Browsing Tag

Liquid Eyeliner

Christian Louboutin

Christian Louboutin Les Yeux Noirs

April 5, 2017

Louboutin Les Yeux Noirs | The Beauty Look Book

This spring Christian Louboutin has expanded his beauty line to include eye makeup in his Les Yeux Noirs collection. True to Louboutin style these are luxurious pieces with elaborate packaging that are like works of art. I have two pieces to review for you today but the entire collection includes:

I was kindly gifted the Les Yeux Noirs Amplifying Mascara in Khol and the Oeil Vinyle Luminous Ink Liner in Khol. I’ve reviewed quite a few Louboutin products before, both purchased items and press samples and have been really impressed with their nail polishes and lip products. Based on this I had extremely high expectations for both the mascara and liner. After testing I have one product I feel is a total hit and one item I have luke-warm feelings towards.

Louboutin Les Yeux Noirs | The Beauty Look Book

Louboutin Les Yeux Noirs | The Beauty Look Book

First – the packaging on both the liner and mascara is just out of this world gorgeous. They are so unique and the packaging makes quite the statement. Design-wise they are functional and very easy to hold and use. Travel-wise they aren’t really travel-friendly. I tried both items in the black shade Khol and both are true rich black colors. Even though pigments have improved these days there are still some brands where the black shades actually look grey once they dry down.

Up first is the Les Yeux Noirs Amplifying Mascara in Khol. This is a true black mascara that comes with a rubberized applicator in a heavy weight tube. When it comes to mascara I feel like I’m usually disappointed. I have straight lashes that doesn’t hold a curl very well. Also since they are straight I find many are prone to smudging. In testing mascara I know that there are some formulas that take a couple uses to get it going – I’m not sure why but sometimes the first application just doesn’t work. That was the case with the Louboutin mascara. The first use did not do much of anything for my lashes except darken and define slightly. I gave it two more tries before it started to work properly am glad I did because it performs well.

It is described as having a formula that gives dramatic volume, enhances definition, length lift and curl of the lashes. I found that it did all that it claims with the exception of one area. For me it was a bit lacking in volume. As I’ve mentioned with other mascara reviews though – if a mascara can hold the curl, doesn’t clump and doesn’t smudge then to me I’ll give it a thumbs up. I can build up volume with a few coats but it does take some work and patience on the upper lashes. I rarely wear mascara on my lower lashes because mascara tends to just clump and smudge. I gave this a try on my lower lashes and it’s amazing there. Even with mildly humid warm weather here in Florida I had no smudging from morning until late evening. I will say it’s not waterproof but it doesn’t claim to be. The packaging is heavy weight and design makes it easy to hold and apply. Luke warm feelings are mainly due to price and the fact that it doesn’t knock my socks off for volume. The most I’ve spent on mascara before was with the Chantecaille Faux Cils Longest Lash Mascara which is $72 and I was not happy about spending that much even though I’ve spent more on palettes and lipstick before.

Louboutin Les Yeux Noirs Mascara | The Beauty Look Book

On the nails is Edgypopi reviewed and swatched here

Next is the Oeil Vinyle Luminous Ink Liner in Khol which I think is just incredible. I’m not much of a liquid liner person although I’ve tried a number of formulas that are good. I just prefer pencils or dark shadows as liner because it’s easier for me and I find them more forgiving with the precision aspect. Also many tend to bleed or just don’t have enough pigment and end up looking ashy or grey on my eyes. The Louboutin liquid liner has a felt tip that is soft and easy to use. It also has a rich glossy black ink finish – the pigment and finish are what make this an amazing liquid liner. It lasts all day without smudging and there’s no bleeding when I apply it. For me it set pretty quickly which is nice – sometimes if a liner doesn’t set right away it can be prone to smudges when I blink. I give this one a solid thumbs up. Pigment is rich, texture is smooth, application is flawless and easy to build for a perfect cat eye. Finish is glossy but dries and sets 100% without smudging. It lasts all day. It literally covers everything I could want in a liquid liner.

Louboutin Oeil Vinyle Luminous Ink Liner | The Beauty Look Book

A closer look at the packaging and detail of the applicators:

Louboutin Les Yeux Noirs | The Beauty Look Book

Applicators:

Louboutin Les Yeux Noirs | The Beauty Look Book

Closer shot:

Louboutin Les Yeux Mascara and Oeil Vinyle Luminous Ink Liner

Swatches of the mascara and liner with different pressure applied to show how you can control the thickness of the lines:

Louboutin Les Yeux Mascara and Oeil Vinyle Luminous Ink Liner

Swatch comparisons with a flash:

Mascara and Liner comparisons

Louboutin Les Yeux Mascara and Oeil Vinyle Luminous Ink Liner | The Beauty Look BookBottom line both are solid performers. I absolutely love the liner and think it’s 100% worth the splurge. With mascara I think it’s just ok but mascara is hard for me in general to love because I have such high expectations. My lashes are so straight and sparse that few mascaras can really do everything that I want it to. Many times my expectations are just too high. For the price I think the lip products are a better splurge. I’m still obsessed with the lip lacquers (my picks reviewed and swatched here and here) and I think the lipsticks are excellent (red ones also reviewed here).

