Its funny how drawing a black line on my eyelid just makes me feel so much better #MakeupProblems 

Eyeliner is an absolute essential for me, as is for most girls. It can thicken your lash line, define & enlarge your eyes & you can use them to add a pop of colour too. You don't need to spend big bucks to get a quality eyeliner. The drugstore or “lower-end” brands as you may call it are full of GEMS that are comparable to higher end brands. The first makeup product I ever bought was an eyeliner and of course from the drugstore. I still continue to use drugstore eyeliners and a few higher-end ones too as some are just as great.

 I’ll be going over the 4 drugstore eyeliners that I'm currently using. Some are total gems, while others just about cut it. I use 4 different types of liners– a gel liner, a liquid liner, a felt tip liner and pencil liner--  cause well, you can't have too many eyeliners, right? I use a different one depending on my mood, the look I'm going for and the amount of time I have. These eyeliners are all BLACK because they work best with dark hair & tan. I do need to get out of my comfort zone and try more colours though. Don't forget to have a look at the swatch comparisons at the very bottom. Any who, let's start:

1. Jordana Fabuliner Bold:

An extremely easy to use felt-tip eyeliner pen. Depending on how you angle it, the felt tip point makes it so easy to draw on a thin or thick line all in 1 go. I reach for this liner when I’m short on time but still want to line my eyes. The tip also makes it easy to wing out your liner. I’ve had this for about a year and it is still going strong and has not dried out. The Fabuliner also comes in a finer tip too that just goes by the name “Fabuliner”, but it is sold out most of the time.  PS. Canadians, I picked this up from the States as it’s not available here in Canada (Yup, yet another brand we are deprived off!). A few cons are that, it is not very pigmented compared to other blacks (see swatch comparison). It also fades away fast and rubs off easily. So it just about cuts it for quick use-- but it's not my favourite.

2. Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner:

Who HASN'T tried this one yet? It is THE drugstore’s most sought after & popular gel-liner. This one is said to be comparable to higher end brands like MAC, Bobbi Brown & Inglot. It is truly the blackest black with a matte finish. The creamy, gel formula glides on smoothly. It also doesn’t dry out fast and the amount of product it comes with, just about lasts forever. I’ve had mine for maybe 2 years, used a heck out of it and still got a A LOT left. But I do have a problem with this liner-- it takes a while to set. If you don't wait, it will smudge off easily. Once its set and on, it will stay on throughout the day with minimal fading. The best way I love to use this liner on my waterline & to tight-line because it lasts SO much longer.

3. L’Oreal Extra Intense Liquid Pencil:

The “liquid-pencil” part got me! It is one of the smoothest, creamiest eye-pencils I've used. Some other pencils from the drugstore can be so rough and hard. It is a true black but needs to be built up to get it even darker. The pencil sharpens easily and doesn’t break or melt either. The only con is that there is a bit of a smudging problem when used on my (oily) eyelids as it doesn’t always stay put throughout the day. I like to use this primarily on my waterline/tight-line especially when I’m in a rush as its a breeze to use.

 

4. Wet n Wild Mega Liner:

 One of the BEST drugstore liquid liners! I generally stray away from liquid liners cause I find them harder to work with. But this one is unlike others. It is the blackest black, fully matte liner with the finest tip. It is smudge proof and dries INSTANTLY (within seconds). It’s perfect for achieving a thin line especially in the inner corners of the eye.  I’d say this is the blackest out of all 4 of these liners and the most long-lasting.The only problem I have with this liner is my clumsy hands that don’t always stay steady when using such a fine tip (but that’s my problem that I’ve got to practice on).  

Swatch Comparison

There are SO MANY MORE quality drugstore eyeliners out there. You can find a great one even on a budget. I’d say my favourite has to be the Wet N Wild Liquid Liner, followed closely by Maybelline Gel Liner. On my to-try list is Inglot Gel Liner #77 as I have heard more than enough good things about it!

 What are your favourite drugstore eyeliners?

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5 Beauty Products Not Worth The Hype

I may BREAK ALOT OF HEARTS with this... SO before I get into this: SO SORRY if these are YOUR HOLY GRAIL products!!! Please don't hurt me (LOL). I know these products are LOVED by many, but sadly they just didn't work out for me for different reasons--- I'm not saying they are absolute horrendous product rather that they didn't live up to the HYPE for me.

Now, I am a TOTAL SUCKER for hyped up beauty products. I tend to get into this little crazed frenzy until I am able to get my hands on them! That was exactly the case for these 5 products, I searched high and low to get them. I bought them simply based on the hype and sensation they had in the beauty community.
I've had all 5 of these products for a 1 year + and have A LOT of each product left, which speaks for itself. It is safe to say that I took my time to use them in different ways, but just couldn't come around to loving them. I barely EVER reach for any of these products anymore. They are literally in the bottom of makeup bag collecting dust. Trust me, I REALLY, REALLY wish I could have loved them. But they simply did not live up to their hype and my expectations. 

1. EVEPEARL SALMON CONCEALER (TAN): 

 I cannot even believe literally how mental I went just to get my hands on this concealer (as its only sold online) cause of its "salmon or peach" colour. It was raved about its ability to miraculously conceal the darkest under-eye circles. I really don't get whats so special about this concealer. Yes, the peach/salmon undertones are great for counteracting dark-circles but there are TONS of other concealers similar and CHEAPER than this. This is a whopping $36 (US) for only 6.3 grams.

