Urban Decay Black Magic - 24/7 Glide-On Double-Ended Eye Pencil Set

Hands up anyone who loves a good old-fashioned kohl liner?! I know I certainly do! Ever since I started wearing make-up I always loved to run a black kohl liner on my waterline (back when I thought I was super edgy!) and I love using one to create a soft feline flick or make my lashes appear thicker and darker my smudging a small amount into the lashline. Being a massive fan of black liner and Urban Decay, you can imagine my excitement when I was able to take home their new Black Magic 24/7 Glide-On Double-Ended Eye Pencil Set* to try.

From a company that is just as obsessed with black liner as I am, Urban Decay have released a set of four double-ended pencils for Christmas, with one of their signature black shades on one end a colourful shade on the other. It's no secret that their eyeliners are super pigmented, creamy and long-lasting, so I was just stupidly excited to get my hands on some new colours! The set also includes two shades, Black Market and Eggplant, which have recently returned after becoming temporarily discontinued, as well as Black Velvet, which contains their new 24/7 Velvet Glide-On formula. 

I apologise for the crappy quality of the photos - I took these when I was in the midst of moving out and I was rushing/stressed, so these are definitely not my best! Anyway as you can see, it has the gorgeous multi-coloured smokey packaging, which is absolutely beautiful. Each pencil's barrel is also perfectly matched with the shade of the liner, making it perfect for when you need to grab one on the go! 

The set contains:
Black Velvet - Rich, smokey black matte
Smoke - Deepest grey matte
Black Market - Charcoal black satin
Tornado - Dark eggplant pearl
Perversion - Blackest black matte
LSD - Navy shimmer with bright turquoise micro-sparkle
Zero - Zealous black cream
Demolition - Deep brown matte

I can't believe that there are so many different versions of black liner! My favourite by far is Perversion - it's pigmented, creamy and industrial strength black. I love the subtlety of Demolition, but i'm excited to use Tornado as purple tones compliment blue eyes really well. These would make a great Christmas gift for a Urban Decay junkie, or a good taster set for someone who wants to try out some of their products. What I will say though, is that once it dries it really dries. My usual make-up remover didn't take it off, so I had to resort to a specific eye make-up remover. Slightly annoying, but it is exactly what you want in a liner. Basically, this set is awesome. Coloured liner is a perfect way to put on a fun twist on your regular make-up routine, and I can't wait to get playing with these!

You can get your hands on the Urban Decay Black Magic set for around £25 online or at your local Urban Decay store later this month! :) 

Too Faced Cat Eyes Palette

Winged liner has always been an enemy of mine. I know most girls say that, but I am at times genuinely afraid of it. I think i'm always hesitant to blog about looks that require winged liner because when it comes to being a beauty blogger, you're judged a lot on your ability to apply make-up instead of how you review the products. That's totally fine, but I started this blog because I enjoyed writing about beauty, not to show off my make-up artistry skills. Long story short, i'm a bit crap at applying make-up. I'm getting better, but don't expect any mind-blowing too soon, but i'm certainly working on it!

That aside, this Too Faced Cat Eyes palette has been the perfect practice palette for winged liner. It contains nine different colours that can be used to achieve three key looks, all finished off with a feline flick. 

Three of the shadows (Leopard, Jungle Love and Panther) are designed to be wet/dry liners, so they can either be used as a shadow or a soft liner with a dry brush or something a bit more intense and gel-like when the liner brush is wet. I love this idea, as you can control the intensity of the flick this way. Here is my review of the three example looks you can achieve with this palette:

Day

This is my favourite look out of the three, as I believe its the most natural. It's really soft, natural and I love the shimmer of Purr on the brow bone. When I applied Tigers Eye as the liner it didn't really seem to show up, but it seems to look really intense here? Weird. I love how this understated look is achieved with just three colours. Really simple yet equally beautiful.

To achieve this day look, you apply Purr all over the lid, blend Tigers Eye into the crease and using Leopard as a liner.

