Makeup for a Night Out | Tips

Before I begin I'd like to say that this isn't a tutorial for how to achieve a night out look, but it is a set of tips to help make sure your makeup stays looking good all night. Having just completed my first year of university, I've been on my fair share of nights out, and it really tests your makeup. I'm sharing the things I've found useful for keeping my makeup on all night. Your makeup needs to withstand hot temperatures (from clubs), possibly liquid (possible crying/spilt drinks) and it needs to stay on the whole time which can range from 2 hours to 8+.

Primer
If you want your makeup to stay on for as long as possible, it's best to use a primer underneath your makeup. It will also help with makeup application as you have a smoother base to apply your makeup to. You may not know how long you are planning to stay out, so by using a primer you can ensure it will stay on for as long as you need it to. I don't tend to wear primer everyday as I find it's not needed, but when going out I always use it as I tend to wear more makeup and won't be able to touch it up throughout the day.

Powder
This is helpful for two reasons. Firstly it's great to increase the longevity of your makeup, and works well with primer in order to keep your makeup lasting all night. Secondly, it's important as it helps get rid of any shine you don't want (t-zone, chin, nose etc.). This is great for a night out as chances are you will get hot if you are inside a club and are more likely to be shiny. Setting your makeup with powder will make sure you avoid this.

Setting Spray
My number one tip is to use a setting spray. I love setting sprays and they are a staple in my everyday makeup bag, but they are doubly important when it comes to going out. They help your makeup stay intact, which helps it stay on longer. However, I find it also avoids eye makeup from smearing or blush fading which is great if you're wearing a very dramatic eye look that they want to stay intense and bold, and not fade. I've heard of quite a few people using hairspray to do the same thing, but I'm not sure if that's necessarily the best idea...

Gel Liner
I love to use eyeliner on my waterline, I love the effect it gives. However, I find kohl pencil often smudges and doesn't last long at all. If you do want to wear eyeliner in your waterline I suggest using a gel eyeliner. These will stay on for a long longer and are far less likely to smudge. They are also often darker and more intense so look better for nights out. You also won't need to bring your eyeliner out with you to touch up, which is better as you don't risk losing it.

Lipstick
Most people are going to wear lipstick, but my suggestion is the type you wear. I highly recommend the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lipstains for two reasons. Firstly, a stain is going to last far longer. If you are out chances are you going to be out for a long time and will probably have something (alcoholic or not) to drink. Most lipsticks will be gone within the first hour, a stain will not. As they are stains you also want get lipstick marks around glasses. Secondly, when you want to touch up these are far easier as it's a lot harder to get lipstick on your teeth or go outside your lips. They are also very light and easy to carry. If you do lose them (which can happen) they aren't too expensive, but if you lose your beloved YSL lipstick, that's a different story...

My final word of advice is not to carry makeup out with you for touch ups (except lipstick/lipgloss) which is why most of these products aim to prolong your makeup. It's very easy to loose makeup or drop it and when using expensive makeup, this is not at all ideal.

I hope this post was helpful, let me know if you use any of these things when going for a night out or have any tips of your own.

My Top 5 | Blushes

I'm a blush girl, I love how a different blush can completely change up your look. It can be subtle and compliment your makeup or it can be bold and give the makeup a new dimension. I decided to share with you my favourite five blushes that I wear a lot. Apart from one limited edition blush, all the others are still available. Four of them are matte and one is shimmer.

1. Sleek Squash
Sleek Squash is the bright pink blush in the Sleek Blush by 3 Palette in Pumpkin which I reviewed here. It's a bright pink matte powder blush. As you can see by the swatch, this is the brightest blush and it is possibly the brightest powder blush I own. I love wearing this in summer as it gives a lovely pop of colour on the cheeks. You can layer this for an intense look, or only use a bit and blend it into the skin for a more subtle look. I love that I can achieve two different looks with this blush depending on how I apply it.  This is slightly harder to work with than the other blushes (which are all high end) but the pigmentation is one of the best, and it lasts for ages too.

