Showing posts with label pen. Show all posts

Review: NYX Lift & Snatch! Brow Tint Pen - Ash Brown

I have found my new favorite brow product and my favorite brow pen in general. It compliments my brow lamination perfectly to fill in any sparse or bold areas and still make it look hair like. 

Review: Catrice Brow Definer Brush Pen (040 Ash Brown) vs. Essence Tiny Tip Precise Brow Pen (02 medium brown)

I think you might have noticed by now that I love to try out brow products. It's one of those fields that I'm never quite satisfied with when it comes to doing my own makeup. If you have sparse brows like I do, you need all the help you can get. I was so excited when two of my favorite drugstore brands - Essence and Catrice came out with their brow pen versions that I had to try them both. Here's comparison of them. 

Review: Manhattan Brow Pro Micro 24h Precision-Stroke Pen - 002 Soft Brown

If you've ever been into natural, yet bushy looking eyebrows, you must have seen brow pens gaining on popularity. I think one by Glossier is especially popular. I've wanted one of these super precise brow pens, because I thought it would make my brows look thicker, yet still natural. Sometimes regular brow pencils can look unnatural and too harsh.  However, it seems hard to one that is well saturated and has fine enough tip to look like realistic brow hairs.


Review: Clio Kill Black/Brown Waterproof Brush/Pen Liner

Somehow I've ended up with three different Clio eyeliner versions. I first bought Clio Kill Black Waterproof Brush Liner version. Later I wanted to reorder it, but I ordered Clio Kill Brown Waterproof Brush Liner version instead. At the last try they actually sent me the wrong one, they sent me Clio Kill Black Waterproof Pen Liner version. It means I've ended up with three versions. Which is kind of good, because I can compare them now.


They all come in a pen version packaging. Black colors are in black and brown has a brown packaging. Brush versions have gold writing on it and pen version has silver writing. They also have a really secure closing. It seems to have some sort of spring in the cap. I store these upside down, because that way I get the maximum pigmentation and prevent them from drying out.



Each eyeliner comes packaged in a set. I got black brush versions with a mini fiber mascara that I already gave to someone, because I don't like these kind of mascaras. Brown brush version came with mini cleansing oil and black pen version came with duo makeup cleanser for lips and eyes. I haven't used any of these yet, because I don't use waterproof makeup, so I can't report on that.

I ordered them all on Jolse. Clio is often on sale, so the prices vary. Usually you'll get brush versions for around 10$ and pen versions for around 9$. In each is 0.55 ml of products which sounds alarming, but it actually lasts a really long time.


On the photo you may not notice much difference in the shades, but trust my word. Black pen version is actually the blackest of these and it's also the most shiny. It is a bit more liquid formula and it goes a bit into fine lines. Like most of felt tip applicators this one also tends to leak a bit into those fine lines, but it's actually nothing too bad. It needs a few seconds to dry down.

Black brush version is not the blackest shade of them. It's actually a bit less vibrant. It's also creamier and well pigmented. It dries really fast, faster than pen version. It's also more matte looking, though it still has a bit of sheen to it. 

Brown brush version is less pigmented than the black. If you apply it really lightly it looks like a very warm medium brown. But I usually go over one line many times and then it becomes fairly dark almost a bit taupe brown. It also has a bit creamier formula and it dries really quick. This one looks the most matte out of these three. It doesn't have any apparent sheen to it. 



Black brush version has a super thin brush applicator. It's really fine and you can create the thinnest lines possible. I adore this type of applicator. It gives you precision and you can create the thinnest wings. It gets dirty if you use it over shimmery eyeshadows and you'll need to clean it every now and then.



Brown brush version has the same precise brush applicator. It also gets dirty. This tip doesn't change shape or get frayed like some felt tips tend to do.



Black pen version has a classic felt tip applicator. It's fairly thin and still precise, but not as much as the brush version. I find it hard to create really thin lines. I haven't been using this one for a long time, so I can't report how well it holds the shape, but I haven a feeling that it may fray after some time. It also gets dirty with shimmer, but it's easier to clean. 





These are definitely waterproof. I ran water over them and none moved at all. They also didn't loose intensity of the color. 


After running them under the water, I also rubbed it and as you can see, brown disappears quickly, but both black versions were still there, although brush version seemed to be a bit more long lasting

I can wear these for the whole day and they don't transfer, budge or fade at all. Sometimes shimmery shades cover the liner, because my eyes get hooded though the day, but other than that those are amazing. You can sweat and it won't move.


I've mentioned that Diamond Beauty Eyeliner is my favorite eyeliner. As you can see it has pretty much identical brush applicator to Clio. Clio's seems just a tiny bit thicker, but they both perform amazingly. Diamond Beauty dried a bit too quickly for my liking. I have my first Clio Black Brush version since July and it's still going strong. I decide to change liners, because I have sensitive eyes. If you don't have this problems, it will last you for a really long time


Texture of Diamond Beauty liner is very liquid compared to Clio. It almost seems like a marker liner and it's definitely not as pigmented as Clio. It also doesn't apply as evenly and it looks sheerer. It terms of shade those are comparable and both look like a bit less intense black version.


