BATTLE OF THE BLACK LIQUID EYELINERS

I have been meaning to do this post for so long and I'm so sorry I'm just getting to it.  I posted a picture on my instagram & facebook when I was testing out some new liquid eyeliners and everyone asked which one I liked the best... I held out because I wanted to write a blog post and didn't think it was going to take me this long.  So here we go.

Here is the big reveal of what was drawn on my hands.  (just FYI the Sephora one is only "smudgeproof, not waterproof")

Typically I use Japanese brand liquid eyeliners (dollywink, 24 hr tattoo) with a felt or pointed tip in liquid form but I've been using gel liners on a daily basis that the liquid eyeliner that was in my makeup bag had already dried out.  Liquid eyeliners are much more easier and faster to use because you don't have to clean your brushes and you can easily use them on the go.  I've been kind of lazy and wanted to switch out from gel from time to time, so I went into Sephora and picked up whole bunch and started testing it on my hand.

Here's the break down of the pictures:  Stila ($20), Marc Jacobs ($30) and NARS ($27) have slight shine to it, while Make Up For Ever (MUFE) ($23) and Sephora Smart Liner ($14) are very matte.

Waterproof test:
I ran my hand through a running sink and none of them bled right away.  Sephora Smart Liner was the first one to disappear when I started rubbing it.  But as I said before, Sephora doesn't claim that it's waterproof, but regardless not too bad.

Smudgeproof test:
When smudged without water, none of them really seemed to smudge.  They all stayed intact.  But after a long time of rubbing, they start to flake off and MUFE was first to flake off.  But you shouldn't be rubbbing your eyes like that expect your eyeliners to survive (just sayin').

Color test:
They were all pretty dark.  I've seen some liners that claim that they are black but they are not black enough for me.... But the five I chose was amongst the darkest eyeliners I've seen.
Color wise Darkest was:
1. Sephora Smart Liner (matte)
2. Marc Jacobs Precision Liner (shiny)
3. Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner (matte)
4. NARS Eyeliner Stylo (shiny)
5. Stila (shiny)

Miloberry Picks:
From the 5 eyeliners tested, I liked Marc Jacobs and the Sephora Smart Liner the best.  But this could be matter of preference, because I like certain type of felt tip and my expectations may be different from yours.  For me the important factors are that they are long wearing (because my eyes water) and they are super black, and the tips give me precision and control when I draw my cat eye.  But between the two, I'll pick Marc Jacobs Precision Liner.  I love it.  When I tested two of them, this is what happened on one eye watering morning.  I was testing Sephora first and this happened.  I tried reapplying but below kept happening.

So I tried applying Marc Jacobs Precision Liner and I was able to fix the problem.  Yay!

Here are my quick thoughts on each of the liners.

Marc Jacobs Precision Liner ($30): 

1. It was super black in color (it is on the shiny side)
2. Waterproof... survived my watery eyes
3. The packaging of this eye liner feels like a Monte Blanc of eyeliners.  Yes it's pricey, but it's super duper nice on your eyes.  The felt tip is just perfect.
I'll try to do more detailed review later if you'd like.  Please let me know!

Sephora Smart Liner ($14):

1. It's cheap and performs well at $14!
2. Super black and matte
3. The handle takes a little getting used to, but I can deal with it.
4.  I didn't like the packaging (i.e. tip and the cap, felt very cheap)

MUFE Aqua Liner ($20):  (I HATED THIS- RETURNED IT!)

It was nice and black, waterproof, but it got crusty on my eyes and started flaking off when I tried to reapply after it was dried.  And the cap got crusty and flakey on my second use.  I returned it. Also the tip kinda hurt my eyes. :(  I have this in another color and I'm okay with that... may be cuz I don't use it everyday....

NARS Eyeliner Stylo ($27)

This one was nice, but for the price, it felt a more over priced version of the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner with bigger felt tip and the color was a bit more darker than Stila.  I'd probably pass on this if I could pay $3 more and buy Marc Jacobs.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner ($20)

I think this is a good performing eyeliner at a good price point.  But I wish the color was a little bit more black and the eyeliner seems to dry out fairly quickly.  This one is very very very similar to the Japanese Eyeliners I get  (dollywink, 24hr. Tattoo) except I think the Japanese ones are bit more black.  And they are both priced very similar to one another.  I wouldn't be surprised if they are made by the same company!

Red Sexy Lips: Get yo Sexy On~

I have been O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D. with Red Lipsticks lately.  I just recently started trying this bold statement, so I had a lot of learning and catching up to do.  I didn't know there were so many different shades of red lipsticks that can really alter your skin tone, color of your teeth, etc....  There are orangey tone lipsticks, pinky tone lipsticks, vampy tone lipsticks... so you do have to try quite a bit before deciding on what looks good on you.  It can be scary... and you may not be used to it... but keep searching... nothing says sexy like a bold red lipstick.....

So since I'm a newbie, thought I share some of the cheaper options I went with, since I didn't want to spend tons of money getting the wrong shades or formula in expensive brands.  Even though except for one, are drugstore prices, I really like the formulas and the colors I ended up with.

For me, I've realized that I want something that will stay on and it's not going to bleed all over my teeth, or when the wind blows, I'm going to have streak of hair in red, lining across my face... so long wear was an important factor for me.  Which meant, I had to get all day wear type lipstick or line with red lipliner, or go with matte lipstick. 