2. Illamasqua Katie
I already reviewed this blush here, I love this blush and would say it is possibly the favourite blush I own. I can already feel a bit dent in it, and am worried I will run out soon :(. It's a pale pink which really compliments my pale skin and adds a very subtle glow to my cheeks. I'd say it has the best formula of the bunch, it is incredible soft and very easy to apply and blend into the cheeks. It isn't powdery at all and lasts all day.

3. Nars Oasis
I've already reviewed this blush in more detail here. This is the only shimmer blush pictured. I actually prefer how shimmery blushes look, but as I often wear shimmery eyeshadows, it would be a bit overkill to wear shimmer on the cheeks. This is the darkest blush out of the five, it is described as a 'sparkling pink champagne'. It leans more brown than pink on my skin as I'm fair. This is less subtle on my skin as it is quite a bit darker, but it blends it well and I love wearing this on a night out. As with all Nars blushes, the pigmentation is great and the wear time is superb.

4. MAC Immortal Flower
This is the only limited edition blush of the collection. I didn't want to include it as it was limited edition, but as I wear this one so much, I figured it'd be silly not to include it. This is a peachy-orangey shade. It is a pale shade, and if you have tanned skin you won't be able to wear this. In fact, without lots of layering I would only recommend this to people with light-light medium skin. I love the way this blush compliments my bronzer and gives me more colour in summer. The formula is really nice and easy to blend into the skin.

5. Stila Convertible Colour in Gerbera
I already reviewed this here. Although I have dry skin, I tend to prefer powder blushes than cream blushes as I find they last longer. However, this blush is the exception. It stays on my skin for ages and blends into it seamlessly. As it's a cream formula it's not powdery or cakey at all. It is also very easy to apply and you can apply with your fingers or a brush. I love the colour of this, it's noticeable without being too in-your-face.

Those are my top five blushes in my collection that I wear regularly. Are any of these your favourite blushes too? What your top 5 blushes? Let me know in the comments!

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Sleek Blush by 3 in Sweet Cheeks | Review and Swatches

If you read my haul post here, you'll know that I recently picked up the Sleek Blush by 3 Palette in Sweet Cheeks. I already own the Blush by 3 Palette in Pumpkin which I reviewed here, and I really love it. When I saw Sleek had bought out a new palette and saw the bright colours in it, I knew it was a must have for my makeup bag.

Colours:
The colours in this are gorgeous bright colours which are ideal for summer. Cupcake is a gorgeous blue-toned pink. This is the only blush in the palette which is a cream formulation. Dolly Mix is a very gorgeous lilac colour. I really like that they included this in the palette, it adds something a bit different to the palette. It's quite a unique colour and I can't think of any similar drugstore/highstreet blushes off the top of my head. Finally Candy Floss is similar in shade to Cupcake but is much more warm toned.

I think all the colours in this palette are really wearable and are great for Spring/Summer, although I will definitely be wearing these in Autumn/Winter too. These blushes do look a bit scary in the pan as they are bold, but you can create a much more subtle look by applying these lightly with a stippling brush.

Pigmentation:
As you can hopefully see from the swatches, the pigmentation on these is great and typical of Sleek blushes. The swatches are all 2 swipes each. I was glad to see that the cream blush, Cupcake, was well pigmented as this is the first cream blush that Sleek has released. I'm hoping that in the future Sleek comes out with a blush by 3 palette containing only cream blushers. These can applied to give a very intense look, or using a light hand to give a more subtle effect. One word of warning: make sure you blend these if you are going for an intense look. The pigmentation is so good that you can look a bit clownish if you aren't careful.

Application:
Sleek's blushes are some of the best affordable blushes available. They aren't quite as easy to blend as some of the higher end blushes (such as Illamasqua's) but they are a lot easier to apply than most other drugstore/highstreet blushers. In my opinion, the cream blush applied the best and was easily blended into the skin. The powder blushes are a bit harder to work with, but can still be blended into the skin with a little effort. For the price, the quality of these is superb.

