: almost velvet like because it glides onto my lips (without lip balm) really smoothly and evenly.

PIGMENTATION: able to completely cover up my original lip colour easily, it also lifted my mom's slightly darker lips a little. you can see from the swatch above that the lip liner covered a brown spot on my lips.

STAYING POWER: it can be wiped off easily with a piece of tissue, but it doesn't transfer to cups as easily as lipsticks. i got 2-3 hours of wear before i wiped it off (because i had to eat). reapplication is very easy since it can be cleaned off so easily. 



OVERALL: a very light weight product that hugged my lips like second skin, giving me a really natural look. i really didn't feel a thing on my lips. even though my lip lines are pretty visible when wearing just the lip base alone, my lips isn't actually dry or uncomfortable. the product didn't sink into lip lines like certain lipstick does. as i'm an avid fan of smacking my lips subconsciously, i notice this product doesn't have that sticky feeling like the revlon ultimate suede lipstick.

VERDICT: i'm loving this lip liner! 

since i've never used lip liners before, i have nothing to compare this to, but the performance of the lip base surprised me very pleasantly :) it's perfect for days when i wish to look a little more under stated yet made up. this might just send me into a lip liner hunt in the future for more amazing stuff.

you can check out the other lip base shades they offer.

Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder (020 Light Pale)

i almost never win things, but i won this in a revlon official giveaway a few months ago from their facebook page :D but i wasn't allow to choose the colour - they sent me the shade in the middle since there are only 3 shades available in singapore's collection.

the nearly naked pressed powder claims to
1) even skin tone
2) a non cakey formula that provides a shine free finish
3) blends into skin to create lightweight finish, almost naked!

my experience, IN A NUTSHELL:
1) really non cakey/powdery formula! what!?
2) not sweat resistant
3) doesn't really even skin tone since it's so naked
4) can't detect presence of powder on my face
5) it smells very weird


the entire compact case is pretty huge, it contains a small mirror and a sponge puff.


ingredient list. that's a whole lot of yeast extract (saccharomyces) in this powder! it's use? snooped online and it only identified it as a skin conditioner.


the sponge has a really weird capability, it's really soft and squishy, and has some memory :P but i didn't use it to apply the powder. felt that it was too small to deposit the powder evenly.


in the pan, 020 light pale looks like a light beige with yellow undertone.


swatched on bare skin.

on my skin, 020 light pale looks nothing like what's in the pan, it looked more ashy and seem to match my skin tone, probably due to the low opacity of the product. it's almost invisible after i blended it out. if not for enhancing my lines on my hand, you can't tell that i've anything on.

IMHO

i've been using it for the past few months, i can't say i love it because i really dislike the scent of the product. but i do like the very natural finish it gives me. i really can't detect any powder on my face at all.

the powder itself doesn't feel like a powder. it's not powdery at all! i tried swirling my finger and it hardly picked up any product unlike my powder foundation. i swirled my brush next and nothing gets kicked up at all, a small amount of powder gets onto the brush and that's it. sometimes it frustrates me because i feel like i'm not picking up any product at all (but i actually am, just that they're really quite naked).

the only way i know i have the powder on my face is the way it takes away shine. it does a pretty good job at mattifying my face. it doesn't last the entire day though, especially if i perspired as this product isn't sweat resistant. it comes off by blotting.

this powder is a very weird powder.

i had some problem with it - there was build up on the surface, so i tried to wipe it off with a tissue. it usually does the trick, but it didn't work this time. it buffed the surface into a shiny surface. whattttt???





so i scraped it off, but the surface is still gritty no matter how many times i swirl my brush over it. i don't know why the texture is like this. while it doesn't affect the quality of the powder (it still comes off after i scraped off the build up), i don't like the sight of a gritty product. the powder on display are all super smooth for some reason. not sure if it's just this colour, or just this particular product that i own. maybe there's a slight defect?

all in all, this product does what it claims. i wish they smell nicer. and less gritty in the pan.

Canmake Color Stick Concealer (09 Skin Beige) Swatch and Review

in an attempt to search for another concealer that can perform what the sonia kashuk hidden agenda concealer is doing for me, i picked this up when it was on sale at a sasa event. i got this for $5!

IN A NUTSHELL:
1. lightweight, creamy and super blendable
2. light to medium coverage for natural look
3. colour most suitable for hiding dark circles
4. not long wear formula, but stayed on for at least 6 hours on my skin with a proper foundation and setting powder

read on if you'll like more details.


the tube is in a colour that's similar to the content - a slightly darker beige with orange undertones.


on the tube it did suggest that this colour is meant for covering dark circles, and it has a natural skin colour.


swatched on bare skin, the left side is unblended while the right side is blended out slightly.

09 is a dark peach colour.

