Vanity Sizing, Vintage, Claire (from Steps) and Living TV
June 24, 2011To Tan or Not to Tan?
June 29, 2011Look, a review that’s not of a lipstick! Shocking!
I do wear other make up other than red lipstick, and one of the products that I’ve been looking for a good, easy to apply, reasonably priced version of is a liquid eyeliner.
I do not have a steady hand and I also have those annoying little creases at the corners of my eyes, so I find applying liquid liner a nightmare. I have various techniques to make it easier, applying with my eyes open, drawing a line in pencil liner first and going over with liquid liner. I’ve also tried every type going. Pens, dip pots with little rubber nibs, brushes, and a solid cake liner applied with an angled brush, but never really found a great one.
I know a lot of people swear by MAC Fluidline, but Ā£13.50 is just a bit too much for me to spend on an eyeliner, especially as an experiment! I was quite pleased then, to see Maybelline bring out their own gel liner, so I thought I’d give it a go.
Today, therefore, I am reviewing Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner Ā£7.99 (though it’s currently Ā£2 off and only Ā£5.99 at Boots, follow the link!)
The Blurb
Well, they’re not modest about it. The Maybelline website claims it “Reinvents liner”.
Apparently these are the reasons I will love it
ā¢ Oil-free formula holds highly concentrated pigments in a clear gel base
ā¢ Smudge-proof and waterwproof for 24 hours
ā¢ Most intense line for lasting drama
ā¢ Safe for sensitive eyes and ophthalmologist-tested
ā¢ Contact lens safe
We’ll skate quickly over that extra ‘W’ in the middle of Waterproof (seriously, it’s astonishing how many big brands websites I find with such simple typos.)
The Pros
I absolutely love the brush. You can use it on it’s narrow edge to create a really fine line, or if you’re feeling a little more cats eye you can rotate it and use the flat side to make a broader line towards the outer corner of the eye.
The packaging is nice and simple, a frosted glass pot with a functional silver metal lid and the brush comes with a little plastic cover to keep the bristles clean in your bag.
The texture of the product itself is very nice. It’s soft and really easy to load the brush, no wetting it like with solid liners I’ve used before. I also think it will last AGES as you barely use any with each application.
I found it really easy to apply, it glides over those irritating little creases on the corner of my eye and was easy to control to get a nice smooth line, no wonky wobbles like I get with a liquid brush.
I didn’t often find I made mistakes with it, but when I did I found them fairly easy to correct as well, I could tidy it up a bit with a cotton bud with no problems. You’d think that would mean it was a smudgy eyeliner. But there was only one day I had any smudging problems, and that particular day it was about 29 degrees outside, and frankly pretty much all of my make up was heading south!
The Cons
There are a few downsides to the product. I found the small brush a little annoying to find in the bottom of a make up bag and it’s fiddly getting the plastic cover on and off, meaning I ended up with a couple of stray wonkaloid hairs that needed to be teased back into place. I also found that if I didn’t immediately wipe the brush with a tissue after use then next time I went back to use it the brush had stiffened and was difficult to use. Technically all these things are my fault, though, for being a lazy slob with too much in her make up bag.
The product itself, I would have perhaps liked a slightly more intense black line. It certainly wasn’t as intense as the line you would get from a liquid liner. Personally I’m willing to fore go a little bit of intensity to get a smooth line instead of a wonky wibble, but if you have steadier hands than me and are adept with a liquid liner then that’s great!
I personally found it’s staying power to be fine, the line had faded slightly after a long day, but it didn’t crack or flake for me at all.Ā I do think it’s worth noting that I have read other people saying they didn’t think it lasted well and they found it smudged and cracked.
The Verdict
As far as I’m concerned this is now my eyeliner!
I do find myself tempted to give the MAC version a go. I know a lot of people like it, and if it’s like this, but better, then maybe it’s worth nearly double the price? Who knows. I will definitely be using this one till it runs out, and then I guess we’ll see how rich I feel. If the answer to that is “not at all rich” then I will happily purchase another pot of the Maybelline gel liner without a flinch.
I’d be interested to hear from anyone who had tried the MAC version AND this one, to see how they think they compare?
Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner is available from Boots priced at Ā£7.99 (currently Ā£5.99)
15 Comments
I liked it myself, but on me it did smudge a wee bit. And I also found the brush a bit of a pain – but it is remarkably easy to get a good shape with it, so it gets a thumbs up from me too!
I bought it, and like you loved the brush. Very easy to apply. However after one day of wear, I never wore it again. It simply didnt have the staying power I need.
I then tried Mac Fluid Line, but that didn’t have the staying power either!
So I’m now back to Mac Liquid Last – the only liner I swear by!
Ooh I too have wonky lines so I might give this a go, I tend to use a pencil and go over so to cut down on the task would be great, make up has to be quick & easy for me at the mo.
I’ll add this to my list of liquid eye liners I must try. I find especially difficult looking for one that one smudge in hot weather conditions, I always end up with a “melted eyes” look that is simply hideous.
I was considering going into Mac territories, but then the price tad pushed me away š
For lasting power I swear by Bourjois ‘clubbing’ liquid liner- it’s designed for wearing all night in sweaty clubs (or in my case, sweaty work, then sweaty Sainsburys on the way home. I’m THAT rock-n-roll)- the only problem is the brush is quite fiddly. This looks like a great alternative though, especially the brush- thanks for the review!
I ve got the MAC one, I am on my 2nd pot, nearing to the end. A pot lasts me about a year and i wear it near enough every day. But i dont know if its me not putting the lid on but as it gets to the end of its life it has dried up quite a bit and hard to put on.
As its getting to the end of its life, and i am not feeling too rich (need to purchase a new laptop) i think i might give the Maybelline a go. (even though i have a thing about all my make-up having to match and be MAC, need to get out of that rut and try other brands!!)
Great review! I feel the same as you, this type of product is something I’ve wanted to try for a while but didn’t want to pay the full price for the Mac one in case I never used it or didn’t like it. I have yet to see it in my Boots yet but I’m keeping an eye out even if I only use if for a few months I think it’s worth a try š
Looks lovely. š Personally out of all of the pot eyeliners I like the bargain-tastic Sleek version. http://www.sleekmakeup.com/en/products/ink-pot-dominatrix-336.aspx
It lasts all day (and night) and it’s a great cheapy to have in your bag for everyday use. The brush is quite small but I like that because it’s easier to get closer.
Wow! I’ll have to see if I can find this in Sweden. I still haven’t found the ultimate eyeliner yet. The best so far is Blinc’s liquid eyeliner but it’s a bit pricey and it has a tendency to stick to my eyelashes which makes the mascara look horrible. The good thing about it is that it sticks through rain, snow and possibly even a hurricane. š
Have you tried the Bobbi Brown gel liner? I really didn’t rate the MAC one at all despite so many people raving about it but I found the BB one a really easy, long lasyting product to use. Like you, I have those funny creasy bits at the corners of my eyes and usually can’t use a liquid liner to save my life.
I did like it, and I found it gave quite a different look to the liner I normally use, but I’m not sure I like it more than previous wonder-liner, which is the cheap and cheerful Rimmel! Not Exaggerate – that has a nigh on impossible to control solid nib – but the Glam Eyes version. Lasts all day, nice intense black line, incredibly cheap, the brush is super, super fine, and I can apply it easily after mascara (to do the whole “day to night makeup” thing). Also, I’m with you – Ā£13.50 is definitely too much!
oooh interesting, I used Sephora one that I love, I stocked up when in the States and now I stock up when in France and it’s the best I’ve used, but could do with something that’s a little easier to access, like in this country!
Really great to see an unbiased review
Hmmmm, I’m still looking for the perfect eyeliner, I like a really intense black but the price of this is good. The issue (if I may call it that) is that when I laugh, which is a lot and often in the wrong places, my eyes really water and if I have a total laughter spasm then my eyes stream so I really really need staying power! I’m tempted to splurge on a mac one but the price keeps making me loiter at the counter without actually buying anything! x
I bought this at the weekend and have found that even for a cack handed make up applier (couldn’t bring myself to use the word artist, as I am very far from it, but not sure applier is a word, oh well!!) like myself it produces good results. It stayed put well in the hot weather and managed not to smudge after a long day cavorting on Sunday. Very good value too!