Lasting Power:
I always prime my skin and found that on me the two powder blushes lasted all day, which I have found is often the case with Sleek blushes. The cream blush did not last as long (as was to be expected) but lasted about 5 hours + before there was noticeable fading. This is typical wear time for a cream blush, but this can probably be extended by powdering the blush or using a setting spray.

Packaging:
As always, the Sleek packaging is lightweight and easy to carry around. I also love that Sleek always includes a large mirror in their blush palettes as it is ideal if you want to touch up your makeup while you are out and about. Sweet Cheeks also comes in a limited edition outer packaging as it's part of the Candy Collection. However the rest of the packaging is no different, apart from the blush and collection name being in the lower right hand corner of the palette.

Pricing & Availability:
Available from Superdrug for £9.99, along with the rest of the collection of Blush By 3 Palettes.

I really like this blush trio and have been loving the bright colours for Summer. These blushes are some of the best quality available for such an affordable price. I really recommend this to anyone looking for affordable blushes which have great pigmentation

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Sleek iDivine Palette in Original | Review and Swatches

I love Sleek MakeUP, they are probably my favourite drugstore/highstreet brand by far. Their products are always of high quality My favourite product of theirs are their blushes (which I blogged about here) and their eyeshadow palettes. They are very high quality and comparable to products I own from high end brands, but are a fraction of the price. Sleek had a wide variety of eyeshadow palettes available in their iDivine range, including the Storm palette which is often compared to Urban Decay's Naked Palette. The palette I'm reviewing today is the Original iDivine palette which has much more bright and vibrant shades in it.

I've had this for years now, sorry if the palette looks a bit dirty! I tried my best to clean it before taking photos.

The Claim:

'Sleek MakeUP’s legendary i-Divines are 12 shades of high-quality, super-pigmented eyeshadow, suited to every skin tone.'

Pigmentation:
The pigmentation on these eyeshadows is good as you can see from the swatches. Each of the swatches has been swatched 3 times but this was for consistency, I could have gotten away with 2 on all of them but the matte black.The swatches are all on bare skin with no primer.

The matte black is the only shadow in this palette that I'd say isn't as good pigmentation. It is also a bit powdery in formulation as well and I found it much harder to swatch. The shimmery shades are good quality and high in pigmentation. The darker shades are more pigmented (particularly numbers 2,3,4 and 5) and have a really creamy formula. The lighter shades do have less pigmentation but this is because they are lighter shades rather than because of the quality. After the matte black, 7 is the least pigmented but it's a very light colour and the formula on it is still good. I'd also say that the lighter shades have more noticeable shimmer than the darker shades.

My favourite shades are 8, 9 and 11, they create a really nice twist on the natural looking eye and are easy to carry off. I especially love these shades for the summer time as I think the pink looks lovely with summer clothes.

Staying Power:
I always wear my eyeshadows over a primer (Urban Decay's Primer Potion) and I find that these eyeshadows will last all day on me with no creasing. I don't suffer from oily lids though, so can't say if they fare up as well on oily eyelids. The pigmentation and shimmer stays and there is also no fall out onto the cheeks.

Packaging:
The packaging is compact meaning it is easy to carry around with you, and the opening is secure so it won't accidentally open in your bag. It does come with a sponge applicator which I don't use as I only use brushes for apply my eyeshadow. Mine has fallen apart a bit and I've barely used it.

Pricing and Availability:
The whole range of Sleek iDivine eyeshadow palettes are available from Sleek MakeUP for £7.99 each.

I love the Sleek iDivine palettes and think they are great value for 12 high quality eyeshadows. They have a huge range of palettes to suit everyone's taste. I'm especially excited by their new Vintage Romance palette which is coming out in September, so keep an eye out for that.

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Favourites | July

1. Toni & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray
I have fallen in love with this product. If I had to pick one product out of all of these that was my favourite, it would be this. I have been using this almost everyday on my hair. It gives it volume and texture, and that sort of beach-swept look. I love the fact that this means I don't need to use any heat on me hair. 1. It's way too hot in this heat without adding more heat, and 2. I use too much heat on my hair as it is. I also love how this makes my hair smell like the sea, some will hate this smell but I love it.