IMHO

the coverage isn't full coverage, in fact it sheers out quite a lot after blending into the skin thanks to the lightweight formula. the coverage is buildable although i won't recommend it as this is a very creamy product, the chances of it creasing and enhancing the lines around the eyes are very high.

what i like most about this product is its colour and spreadability. it is lightweight and creamy at the same time - making it very easy to sheer out. the colour is very suitable for covering dark circles under my eyes, i'm not sure if it's because of the slight orange tone (which isn't that obvious once it's on my skin), i think it's most probably due to the slightly darker colour that made it work better than the brightening concealers i own.

the best way to use this concealer is to layer it over a brightening foundation. brightening foundations tend to make the under eye area look greyish, this concealer will return some natural skin tone to the area to make the dark circle less glaring, what you get is a very natural look at the end of the day - no more tired look eyes, but people won't be able to notice that something is weird because this lightens the appearance of dark circle instead of eradicating it altogether.

as the consistency of the concealer is thin, don't expect it to work wonders like achieving full coverage.

this is not a long wear formula, so it's best to set it with a powder after using. to prevent creasing, it's best to use just a thin layer of it.

i'm really surprised at its blendability as my experience with drugstore concealers told me they tend to be slightly stiffer and thicker. this defied my expectations. now, if only it's more pigmented..

i purchased this for SGD$5 when it was on sale.

Maybelline Lashionista Mascara VS Dolly Wink Long Mascara

my first ever film type mascara was the deja vu fiberwig mascara and it disappointed me. but that didn't stop me from trying more film type formulas.

film type mascaras are water and oil resistant, as far as the formula in the past few years goes.. i can't say the same for fiberwig from a decade ago! they are easy to remove in the shower as they can easily come off with warm water. they form little "caps" of black polymer that will just trickle down your drain after some gentle rubbing.


i'm comparing the maybelline lashionista mascara in black to the dollywink long mascara, also in black.



similarities:
1. both create very natural lengths (seems to have similar lengthening powers)
2. both straighten my curled lashes
3. both last me throughout the entire day, no panda eyes!
4. both are able to hold curls IF i use a heated lash curler after application, and they do not melt or stain the heated lash curler!

differences:
1. dollywink has a wetter formula and tend to group my lashes together, whereas the maybelline is of a drier formula, giving me a one by one look.
2. dollywink has a fatter brush than the maybelline.
3. maybelline is able to go up to 5 coats without looking unnatural, while dollywink may look a little spidery.
4. maybelline may be a few dollars cheaper than dollywink.
5. maybelline's formula feels more light weight.

that's all for a simple comparison! if you were to ask me which do i prefer, i'd go with the maybelline. even though both will straighten my curled lashes, the lightweight formula of the maybelline means i can keep going on and on to build a layer of fibers, and then using my fingers i can push these fibers upwards and they'll hold the curl just fine. they'll probably need some "reassurance" throughout the day to keep them perked up, but i couldn't achieve that with the dollywink because it's formula is just too wet. i did try to remove most of the excess mascara on the wand, but it's just a little troublesome.

for a more dolly look, i'd go for the dollywink since the brush bunch up my lashes together. for a really natural "i don't have any mascara on" look, i'd choose maybelline.

the full review of the individual mascaras are linked above! check them out if you want more details.

Heroine Smooth Liquid Liner VS Kate Super Sharp Liner

a while ago i purchased the kate super sharp liner in BK-1 while it was on sale, i've also done a separate swatch and review on it. i've been a long time user of the heroine make smooth liquid liner. i can't remember what made me want to buy it several years back, but i've since been in love with it as it has worked so well for me, i actually repurchased it because for that price point, this liquid liner is just perfect.



TIP SIZE:
kate: 0.03mm
HM: 0.1mm

honestly, it looks like the heroine make is finer in the photo. both eyeliner tips are made of thin fibres instead of felt tip. the heroine make tip is a little more flexible and soft than the kate's.


can you make a guess which heart is drawn by which pen?

the left is drawn by kate, the ink seems a little lighter in shade because it was brand new when i did this swatch and the ink isn't flowing as nicely yet, but the apparent difference in the thickness of the line is telling of the tip.




FINISH:
heroine make has a slight sheen to it after it's dried down. it actually feel like a thin layer of polymer on top of my skin.
kate dries down to a matte finish, and it sure dries quickly!
this swatch was taken after i used the kate eyeliner for a few more times, so the ink is definitely flowing a lot better, but you can tell it's still on the dryer side.

COLOUR INTENSITY:
both produce an intense black colour.


pardon me for the weird position of the eyeliners.

the first 2 lines and the last 2 lines are kate's, while the one in the middle belong to heroine make. why this odd placement? because after two swipes of kate, i went on to swatching the heroine make only to realize this isn't fair because kate's ink wasn't flowing as smoothly yet. so i swiped another two lines with kate to show that its ink is actually pretty dark too. #thingsthatcangowrongwhenswatching



OIL PROOF TEST:
both comes off pretty easily when rubbed in vaseline, but the kate eyeliners stained my skin.

