The Line Up Project
By MUA's Cavewoman

It's very fitting that I should start the Line Up eyeliner series with this little jar from the local drugstore. Annie and I are in a New York State Of Mind right now! The NYC brand boasts great products at super low prices, and with the buzz on MakeUpAlley about this limited edition MetalEyes Cream Shadow/Liner, I thought I'd give it a try. I'm pretty sure it was just around $5. The color I chose was Onyx, a steely dark dark gray but not quite black, with tiny silver shimmery particles. Pretty! And, comes "with Professional Brush" -- even better! The package shows the weight of the product at .11oz, or 3.1g, and the liner comes in a little glass jar with a silver lid upon which is printed all the info you need after you toss the box. One note I must add here, the box states "Not Tested On Animals."

I thought I'd try one eye with the brush that was included in the box, and the other eye with the Sonia Kashuk bent-angle liner brush (white handle, at Target stores.) I'd already bought the brush in anticipation of the switch from pencil or twist-up crayon liners to pots of cream or gel liners, so I was ready.
The first thing I noticed was how thick and dry the formula was. It took a bit of effort to break the crust, so to speak, to load the little synthetic orange bristles with product. The brush is flat, but the edges are a bit tapered, not like the older totally flat across the top styles like Trish McEvoy's or Smashbox, which I think were the first companies to do liner brushes like these. Since I am a novice at this, I started to apply the liner in the middle of my top lash line, and worked my way outward and then inward. The brush felt fine and not scratchy, but it wasn't laying down much product at all. And, I wasn't getting as thin a line as I wanted. I had better hopes for the Kashuk. But the same thing happened on the other eye, I couldn't get a thin line. So since I used two different brushes, all I can think is that the thickness and dryness of the product itself causes it to apply too thickly, no matter what the brush. I used the brushes to apply the liner under my lower lashes, too, and then I checked out how it looked. Not bad! In fact, very pretty!!
The effect of the NYC MetalEyes in Onyx is a soft charcoal look with the shimmer visible but not glittery or disco. I liked the softness of the color, it would be great for someone who wants dark but not black for a liner color, and doesn't want to go to a color or does not wear brown.

And now for wear. My goal in trying all of these liners is to find one that will stay put for at least half a day. I don't know why I have such trouble with liners staying on, maybe it's my aging droopy crease area, but it's a challenge. In fairness during the testing, I'm not going over any of the liners with a powder shadow to set it and to see if that could affect the wear, but I am sure I'll try that sometime in the future. The NYC liner lasted for about four hours, but when it wore, it wore off in chunks. I had gaps in the line and pieces of liner stuck to my lids. Not pretty. What is odd is that the liner lasted longer on the eye with which I used the Kashuk brush, and didn't chip off as much as the eye with which I used the enclosed brush. Score one for the Kashuk!
Removal of the liner was easy, with a cotton ball and some BeneFit Gee That Was Quick. However, I did notice some silver particles stuck to my lashes even after removal.

Should I give a numerical rating to all the liners I will be testing? Ok, I will! On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being Absolutely Horribly Miserably Awful, and 10 being Holy Grail Perfection No Need To Ever Try Anything Else, the NYC MetalEyes receives a solid 4.

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this review were purchased by the reviewer.