2. Sleek Blush by 3 Palette in Pumpkin 
I love this palette and already did a review of it here.  I love Sleek, they're my favourite highstreet brand and find the quality of their products is always incredible for the price. I love blushes, and in the summer I like to be a bit more daring with my blush as the rest of my makeup is kept more simple for summer. I like to go for the bright pinks and oranges that I steer clear of in the winter time. This palette has a bright pink and a bright orange, perfect for summer. These have been my go-to blushes this month for those bright summer cheeks. I recently bought the new Sleek Blush by 3 in Sweet Cheeks but haven't had chance to use all of the colours yet.

3. Illamasqua Matt Primer
I don't tend to really use primer but since my Urban Decay Setting Spray ran out I've been looking for other ways to make my makeup last longer. I've had this product for a while but never used it as I always reached for my setting spray which made my makeup last all day anyway. I've been using this recently and love it, it helps keep my makeup on and gives me a matte look which is great for the summer. It gives a really nice finish to the skin and it is easy to apply makeup over it.

4. Stila Lovely in London Palette
I got this a year ago but have been rediscovering it again. It has five eyeshadows in it and a covertible colour. I love Stila Covertible Colours and this colour is a lovely peachy shade which looks lovely in summer. I also love the eyeshadows, four of them are matte so great for creating softer summer looks. The packaging is gorgeous too and so easy to carry around with me.

5. Sleek Ink Pot in Dominatrix
I did a post comparing this eyeliner to two others that I own here. I really love this gel eyeliner, in my opinion it is just as good as the MAC Fluidline. I'm not going to lie, the Bobbi Brown offering still wins as the best gel eyeliner I've ever used, but considering there is about a £14 price difference, this gel eyeliner is a great cheaper alternative. It's a very true black colour and easy to apply and I've been using this all month.

6. Illamasqua Nail Polish in Radium
I love this colour. It's the kind that some people love and others will find is ugly. It's a light green with a very subtle shimmer going through it. I love how bright it is and is the perfect summer colour for me. I love Illamasqua nail polishes, they are the best quality I've tried, they just stay on and on.

7. Revlon 24hours ColourStay Foundation
I used to have this in it's old formulation, but I really love it's new formulation. Firstly the colour is really good for pale skin, (see here) and I love the high coverage. I always prefer a full coverage base, even when my skin is good. I'm really happy I decided to give this another try and it has become my new favourite foundation, since I got it I haven't used any other foundation. I'd say it's better than quite a few high-end foundations I've tried.

So that's it for my July favourites, let me know in the comments what you've been loving this month!

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Haul | Superdrug

Sleek Blush by 3 | Sweet Cheeks - £9.99

Sleek Face Contour Kit | Light - £6.49

MUA Eyebrow Pencil | Blonde - £1

Only a very tiny haul from Superdrug, but I thought I'd show you what I got! If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know how much I love Sleek, so of course two of the main things I purchased were from Sleek.

Firstly I got the new Sleek Blush by 3 in Sweet Cheeks. I already have the Sleek Blush by 3 in Pumpkin which I reviewed here, I love this blush palette and use it constantly. When I saw the reviews and swatches of the new one, I knew I had to get it. I love the bright colours in it, and know it will become a new staple in my collection.
While looking at the Sleek range, I decided to also pick up the Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light. I've heard so many good reviews of this product, and I need a new bronzer as mine is running out. My current bronzer is from MAC and is a bit dark for my skintone so needs a lot of blending. As this kit is in light I'm hoping the bronzer is a better fit for my skintone. I got the kit without the blush in as I am thinking of buying the Blush by 3 palette in Lace at some point which contains the same blush.

I also picked up an MUA Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde. I've never bought anything from MUA but have heard their products are good for the price of £1 each (for most things). I never do anything with my eyebrows so decided to pick this up and see if I liked it or not. For the price, I figured if I didn't it wouldn't be a huge loss. Whereas if I bought an expensive eyebrow product and didn't like it, that would be a bigger regret.