Classic

I'm not too sure about this one. I can see where I needed to blend a bit more, but i'm just not a bit fan of the recommended crease colour. I really love the double liner though, the intensity of Pussy Cat is just gorgeous, and although Jungle Love looks black in the photo, the pink above it really brings it out. I'd prefer this to be paired with some silver for a twist on a classic smokey eye instead of trying to incorporate a bronzy tone.

I used Meow all the way up to the brow bone, Tigers Eye in the crease, followed by a line of Jungle Love with Pussy Cat lined above it.

Fashion

I only have one picture of this one, as after I took this picture I itched my eye and smudged the entire thing!! I would say this is more of a classic cat eye than a fashion one, with the purple and pink liners used in the Classic look to be a bit more high-fashion.

I achieved this by bringing Kitten all the way up to the lash line, then blending some Panther in the outer V and then using it as a wet liner to create the flick. I finished it off with some Kitty Glitter in the inner corner. The Kitty Glitter used in the tear duct is absolutely gorgeous but so powdery, so I really had to pack it on in order to get a substantial amount of shimmer to show up. However, this is definitely what I would wear for a night out :)

Overall I think this is a really versatile palette. Although these are the looks they recommend, there's a great range of shades so you can really play around. They are also very pigmented, meaning that I can practice my flicks for as long as I want without even making a dent in the shadows. It's quite pricey at £35, but these are good quality shadows that are built to last. Now excuse me while I attempt to perfect my flicks!

Do you have any tips or tricks to achieve perfect winged liner? Let me know below.

You can purchase the Too Faced Cat Eyes Palette for £35 here!

Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner

I'm usually one to wear liquid eyeliner, purely because I have the shakiest hands imaginable. I've tried many different techniques and products that ease the application process, and i've only found one eyeliner that seems to do the job for me - Benefit's Magic Ink. But at a whopping £15.50 for a tiny 2.5ml, I had to start looking for lower end alternatives.

The Fast Stroke Eyeliner from Collection 2000 has been named one of this years Beauty Insiders Choice finalists and received positive reviews from bloggers and general beauty enthusiasts alike.
 With a super-stiff brush and a long lasting formula, it boasts all day colour in a single stroke.

Oh, how I hate this picture! The unruly brows have returned and not enough shadow in the world can sort them out. However, as you can see the liner does the job quite nicely. I've never really been one for winged liner (Although I wish I was!), so this is as about as advanced as it goes for me.

All I can say is that I definitely agree with this product's current credentials. For the bargain price of £2.99 I now have an industrial strength eyeliner that I can apply before a night out with the assurance it will not budge however many times I rub my eyes or cry because i've dropped my drink! The brush is stiff - almost pen like - making it easy to control the line, as i've found with thinner brushes the bristles are a lot softer making it easier for product to flick onto the lid or brow bone. Using my arm as an anchor, I simply gripped the brush like a colouring pen and lined my eyes in seconds.

I'm simply shocked at the value of this product, and it's most definitely replaced Magic Ink as my go-to liner. It's long lasting, easy to apply and the colour is bold making a single line all you need to intensify the eye.

You can purchase Collection 2000's Fast Sroke Liquid Eyeliner for £2.99 at your local Superdrug or online here.

Clarins' '3-Dot Liner'

Liquid eye-liner and I have never seen eye-to-eye (pardon the pun!). Whether its my extremely small eyelids or my obscenely shaky hand, achieving the perfect cat-flick has always been way beyond my reach. Therefore, when I was given Clarins' '3-Dot' Liner* to try, I couldn't wait to find out whether or not this would be the answer to my problems.

Sorry about the damaged packaging, i've been waiting to review this for a while!

As the diagram suggests, you simply just use the revolutionary 'triple-point applicator' to dot above the lashline, and as the dots join they form a straight line. Easy! The idea of a 'pen' style is particularly affective as it allows easier grip and you can get close to the lash line, giving the illusion of a fuller-looking lash line.