You can find the Louboutin Les Yeux collection online and at Louboutin Beaute counters now. I have yet to see the full beauty line in person but hope to make a trip in the next month to see it live. Available online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Sephora, Saks Fifth Avenue and Christian Louboutin.

Have you checked these out yet? What’s the most you’ve spent on mascara or eyeliner?

Many thanks to Louboutin for gifting me the Les Yeux Noirs.

Uncategorized

New Additions to the Burberry Beauty Eyes Collection | Bold Lash Mascara, Effortless Liquid Liner + Effortless Kohl Eyeliners

November 17, 2014

Burberry Beauty recently added some items to their Eye Makeup lineup, including new eyeliners, mascaras and brow definers. All of the items are beautifully packaged in sleek and modern gunmetal-colored tubes. These should be available at all Burberry Beauty counters now, online at Nordstrom, Saks and Burberry. I’ve been playing with some of the new items for a few weeks now and have some to share thoughts on today.

Shown below:

Bold Lash Mascara ($29) comes in two shades, Ebony No. 1 and Chestnut Brown No. 2, I’ve been testing out Ebony and was really surprised with how easily it defined the lashes. It’s not the thickest most volumizing mascara I have used but it does add very good volume. The color is a true black (many turn grey on me) and stays the same deep color once it dries. I didn’t have any smudging or flaking and it came off the lashes easily at the end of the day with a bi-phase makeup remover. The brush grabs the lashes easily, even at the base, application is clump-free.

Effortless Liquid Liner ($34) is a liquid liner that has a pointed felt tip applicator. It comes in one color Jet Black No. 1 and is one of the deepest colors of liquid liners I’ve tried. The handle of the pen has a slightly groove making it easier to grip when you apply it. The handle + shape of the tip allows for super precise application. If you’re a liquid liner pro, you will really like this one. If you’re more of a novice like me, it will take a bit of feathering to get an even line, but I found it easy to control and apply on the lash line. Lasting power is really good. I swatched on the back of my hand in the morning and it didn’t budge from around 5:30 am until 8:45 pm no matter how much I rubbed it. It did come off with a bit of water. On the eyes the liner lasted really well looking as fresh in the evening as it did in the morning. No smudging or creeping. Being a liquid product, I would say treat this like mascara when you apply. It will be wet when you apply, so let it sit for a minute. If your mascara is prone to transfer when you first apply when you blink, this will have a similar result. Try to let it set for a minute and dry.

Close up of the felt tip:

Effortless Kohl Eyeliners ($29 each) come in four colors, Jet Black No. 1, Chestnut Brown No. 2, Storm Grey No. 3 and Pale Grape No. 4. Burberry sent me Jet Black and Storm Grey for review and I’ve been extremely pleased. I’ve been a fan of the Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof liners, but many have commented that the quality isn’t consistent among all colors. I do think it’s hit and miss sometimes based on testers I’ve tried at the counter to the ones I have at home. Some are hard and tug at the eyes. If you experienced this but want a twist-up long-lasting pencil that comes with a sharpener at the end, the Burberry Effortless Kohl Eyeliners are the solution for you. These are rich pigmented Kohl Liners. The Jet Black is one of the deepest blacks I’ve tried (the Hourglass 1.5 mm Mechanical Eyeliner in Obsidian is one of the deepest I’ve tried and the Burberry is slightly deeper). Storm Grey is one of the richest greys I’ve swatched before, it’s a deep color but not so dark it looks black. I don’t think either of these are waterproof, but both of these have really good lasting power. You do need to let these sit for a minute to completely set, but once they do set, I found they did not budge.

These are a huge improvement in formula compared to the original formula of eyeliner Burberry released. The Eye Definer Eye Shaping Pencils have really good pigment and gorgeous colors, but lasting power is medium unless you set with a powder shadow on top.

Removable end reveals a built-in sharpener:

Swatches of the liners:

Comparison swatches:
Trish McEvoy Grey (discontinued)

A few more detail shots:

If you’re looking for classic eye products that work and last long, I highly recommend you check out the new offerings from Burberry. I’ve already ordered the other two shades Effortless Kohl Eyeliners in Chestnut Brown and Pale Grape, two of each, one set for my mom who likes plum and brown twist-up liners that don’t tug at the eyes and don’t smudge, the other set for me.