That's all I got, let me know what you think and if you'd like to see reviews of any of the products!

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Beauty Wish List | July

1. Real Techniques Limited Edition Duo Fiber Set - £23.99
I've never tried Real Techniques brushes but I've heard so much good stuff about their brushes. I love duo fiber brushes and when I saw this kit I knew I wanted it.

2. Sleek MakeUP Blush by 3 Palette in Sweet Cheeks - £9.99
I already blogged about how much I love the Sleek MakeUP Blush by 3 palettes here, and this is their newest offering. I really love the colours in this palette and think that they would look great for the summer.

3. Pixi Early Bird Kit - £16
Every since I saw this I knew I wanted it, its a huge makeup kit with so many products. It has eyeshadows, blushes, bronzers, a highlighter and powder shades. I think this would be really great for travelling, which I do quite a bit, as it contains most the makeup that I use on an everyday. I also haven't tried any stuff from Pixi before, so this would be a great introduction to the brand

4. Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang - £5.99
I've been lusting after these for ages as I love the idea of a cross between a lipstick and a lipgloss. I'm particularly interested in the red shade having seen swatches of it on other people.

5. MAC Mineralize SkinFinish Natural in Light - £22
I've been after this for a while. I want a new powder to set my makeup and would like to try a non-translucent powder (what I currently use) to see if that makes a difference. I have heard really good things about how this product leaves your skin looking so really want to try it out.

6. Essie Nail Polish in Mint Candy Apple £7.99
I only have one Essie nail polish and really want to expand my collection. Mint Candy Apple seems to be a colour that everyone has and I think its a great colour for the summer.

7. Bobbi Brown Navy and Nude Palette - £48
I really like the look of this. I love nude colours and think the pop of Navy adds a nice twist to the palette. It also looks really compact and easy to carry around - something which I always look for in a eyeshadow palette. As much as I love Urban Decay Naked, it is a pain to carry places due to its size, you can't just put it in a handbag.

8. Guerlain Terracotta Light Sheer Bronzing Powder in 02 Blondes - £34
I've never tried anything from Guerlain but I really want to. I'm on the look out for a new bronzer and have heard good things about this. Not only does it look pretty, I've heard its quite a light bronzer. As I'm pale a lot of bronzers require a of blending on my skin to look natural, so this looks like it would suit my skin better.

9. Urban Decay Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Colour in Naked - £14
I love lip products in pencil form, I just find them so much easier to apply. I really like the look of this colour from Urban Decay as it seems to be a good natural lip colour. I also like the concept of the pencils too.

10. L'oreal Superliner Black Lacquer - £6.49
I've always heard good things about the L'oreal liquid eyeliners and this one seems to be one of the most popular. My current liquid eyeliner is nearly finished, so I'd love to try this one out. It's a great price too.

11. Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick - Pink - £40
This is described as being similar to the shimmer bricks, but a bit more subtle, offering a 'glow from within'. I've always wanted a shimmer brick but have worried about how shimmery they seem to be, this seems to be a great alternative to highlight the cheeks without going overboard.

12. Illamasqua Precision Gel Eyeliner - £18
In this post I spoke about how much I loved gel eyeliner, and how Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner was one my favourite products ever. I love Illamasqua and would say it is one of my favourite makeup brands, I have never been dissapointed by a product I've bought from them. When I found out they had brought out a gel eyeliner, I knew I had to try it.

That's my current most wanted beauty items. Do you want any of these items as bad as I do? Let me also know the current beauty items you are lusting for in the comments.

That's all for now,

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Sleek Blush by 3 - Pumpkin | Review

I love blushes. As a very pale person I love the way adding a blush to my face can make me look so much more alive. I also love how blushers can compliment the rest of your makeup and how they can change based on the season. In winter, I love deep, darker cheeks but in summer I love peachy, orange cheeks. One of my favourite drugstore/highstreet brands for blushers is definitely Sleek. They make really good quality blushers in a wide range for a very inexpensive price.