It looks so simple I can't believe nobody had thought of it before! However, as you can see my camera is zoomed in quite far, and the three 'prongs' are actually really small and don't distribute a lot of product, so actually achieving the line does take a while. Therefore, I do sometimes fill it in by lining it like a normal liner, but the dots make amazing guidelines and have definitely made the process easier. When using gel or regular liquid liner it's near enough impossible to make the line symmetrical, but with the lack of product distributed it does achieve a thin line that can easily be built on, making achieving a matching line on each eye possible.

For £20, this is perfect for anyone who isn't a liner pro (So that's 99% of us!). I'll admit it is expensive, but this liner does not budge until removed with eye make-up remover - making it perfect as a day liner, and then built on by adding a flick and increasing the thickness for the evening.

You can purchase Clarins' '3-Dot Liner' from your local Clarins counter.

Dainty Doll Mascara & Eyeliner Duo in 'Good Golly Miss Molly'

The holiday season is almost upon us, and that can only mean one thing: Parties!
Christmas, New Years and in my case a few birthdays - meaning glamorous dresses, sparkle and flawless makeup. When packing your party clutch with essentials, double ended or multi-use products are essential to save crucial space, making this mascara and eyeliner duo* a must-have for your bag.

Being a pale girl, Dainty Doll automatically intreged me. Created by fellow english rose Nicola Roberts, Dainty Doll aims to cater for fairer skinned girls with a variety of quality makeup and skincare products. Its so irritating when well known brands luxury brands don't stock a shade light enough for me, so it's great to have a brand that I can instantly go to and know they have the right products for me. I have 'Good Golly Miss Molly' - a jet black, perfect for a sophisticated cat eye or to accompany a classic smokey eye.

The duo come as a double ended applicator wand/brush, with screw-top bottles either end that contain the product. A classic combination of black and gold, the packaging is sleek and perfect for the festive season! Both products contain vitamin E, beeswax and natural plant wax, ensuring that these two staple products are as skin-friendly as possible.

I found the eyeliner extremely difficult to use. It claims to be able to effortlessly glide onto your lid, but I found it was extremely watery - so much so that it sort of spread out over my lid, making a straight line almost impossible. I'm not the most fluent in applying liquid eyeliner, but this was just ridiculous! Once applied it looked lovely, but as you can see its not exactly neat! It took a few tries to get the bold black it promises, so I had to go over it a few times and therefore the line slowly became messier and messier. I also found that the liner didn't stick well, it fades quite quickly due to its thin consistency.
I'm much more of a fan of the mascara! It fans out your lashes without clumping them together, making it perfect for the daytime. I personally prefer mascara that thickens the lashes in the evening to make more of a statement, and this mascara simply elongates them! I think i'd use this during the day, but I only really use liquid eyeliner in the evenings to make more of a statement so the combination doesn't really work for me! I definitely don't think its worth the extortionate price of £17.50. A pretty average product that achieves minimal results, however I do like the double ended wand and how compact and convenient it is. Let's hope Dainty Doll's other products aren't as disappointing as this!

You can purchase Dainty Doll Mascara & Eyeliner Duo in 'Good Golly Miss Molly' for £17.50 at your local Boots, and view other products in the Dainty Doll range from their website here.

Review: Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Intense Black from Maybelline

Wow, that's a mouthful!

I've been wanting a gel liner since watching various fashion vlogs, and after seeing a ginormous poster advertising Maybelline's it finally gave me the push to buy one!
The thing is, there's just so much expectation for this product. On the Maybelline website,  the eyeliner claims to last up to 24 hours, be smudge and water resistant, and carries a whole other level of expectation due to it being 'catwalk-inspired'.

The box contains a ..... pot of gel liner, and a professional liner brush. Instantly I was drawn to the packaging, as it towered above the rest of the Maybelline products on the stand.