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense- No. 42 ($19)
Texture: Soft Matte
Stay Power: Pretty good, exceptionally good with lipliner filled in
Color: True Red
I think this color suits me the best.  I like the formula and it doesn't rub off when I'm drinking coffee...  However because it is matte, and it'll get drier throughout the day, it can accentuate your lip lines.

Rimmel Kate Moss- No. 10  ($5.99) I was able to get mine for $3.99 at CVS
Texture: Slightly Matte with Creamy Shiny Finish
Stay Power: It won't come completely off your lips, but a lot of it does come off. Definitely will need to reapply
Color: Dark, slightly vampy red
I'm not sure if you can see it well in the pictures, but this was a little too dark on my lips.  People mentioned... like "woah... your lips are redddddd"... I'm guessing almost like a vampire... LOL.  Even I thought it was a bit dark. Definitely not my number one choice.  Although for the price of Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick line, I think the quality is really good.

NYX Matte Lipstick - MLS 18 Bloody Mary ($5.99) On Sale at ULTA for $4.19 and you can use $3.50 off coupon. :)
Texture: Matte
Stay Power: Really good.  It really sticks on your lips.  It can possibly be drying if you don't reapply or don't apply lipbalm throughout the day.
Color: Pinky toned red
This one is definitely not a true red.  It has slight fuscia tint to it.  But still very pretty and I think it looks good on my skin tone.  NYX Matte lipsticks are so pigmented.  For the price, I think the quality beats MAC matte lipsticks.  But MAC does have a lot of colors. :)

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream - SMLC10 Monte Carlo ($5.99)
On sale at ULTA for $4.79
Texture: Creamy, slightly jelly but dries semi-matte.  Still keeps the shine a little bit.
Stay Power:  It won't rub off completly, but it does come off.
Color: Bright red
From the packaging, I thought this would be a vampy red, but when I put it on, it actually goes on bright red.  I like it. It's like a cross between a lipgloss and a lipstick/stain.  However, because it does come off, you have to becareful not to get it on your teeth.

Revlon ColorStay Overtime Lip Color - Forever Scarlet ($8.99 at ULTA)
Texture: One side has liquid/creamy lipstick that dries completely matte, and the other side has a clear shiny moisturizing lipgloss to seal it in and keep it moist.
Stay Power:  THIS SUCKER DON'T BUDGE.  You'll probably have a harder time trying to get it off at the end of the day.  (see my blot picture below)
Color: Even though the name of the color suggest that it's gonna be a scarlet letter type red, it's actually a very orangey red.
I have to really give it to Revlon for this one.  There are few other brands that have the same concept.  Make Up For Ever is one of them.  And I have yet to try, but, MUFE is $24.  You can get the Revlon one for fraction of that price if you find the color you like.  The stay power is freakin awesome.  And as long as you reapply the gloss or your own lipbalm to keep your lips moisturized, it actually doesn't flake (which is some of the problems I had with other stay all day type lipsticks.)  The formula on this is great.  At the end of the day, I use little oil or moisturizer to loosen it up and remove.

Right after the gloss application, I harshly patted and moved the napkin around... but as you can see, all you got was slight stain from my lip pencil.

My redlipstick collection is growing!

If you are afraid or think you don't look good in red, you are wrong.  You just haven't found the right shade yet.  Red is such a bold, sexy color but at the same time, such a classic color that never ever goes out of style.  Just by putting this on, it gives you that boost of confidence that makes you wanna strutt like it's the runway. kekeke  okay maybe it's just me.  But just look at, Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, and Gwen Stefani.... They got their sexy on.... if I still haven't convinced you.... it really makes your teeth look really white. kekekeke :)  Go get yo sexy on ladies....

MAKEUP FOREVER DANY'S POUCH and RIP Stila's Brush Holder

I had to replace my trusty Stila's makeup brush/ makeup pouch I carried with me everywhere.  After about 10 years, I had to retire it.  It finally ripped.  : (  I was quite sad.

I've been searching for a replacement that could hold my brushes and eyeliners and whatever I have to travel with ease.  After searching for the right one that would do the job, I saw a makeup artist at the Smashbox Launch Party use a MAKEUP FOREVER tube looking thing. It caught my eye.

I purchased the MAKEUP FOREVER DANY'S POUCH.  After looking for this high and low I was able to find it on good 'ol trusty eBay.  It was pricier than what I wanted to spend, but it was what I was looking for.  I purchased it here (sorry my seller ran out, this is another seller) on eBay for $35 plus $7 for shipping.

This is my Stila's brush pouch I was replacing.  It had a zippered pouch with a brush holder and a velcro latch that kept the pouch together.  This was a great makeup pouch.

 

Zippered pouch on the left and brush holders on the right.

And the ripped pouch.  RIP pouch... : (

The Makeup Forever Pouch which is more like two cup holders one side bigger than the other that come together and is attached by a stretchy band and holds it together with a plastic buckle.  The great thing about this is that it makes finding your brushes or pencils, eyeliners easy.  It also does a great job of protecting your brushes when traveling.  Only bad thing is if I put smudge pot or eye shadows in this thing, it'll fall to the bottom and it'll be harder to find.

when you are traveling, you can put brushes and whatever you need to on both sides.  It fits quite a bit. :)

Only bad thing is that this stretchy band is a bit long and it can come apart a little.  If you don't have anything small you are carrying you don't have anything to worry about, but if you do, and the cup holders come apart, it can fall out!

For the most part, it does the job.  I like that it stands up and it will work great when I travel. And it's sturdy that I know it'll keep my brushes protected.  But I don't think it'll ever fully replace my Stila Brush Holder.