Last summer, Sleek MakeUP came out with their 'Blush By 3' blusher palettes. These came with three blushers with a mix of matte and shimmer shades. I immediately fell in love, I love blusher but love it even more when its easy to carry around. I travel quite a lot between my hometown and my university town so having makeup that I can carry with me is a big plus. I was also really attracted to the colours available too.

Shades:
The blush by 3 palette I have here is called 'Pumpkin' and as you can see the shades inside are very vibrant. I love this palette for summer, in particularly the bright pink and bright orange are great summer colours. They are very pigmented too, as you can see from the swatches. This means it is easy to get the colour in the pan on the cheeks, which is often a problem with some blushes. There are 4 more different palettes available along with a newly released Blush by 3 as part of the Candy collection. There are darker shades and more neutral shades to suit everyone.

Application:
The application of these blushes is nice, the shimmer shade is slightly easier to work with than the mattes which can be slightly powdery. But for the price, it is worth having to spend a little extra time blending them. The lasting power on these is also good, although this is increased with a setting spray.

Pricing:
The Sleek Blush by 3 Palettes are priced at £9.99 which works out at less than £3.50 for each blush. At 20g too this means a decent amount of product so this palette will last. Also, the pigmentation on these is so good, that you literally only need a tiny tiny bit on your brush to achieve the colours in the pan. I've made this mistake many a time, putting the usual amount of blush on my brush and then ending up with clown cheeks.

Availability:
The SleekMakeUP blush by 3 palettes are available from Superdrug and Sleek MakeUP.

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Gel Eyeliner Comparison | Sleek MakeUP, Bobbi Brown & MAC

Hey everyone, today I am doing a comparison of the three gel eyeliners I own. Gel eyeliners are one of my favourite makeup products, but when I first began using them I was unsure of what to look for. Until recently, gel eyeliners were also not easily available on the highstreet which made it even harder for me to decide which brand to buy eyeliner from. Speaking to other, non-makeup obsessed people they tend not to know about gel eyeliners or if they do, not know where to buy them from or which ones are best for which purpose. I hope this post is helpful in answering those queries, and if I use other gel eyeliners I will add them to this post. 

Sleek MakeUP Ink Pot in 'Dominatrix'

I recently purchased the Sleek gel eyeliner as I had run out of my Holy Grail Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner (discussed below) and needed  a new gel eyeliner. However, being a university student, I don't have much excess cash to spend on high-end makeup products (sadly) so I looked for a cheaper alternative. Having looked at reviews, the Ink Pot from Sleek was the cheapest so I decided to buy it.

The Claim:

'Super long wearing and water resistant, Ink Pot is the ultimate gel eyeliner. The smear and crease proof formula stays on all day, so you can smoulder without smudging.'

 This gel eyeliner is a very good product, especially considering its price. It is creamy and easy to apply and leaves a very black line. The only issue with it is that it doesn't work as well on the waterline, I find it doesn't stay put for as long as loses some it is intensity. However, for upper lash lining it is opaque and doesn't smudge. It does last for a long time too. It does dry quicker than other eyeliners, but so long as you don't work slow this will not be an issue. For the price, it is an incredibly good offering from Sleek!

Shades: Currently, the Sleek MakeUP gel eyeliner is only avaliable in a single colour, black. I have heard that there used to be more options avaliable so maybe more will be released in the future. However, for now there is only one colour avaliable. This is a disadvantage compared to both MAC and Bobbi Brown which both offer their gel eyeliner formula in multiple shades.

Pricing: The Sleek eyeliner  is the cheapest gel eyeliner available (to my knowledge) costing only £5.49. This makes it much cheaper than its rivals and much more affordable if you are on a budget.

Availability: The Sleek Inkpot is available from Sleek MakeUP and Superdrug.

Overall: Although I still think the Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner is a slightly better alternative, for the price the Sleek MakeUP ink pot is great for anyone on a budget that still wants a gel eyeliner. Well worth the price!

