My Thoughts:

I love how soft and creamy the Kajal eyeliner is. I also love how pigmented the eyeliners are. However, I do not love how much it smudges and transfers. It is best to avoid this eyeliner because it will smudge and smear within a couple of hours even with a primer. If it smeared to create a sexy, smudgy, smoky look, I wouldn’t be complaining. Instead, it travels all over and around your eye creating a I-just-rubbed-my-eye-and-now-my-makeup-is-all-over-my-face look. Not attractive at all. It’s very difficult to apply a thin line so applying to the lower lash line is out of the question. Also, because the pencil is so soft, it’s difficult to sharpen. It gets really annoying when you have to sharpen after every use. Stila Kajal Eyeliner is definitely not worth $18. I wouldn’t get it even if it was free. It’s best to avoid it.

My Thoughts:

Pros:

• works great with both cream and powder shadows
• prevents creasing and fading all day long, but not as long as Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer
• goes on smooth
• more sanitary (than Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer)
• you can squeeze out all of the product (unlike Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer. To get out all the product, you have to cut open the bottle)

Cons

• its got a greasy feel/texture
• the product separates. Sometimes when you squeeze the tube, oil comes out first then the primer

neutral nude shade is universally flattering

custom airless pump is sooo easy to use? just a dab’ll do ya!

My Thoughts:

NO NO NO NO! NO! I’m sorry to say Benefit’s Stay Don’t Stray is not a very good product. Truthfully, I did not notice a difference between using Stay Don’t Stray and not using a primer at all. As you know, I have super oily lids so primer is a must for me. This primer was not able to keep the eyeshadow from creasing and fading. I think it made the creasing worse. Is that possible? I know people have complained about the pump dispensing too much product, but I didn’t encounter this problem. Instead of pushing the pump all the way down, I only pushed the pump maybe 1/3 way downward. Just enough to dispense a drop.  A good thing about the primer is that it did even out my eyelid’s skin tone. Overall, it is best to avoid Benefit’s Stay Don’t Stray. There are so many eyeshadow primers on the market that are much cheaper and work much better.

My Thoughts:

This is a gel-like primer that does an excellent job of keeping eyeshadow and eyeliner stay put and crease free. It also goes on colorless! I love that it isn’t sticky and is matte. The primer keeps the color of the eyeshadow and eyeliner staying vibrant too. I have to say $24 is quite expensive, but a little goes a long way. I haven’t decided if it’s better than Urban Decay’s Primer Potion or Too Faced Shadow Insurance, but it is another eyeshadow primer you can try if Urban Decay and Too Faced didn’t work for you.

Looking like you rolled out of bed flawless and fabulous is a celebrity secret, and one that careers have been built on! Now, you too can look like you were “born perfect” with this gorgeous collection of naturally nude shadows that will have you looking super neutral yet drop-dead-gorgeous for any occasion. Shhh! Nobody needs to know you didn’t wake up that way.

The collection contains everything you need for a range of on-the-go eye looks in one easy-to-pack palette. The pure-pigment shadows provide a range of essential matte neutrals and soft shimmers for the perfect balance and variety. Plus, Jerrod’s three easy-to-follow, step-by-step instruction cards show you how to create the perfect naked eye look for any occasion. This is a kit that will work for shadow novices and makeup addicts alike!

My Thoughts:

I am such a sucker for palettes. I also love palettes that help you match up colors for a beautiful look. This Too Faced palette comes with instruction cards that help you create 3 easy looks. This palette is very similar to the Too Faced Natural Eye Kit. The differences between the 2 palettes are that this palette is more darker than the Natural Eye Kit and features more cooler colors. The shadows in the Naked Eye palette are also more matte than shimmery. I love both kits dearly. If I had to choose between the 2 kits, I would choose the Naked Eye over the Natural Eye. I feel you can create more diverse looks with the Naked Eye than the Natural Eye. The shadows are all long lasting and pigmented. You get what you pay for.

My Thoughts:

Ugh! As if liquid liner wasn’t difficult enough to apply, Make Up For Ever Waterproof Eyeliner makes applying liquid eyeliner even more difficult to apply! I feel the wand is just too long and the brush is too thin to control. If you mess up, good luck removing it. It is seriously smudgeproof, budgeproof, and waterproof. The thin brush allows you to draw a super thin line, but it’s just not worth it. Since it’s difficult to control, the eyeliner ends up all over your lashes. Quite the mess I tell you. It’s best to avoid this eyeliner. I was very disappointed.

My Thoughts:

I was surprised I ended up liking this mascara. I could care less for the purple casing. It is sort of annoying. I noticed volume and length in my lashes after I applied the mascara. It’s not a lot of volume and length where it makes you go whoa! But it is better than most mascaras that claim it can voluminize and lengthen. It also can hold a curl! It feels very light and is great for everyday because it lasts all day and then some. The mascara is also buildable which is great if your going for major volume. I had no trouble removing the mascara, and I love how it is really a bold black color. It does clump a little bit if you don’t apply it carefully, but nothing a lash comb can’t cure.

The glue lasts all day and won’t come off until you remove it. The glue becomes tacky very quickly (less than a minute) so you don’t have to wait around waiting for it to dry. My only complaint is that I wish the nozzle to the tube was smaller because if you squeeze too quickly, a giant glob of glue will come oozing out. Duo Adhesive is my choice of eyelash glue.

You can buy Duo Adhesive at drugstores, MAC, and online.

Channel your inner artist with this quick-drying liner pen, available in eight bold shades. Use it to expertly line the eyes or to create a temporary tattoo on the skin.

My Thoughts:

A great liquid liner! If you’re worried applying liquid liner is too difficult or tricky, give Tokidoki Perfetto Eyeliner a try. The pen size liner makes tracing/following your lash line easy. It will create a clean and precise line; thick or thin. Whatever your heart desires. Besides being easy to apply, I like that the finish is a matte black not a shiny black. The color will not budge until you remove it. If you like fun colors, Tokidoki got it: white, pink, blue, green, purple, and black. How can you say no to a cool looking liner like this?

Paul and Joe Mascara Duo ($28.00) This mascara has two different brushes on each end. One end has a regular mascara brush while the other end has a comb-like brush. What I like about this mascara is that it provides both volume (the comb) and length (brush). The mascara formula has fibers that cling to your lashes every time you apply to help make them longer. The comb coats every lashes and separates to provide thickness. It’s not extremely voluminizing and lengthening where your lashes look fake. Instead, it makes it look like you were naturally born with long, thick lashes. I hope that makes sense. Because it provides both length and volume, you don’t need to use a base or lash primer. It is also smudge and flake proof! The mascara isn’t drying and can hold a curl.

Besides the awesome performance the Paul and Joe Mascara Duo puts on, I think my favorite part of the mascara is the packaging. It is very pretty and gives off an Old Victorian vibe. This is a very expensive mascara. I was able to get it from softsurroundings when it was on sale for $10. Would I pay $28 for it? Chances are no. I just think that is too much for a mascara. If I’m paying $28 for a mascara, it better be a miracle mascara.

Update:

I wore this mascara to Disneyland and it lasted the whole time I was there (over 12 hours!). It lasted through the hot, sunny day, the long lines, and the water rides. Not a smudge or smear in sight and my curled lashes was intact.