I kind of HATE this concealer, because of its texture. Its so... creamy and doesn't set. It creases almost instantly under my eyes. For those reasons, I'd say its NOT for OILY SKINNED GIRLS! Also, when set with a powder, it looks really cakey and turns into a odd orangey colour. The lasting power is  very poor as it wears off within a couple of hours. The packaging is quite cheaply made. The mirror of my container actually fell out once! Note that I barely ever even used this nor did i ever drop it, so the mirror randomly falling off is a clear indication of cheap material.So seriously, whats to love with this?!

2. REVLON COLOR BURST LIP BUTTER (PINK TRUFFLE):

 A lipstick + lip balm in  1 = Awesome, right?! NO! Okay, so I do agree that the concept behind this product was good but the product itself just went wrong. Firstly, this is way over-priced for a drug store "lip butter". I mean I could easily get a MAC lipstick for a couple more dollars. It is so SHEER and comes with such a small amount of product (compared to other lipsticks). It also easily melts in the packaging itself (nothing too extreme). I mean I barely even used this product and you can see in the picture below that there is only a little bit left.

I only own 1 shade of this lip butter which is "Pink Truffle". It was raved about being a neutral every-day colour, but its actually a lot BRIGHTER than it looks in the tube. All the colours in this lipstick range are on the bright, funky and fun side (for my taste).

1 swatch - its quite sheer

3. MAYBELLINE EYE STUDIO COLOUR TATOO EYESHADOW (BAD TO THE BRONZE):

  I am ONLY speaking about "Bad to the Bronze" Colour Tatoo as it is the only one I have tried--- this does not refer to ALL of the Colour Tatoos. Alright, so I do agree that this is super easy to use,  VERY long-lasting, highly pigmented and a multifunctional eye-shadow. So why don't I like it? The COLOUR!  It looks absolutely gorgeous in pictures/online but when tried on, it certainly is not. I thought it would a beautiful rich bronzey colour. But its more of just a super shiny, frosty & shimmering GLITTER BOMB with brownish-silver undertones. It has cooler undertones to it, I prefer warmer undertones  on my skin-tone. It doesn't compliment me really well even though bronze eye-shadows generally do suit my skin tone.  I would have absolutely loved this colour if it more so like the popular MAC Bronze eye-shadow for example.

I'm not labelling the colour tatoos as a bad product but simply that this colour is over-rated and doesn't suit my olive-medium skin tone.The colour is not a true bronze as the name implies.

Without Flash

With Flash

1 Swatch: doesn't it so frosty almost silvery

4. MAYBELLINE INSTANT AGE REWIND DARK CIRCLE TREATMENT CONCEALER (NEUTRALIZER):  

Firstly, if you are around my skin tone (Olive, NC 42) or any deeper than STEER AWAY!! Not only from the colour "Neutralizer" but from the entire concealer line, cause it is difficult to find a match for you (darkest shade is Honey).  It only comes in 6 shades which are all light to medium shades which are not at all suited for warmer complexions. (THANKS MAYBELLINE!!)

 I bought the shade Neutralizer as I had heard it is yellow based concealer ideal for highlighting. It is actually WAY TO LIGHT! It looks like a NC15-NC20 almost. On me it looks awful and whitish even as a highlight. What a waste, cause this stuff isn't cheap either, it is very over-priced for a drug store concealer (around $14-15 CAD). Again, just a few more dollars more and you would be able to get a higher-end concealer.

See how light and whitish Age Rewind Concealer in Neutralizer is in comparison to Studio Finish NW30 on the right.

 It is also incredibly unsanitary as it has a germ clinging sponge applicator. BUT, I will give it some points as it does not easily crease under your eyes and sets well because it isn't a cream based product. Basically, if you can find a shade match and consider removing the sponge-applicator then this may be a great product for you.

5. BEN NYE LUXURY BANANA POWDER:  

This one may come as the biggest SHOCKER on this list! I've only ever heard good things about this powder, so maybe it's just me. Ever since, Kim K's makeup artist revealed that this powder is used to highlight & set her under-eye area, the hype around this product literally BLEW UP overnight! I'm obsessed with makeup around my under-eye area due to my dark circles. I'm constantly looking for the BEST under-eye products to correct, conceal and highlight that area. I wanted to LOVE this as much as everyone else but sadly couldn't.

Here why:  The application of this product is always a DISASTER FOR ME. I absolutely hate the packaging of this product! It is almost impossible to use the product without making a wasteful mess with the container it comes in. For that reason, It is NOT good for quick on-the-go use. I have decanted some into a smaller jar-type container which makes it only a little easier to use. The brush you use to apply this powder really matters as well. Whenever I use synthetic densely packed brush, it picks up way too much product and again that can get very messy. The best type of brush to use is a small loosely packed brush such as a blending brush or a sponge-applicator. I've wasted so much product in just the application process of this powder.

The nozzle of the container: Super hard to work with!

The word "finely milled"  is always used to describe this powder...which is true, but it has a VERY powdery & dry look and feel to it. I've seen some girls use this as a all over face powder, but I couldn't imagine doing that cause its so drying. When I initially picked up this product over a year ago it was quite affordable at only around maybe $10 (CAD) or so but now the price has gone up steeply. What I do like about this product is the the yellow "banana" colour is great for highlighting  the under-eye area for warm skin tones like myself or darker. I have seen this powder make a huge difference on other people, but only see a slight difference when I use it. It might not workout for paler girls as it may be too dark. Nonetheless, for the reasons mentioned previously it is but not my favourite to reach for.

So those are my 5 over-hyped beauty products that I would NOT repurchase. But I do believe in second chances and think it is so wasteful to toss unfinished products away.  I will try to use them more often and see if anything changes.

WHAT ARE YOUR OVER-HYPED BEAUTY PRODUCTS THAT AREN'T WORTH IT? 

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