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in 'Black Ink'

The Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner is one of the best gel eyeliners available on the market. When I first started researching gel eyeliners back in the day, this was the one everyone raved about. It definitely lived up to that hype. It has quickly become a staple item in my makeup collection, and as you can see by the photos, I definitely use it a lot.

The Claim:   

'This award-winning liner gives you the look of liquid liner with the ease & feel of a gel formula. Long-wearing, water-resistant colour glides on and let's you get it just right before it dries - then stays without a smear or crease.'

My favorite part about this eyeliner is the fact it can be used on the waterline. It is safe to use on the waterline and the fact it is water-resistant makes it ideal for this. I love to wear eyeliner on my waterline but often find I have to keep replying it or it smudges and I look like a panda. This eyeliner not only glides onto the waterline easily and maintains its black colour but it also stays put. I'd say this stays on the waterline for about 6 hours before it starts to noticeably fade, which is a lot better than most eyeliners. It also doesn't smudge and it doesn't transfer either.

Shades: The shade I used is the black shade known as 'black ink' however, unlike a lot of other brands, Bobbi Brown offer a wide selection of shades in their gel eyeliner formula. Their website offers 14 different shades ranging from a 'deep emerald green' to a 'violet purple'. I haven't tried any of the other gel eyeliner shades, however, I am lusting after the violet purple shade as I think it'll help bring out my green eyes.

Pricing: The Bobbi Brown eyeliner is the most expensive of the bunch costing £17.50. While this may seem like  a lot for an eyeliner, I feel that the price is justified. As you can see from the pictures I pretty much used the entirety of my eyeliner.  My pot lasted me for about a year and a half, and I wore this nearly everyday. Although it did begin to dry up towards the end, I still feel the price is justified due to the quality of the product and how long it lasted.

Availability: The Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner is available from Bobbi Brown and Debenhams. 

Overall: This is  a really good gel eyeliner for those willing to pay the extra money. It may cost more than some of its competitors, but it is well worth it and a small pot can last over a year. 

MAC Fluidline Gel Eyeliner in 'Blitz & Glitz'

MAC fluidlines are well known in the beauty community. They were probably the first gel eyeliner I ever heard of and were the first gel eyeliner I ever used. The shade I'm reviewing is Blitz & Glitz which is black with hints of gold, however there is a black fluidline available from MAC known as Blacktrack.

The Claim:

'Ultra-smooth, Fluidline's gel formula provides the precision of a liquid liner with a silkier, softer finish. Goes on foolproof with a brush in an easy dip-and-stroke action. Long-wearing. Smudge-proof. Lines up in a rich array of colours and finishes.'

The MAC gel eyeliner is a smooth formula and I find it easy to apply onto the eye. It is also long wearing, lasting the majority of the day. However, the MAC eyeliner is not supposed to be used on the waterline and there is not official word on whether or not it is safe to use it there. I have used it on the waterline before (because I'm a rebel like that) and found that it doesn't last particularly long at all, and often smudges. It is a good quality product for the eye and does have smooth and easy application. It also doesn't smudge and does not transfer in my experience.

As you can see, my pot of eyeliner it has completely dried out and is harder to use now. I found this dried out quicker than the Bobbi Brown alternative, but I also used it less as I mainly only wear eyeliner on my waterline, so this could have been a factor.

Shades: The MAC fluidline comes in 6 different shades on the website, ranging from dark brown to dark blue. Occasionally limited edition colours are released in MAC collections.

Pricing: The MAC offering is a bit cheaper than it's Bobbi Brown rival, coming in at £15.00.

Availability: The MAC gel eyeliner is available from MAC Cosmetics and Debenhams.

Overall: The MAC offering is certainly a contender with Bobbi Brown for the best gel eyeliner. It is slightly cheaper than its rival, however can't be used on the waterline as easily as the Bobbi Brown offering.

There are more offerings available in the market, with many drugstore/highstreet brands now offering gel eyeliners, which a couple of years ago was not the case. I have heard a lot of great things about the Maybelline offering but have yet to try it, definitely one for the wish list.

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