Clio eyeliners don't have any unpleasant scent and they don't irritate my eyes. I think I have definitely found my favorite eyeliner. Black brush version is the best I've tried so far. I love the brown as well, especially for softer looks, but wish it would be a bit more pigmented. Pen version is just as good, but I am not a fan of felt tip applicators. It's just the matter of applicator.

On the bottom photos I'm also showing you how they look like applied on my skin tone. First is black brush version, then brown brush version and the last one is black pen version.





Clio Kill Black and Brown Brush Liners are definitely my favorite eyeliners. I adore precision of the brush applicator, long lasting power, the fact that they are waterproof, stay saturated for a really long time and have good pigmentation (brown a bit less). I also recommend pen version for those of you who like felt tip applicators. They also do brown in pen version. There's nothing bad to say about these. Some may found fault in the color, because black brush version is not the blackest black, but I don't mind them. I also think the price is reasonable for what you get. Highly recommend these, if you're an eyeliner lover.

Nadja also wrote a review of black brush version and I advise you to read her thoughts as well for a second opinion.

Review: Diamond Beauty Eyeliner (01 Forever Black)

Hey Beauties!

This past month has been all about Asian makeup for me. I'll talk more about that in my February Favorites. But basically, I've been watching a lot of Asian makeup on YouTube as well as browsing Asian online makeup stores. So today, I have for you a review of eyeliner from Japanese brand Diamond Beauty. It's safe to say that I am very impressed with it.


You can always count on cute packaging with Japanese products and this one is no different. It comes in a plastic pink box with a cute design.


Eyeliner comes in a pen form with pink plastic design and black top. I love their brand logo, because it features a fairy. Super cute.

It costs around 6.40€ and in it is 0.55 ml (which seems like a small amount, but I've been using it for one month and it still works perfectly). I got it from Japan Skin store and they also have free shipping, which is amazing. 



The pen is not like most of eyeliner pens in Europe, which are actually more of a foam shaped into a felt tip. This is like a brush with fine hair that form a pen like tip shape. I adore this. You get more movement and different thickness of lines depending on how much pressure you apply.



The very tip of it is so thin that you can draw on very thin lines or even small dots. If you apply more pressure to the pen and flat it down onto the skin, you get a thicker line. As you can see on my photo, you can really create all kinds of different lines and designs with it.

Some may say that the shade is not like a full on blackest black and I would agree. It's not like a pure black, if you draw thin line. However, I tend to go over my line a few times to straighten it out and building the color up gets to a very nice black color. The proof is in the photos below. 

The formula of it is liquid, but almost a bit thicker, so it doesn't run into fine lines on your skin, like a lot of liquid liners tend to do (it's not like those marker ones). I love the fact that you can go over the line multiple times and the design does not budge. You can go over the line as many times as you want to correct it. 

It dries in about 20 seconds, so obviously there is no smudging with this eyeliner. The finish is a bit shiny and definitely not matte at all. It's shinier when applied wet, but then it dries a bit, although it still leaves behind that sheen. That doesn't bother me at all and I almost doesn't notice it on my eyes. But if you want something super matte, this is not it.


It is definitely waterproof. It doesn't transfer or loose intensity, it stays perfect all day long. I tried to translate what it says on the packaging and if I got it right, it says that you can remove it with warm water. Yes, you can, but you have to rub it a lot. As you can see on the photo bellow, it's hard to remove. I tried to remove it under cool water and I just smudged it all over my skin. If you remove it with warm water, it works, but you have to rub it. I however remove it with makeup removers, which works perfectly. 

In the pen is a little ball which jumps up and down when you shake it. This probably breaks the product inside, so that the tip is saturated at all times. This is the only problem that I have with this eyeliner. Sometimes I need to shake it really well to get it perfectly saturated. This has been happening for like a past week, but I think this might be my fault. I was applying it over cream eye shadow and the tip got a bit dirty, so I might have blocked the color to come out. Either way, it's not that big of a deal, you just shake it and it's like new again. I've been using it for one month and apart from the fact that I sometimes need to shake it well, it works just as it did when it was new. 


This time I included a longer tutorial for my winged eyeliner look, so that you can see how thin lines you can create with it. The precision with this eyeliner is out of this world. 






I've used it in almost every makeup post this month, so you can see how it looks like there. I also created my Graphic Liner And Bold Lips post with this one. 


I will say that this has become my favorite eyeliner ever. Our European eyeliners have nothing on Asian and especially Japanese eyeliner formulas. It's kind of obvious, isn't it. You get the most precise tip, user friendly pen form, good black color and it's a lot cheaper than most drugstore eyeliners. I will probably never buy eyeliner in our drugstores anymore. I'd rather order it online and have perfectly precise pen, because you know me, I love my winged eyeliner. Highly recommend it to everyone who wants something very precise and easy to work with.

*Product was sent to me for review purposes.