I love the little frosted glass pot, it adds to the professionalism and looks really modern and sophisticated. The brush is what amazed me the most! It looks like a brush that you would buy separately, as i've always found that brushes that come with eyeshadow palettes or blushes aren't the best ones to use to apply the product, so I was amazed that it's actually a decent brush.
It's really strange, because the gel is so soft that you literally need to just touch the tip of the brush. The texture is a lot creamier than I thought it would be, so I needed to wipe off the tip on the side of the gorgeous pot and make it all messy so I wasn't left with too much gel.

I drew this line by using just one little dip of the brush into the gel. As you can see, it's not as defined or strong as a liquid or a pencil, but unlike a liquid it's really easy to build up a strong line of colour with expert precision. I've found that the brush makes it so easy to get the liner as close to the lash line as possible, as sometimes I end up with a stupid looking gap between my liner and my lashes! It is advised to build up the colour by using small strokes from the inner to the outer corner of the eye. You can also thicken out the line as you work your way to the outer corner and wing out to create an intense-looking effect. However, my eye-shape restricts me to a thin line :(
The gel, along with the incredibly precise and professional liner brush, has the ability and versatality to create a whole range of looks from just varying in thickness and angle and intensity of colour. I can definitely understand why it is cat-walk inspired, and wouldn't be surprised if it get's into the makeup bags of celebrities and makeup artists alike.

As for it lasting 24 hours, I can safely say it delivers in that aspect. It's taken me two facial wipes and a facial cleanser, and I still have hints of a line. Arguably, it could be a little too hard to take off, but it makes such a difference to your eyes that I don't mind that it doesn't budge for well over 24 hours.

 I didn't use it to line the bottom of my eyes, as I prefer the pencil but I love the way the brush enables you to create a thicker line without too much hassle.
I would advise that you wipe the brush clean after every use, as i've found that the gel dries really quickly and makes the brush really stiff and sharp on your eyelid :(

Overall, a well recommended eyeliner that I will definitely be using again. And for only £7.99, it's an absolute steal! You can purchase Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24H in Intense Black and Brown at your nearest Maybelline concession stand.

Review: Topshop Magic Liner

I know i'm not the only one who struggles applying their liquid eyeliner. I try and try, and still managed to end up with a shaky line that starts in the middle of my eyelid. So you could understand my excitement when I came across 'Magic Liner' in Topshop. It's basically a felt-tip style pen with a thin nib to perfect those cat eye flicks. I tend to use Magic Ink eyeliner from Benefit, which is amazing in its own right, but it's the dipping the brush into the pot part that I thought was unnecessary.  With the Magic Liner you just shake the pen and the liner flows freely onto the brush, much like a pen would.


Magic Liner is just one of the many gorgeous products from Sisters of The New Moon, a limited edition makeup collection from Topshop. It features dazzling metallic nail colours and bright coral and pink lipsticks, designed to give you a futuristic high-fashion look.

I love the packaging of the entire range in general. It's a shiny silver and has a gypsy fortune teller feel to it. As you can see the tip is super thin for precision and enables you to layer it on to create a thicker line if needed - with eye-liner it's better to go slowly and layer it so you don't smudge it and create even thickness on both eyes!

This was a simple sweep of the pen along my hand. The slightly thicker part of the line was when I pressed it a little harder, so in order to create a cat eye flick you need to make sure you don't put too much pressure on the pen and relax your hand. It's vital that you use your arm as an 'anchor'. Rest your elbow on something flat and sturdy to stable your hand, once you begin to shake that's it!

I think the idea behind this is genius. However, in order to prevent the tip from going dry it instructs to store it tip facing down or on it's side, so remember that when you're throwing it into your bag. This liner is perfect for subtle flicks, or thick, dramatic eyes. You can also use the tip to create more intricate liner designs, or even use it on your nails for nail art? This really is a great eye liner. Well done, Topshop!

Magic Liner is sold at your nearest Topshop for just £8.