WEAR TIME:
i'm recalling this from memory, but both eyeliners lasted me the entire day. they stay beautifully on my lids, they don't melt off after exposure to my sweat or oils.

however, they weren't as reliable on my inner corners. it's fine if i don't touch it there, but if i do, it's likely they'll get rubbed off by a tissue after soaking in tears for the entire day.

EASE OF REMOVAL:
heroine make is definitely easier when it comes to being removed by my eye makeup remover. it can be removed by warm water too, but i don't usually do that. it'll come off in a sheet if you do decide to use water.

PRICE:
heroine make: SGD18.90
kate: SGD17.90

i actually bought the heroine make eyeliner in HK, it's only HKD78 over there.

CONCLUSION:
being the kate fan girl i am, i'm actually not too impressed by this eyeliner. even though both of them fare similar in terms of colour intensity and wear time, i'm not too fond of the fact that it stains my eyelids. i'm also used to the more flexible and bendy tip that heroine make offers, i don't think i'll repurchase another kate eyeliner in the future.

Solone Vivid Fantasy Smoody Pencil 04 Grape Cakeroll (Swatch and Review)

this was on my radar for quite some time. solone is a taiwanese brand and they're most well known for their eyeliner pencils that sets in 30s. i believe i first saw it on the yahoo auction website many years ago. they've grown much bigger over the years, and this time round they collaborated with an illustrator to create this alice in wonderland series :)


such a cute illustration!


i got it in shade 04, grape cakeroll, it's a purple colour.


ingredients list if you're interested.
it contains 0.5g of product.


a little translation for those who can't read chinese:

what's special about this product:
1. eyeliner + eyeshadow capabilities, can be used as an eyeliner and blended out into an eyeshadow.
2. twist up mechanism ridding you the need of a pencil sharpener.
3. a sharpener is embedded at the end of the pencil to allow for a more precise application.
4. mousse finish that blends easily. colours are vibrant, waterproof and oil resistant, and a long lasting budge proof experience.


it even comes with instructions on how to use the product.
this is for using it as an eyeshadow.

step 1: use a light colour eyeliner pencil on the eyelid and blend it out as a base colour.
step 2: applying a dark colour eyeliner pencil along the lash line and blend upwards to create a gentle gradient.
step 3: use a bright coloured eyeliner pencil to emphasize the inner corner and the lower lid area.


for use as an eyeliner:

step 1: lift up your eyelid with your finger gently, fill in the lash line for the outer half.
step 2: starting from the start of your eyelids, draw the eyeliner and connect to the second half of the line.
step 3: extend the eyeliner according to your eye shape by 1-3mm, lift it up slightly.
step 4: line the outer third of the lower lash line and connect to the upper eyeliner.


the black little part is actually the eyeliner pencil lead sharpener. it only shaves off the product and not the surrounding plastic (unlike a traditional pencil sharpener).


04 grape cakeroll.


it contains about 4cm of product, which is pretty generous in my opinion. the diameter of the lead is definitely much wider than most other brands out there.


swatched on hand over powder foundation:

grape cakeroll is more of a violet-like-purple. i'd say it leans towards the bluish side of purple under normal lighting. it contains some shimmer as shown in the bottom photo.

it does glide over my skin very easily, the mousse formula does allow it to be blended out pretty easily, but some skill is definitely required if you want to get an even colour out of this darker shade.


vaseline test:

it's definitely more resistant than my maybelline gel eyeliners. those melt into vaseline within a few seconds of rubbing, but these thing stayed on my hands until i wiped it with a tissue paper. i guess it takes some friction to get them off the skin.

in case you're thinking that it's really hard to remove, it is difficult only if you use the wrong thing. i tried it with an eye makeup remover (i used my bifesta eye makeup remover) and it came off really effortlessly after soaking the pad in for a few seconds.

IMHO:

do the eyeliner pencil live up to its claims?

vibrant colour - YES. as with most eyeliners.

budge proof - YES. the first time i tried these in sasa, i tried rubbing my hands to get rid of them. i only got myself some red skin after that. eyeliners still intact. :(

water and oil resistant - yet to test them out for the entire day yet, but the vaseline test speaks volume for its oil resistance.

easy to blend - quite easy i would say, but to get an even application is a little hard. it would required some skills definitely. perhaps loading up on the product instead of a sheer layer will allow more products to be blended out smoothly. i think it blends out a little easier than the makeon season 1 eyeliners (especially the darker shades). currently, i think the clio gelpresso eyeliners still top my list of super blendable eyeliners.

i think the addition of a lead sharpener is a really nice bonus to the twist up mechanism. a lazy bum like me really appreciate this invention.

i bought this for SGD$10 from sasa when it was going on sale. the usual price is $14.90. although it's a little more expensive over here in singapore, but i think it's really worth the buck considering the amount of product you get.

maybelline masterliner cost $9.90 for 0.3g. you do the math.