I wrote about other brands of liquid liners I’ve tried and tested back in August. My top three picks back then were Tom Ford, Kat Von D and Charlotte Tilbury. The new Burberry has joined my top picks the list since it has a really rich deep black color that doesn’t bleed or budge (although the Tom Ford is still hands down my number one favorite).

The new Burberry Beauty Eye Makeup additions are available at Burberry Beauty counters now, online at NordstromSaks and Burberry.

Many thanks to Burberry for sending me these items for review consideration.

Uncategorized

Liquid Eye Liners | Chanel, Kat Von D, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury and Tom Ford

August 26, 2014

I’ve never been a fan of liquid eyeliners on me. The traditional kind with a tiny brush at the end has always felt flimsy to me which has never let me control the line on the eyes. I don’t have the steadiest hands and prefer to line with a detail brush and a darker powder shadow or a pencil that I can blend easily. I’ve tested a few felt tip liquid liners in stores (on the hand) and found they either looked grey when they dried, had felt tips that looked mushed after use, or bled into crevices easily. I dismissed them for many years until I discovered Tom Ford’s Defining Eye Pen last year and it completely changed my outlook on liners. Since then I’ve been braver with the liquid liner application and have been able to test a few more. I don’t have a good tutorial on application but find it’s best when applied in short strokes (even if it’s messy) along the upper lash line and then built up for thickness and precision. I absolutely loved this Easy Winged Liner Technique video by MakeupbyTiffanyD which helped me tremendously as a liquid liner beginner.

Five liquid liners I’ve tried that I wanted to share (with a Sharpie and Post Card for size reference):

  • Chanel Écriture de Chanel Stylo Eye-Liner in Noir ($35) was the second liquid liner I purchased. The artists at the Chanel counter raved about it when it came out with the fall collection. Noir is a true black but when you compare it to the other five I have, it’s not the deepest and looks slightly greyish. It has a felt tip and the cap has a slight spring inside when you close it, the packaging seals it completely so it doesn’t dry out. My initial thoughts on this were that it was a good liquid liner, but after comparing it to others, it’s just not as good. It takes a long time to dry, the tip isn’t quite as precise and just looks grayish once it does dry.
  • Kat Von D Ink Liner in Trooper ($18) has made it into my top three picks. The Ink Liner comes with a felt tip while the Tattoo Liner comes with a brush tip. This one has a stiffer tip that is still slightly flexible. For me it creates a super precise line and is very easy to control. When testing which one would remove easily off my arm with a dual-phase eye makeup remover, this was the second longest lasting (next to Tom Ford). This one also has a spring insert in the cap which seals it completely once closed. I like that it’s very fluid and there’s no bleeding when you apply it.
  • Marc Jacobs Magic Marc’er Precision Pen in Blacquer ($30) is one I had high hopes for based on the rave reviews. When I first tried it I did not like it. The felt tip was too soft for a precise line. After experimenting with it some more, I found it best when applied sideways or horizontally and then gliding it across the lids in short feathery strokes. It dries nicely to a true rich and glossy black but doesn’t smudge. It is a liner I find takes more time. When I’m in a rush, this one isn’t the best for me. 
  • Charlotte Tilbury The Feline Flick Quick Fine Line Shodõ Pen is something I purchased from the from the Rock Chic set on Charlotte Tilbury UK. Now available in the US at Nordstrom, Net-a-Porter, Bergdorf Goodman and Beautylish. This one is quite amazing with a super precise line and glossy rich black finish. It stays put and sets quickly. I love that it is super easy to glide on for precise application. The stiffer tip makes it easier for me to apply versus one that bends easily. Huge thumbs up for this one.
  • Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen in Deeper 01 ($55) is hands down the best liquid eye liner I’ve tried. It comes with two tips, one is a thicker brush, the other is a smaller felt tip. This one is super easy to apply. It gives a super dark black line and is the easiest for me to use (which is important since I’m not the best at applying liquid liners). It’s lasted almost a year for me without drying out and the tips have remained sharp.

Comparisons to pencil liners: Houglass 1.5 Mechanical Pencil, Chanel Stylo Yeux in Gris and Edward Bess Defining Eyeliner in Deep Brown

To summarize my thoughts:

Top three picks
Tom Ford, Charlotte Tilbury and Kat Von D
Deepest black: Charlotte Tilbury
Longest lasting: Kat Von D, Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford
Most precise: Tom Ford and Kat Von D
Easiest to control: Tom Ford

If I were pressed to pick just one, it would hands down be the Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen even though $55 for an eyeliner is quite ridiculous. It’s super easy to control for a lighter or deeper line. It also has two tip sizes for a fine or thick line. It glides on and doesn’t smudge and retains its lush dark glossy black color even when dried.

Are you a liquid liner fan? What are your favorites?

The Marc Jacobs and Kat Von D eyeliners were provided courtesy of Sephora for review consideration. The others were purchased by me. More information in my Disclosures.