The Line Up Project: HIP

Review by MUA's Cavewoman

These new liner products from the HIP High Intensity Pigments line for L'Oreal have received tons of great buzz on The Makeup Alley, and although they are not gel or cream liners like the rest of the products in my liner review series, I thought I should test them out. A quick trip to Walgreens had me in front of the display, showing six shades on a special display unit, products hung on pegs from their cute loop-topped containers. There is no doubting the similarity in packaging and product to Guerlain's Kohls, which I have admired on the Guerlain displays but had never purchased. Even with a little personal instruction at Bergdorf one day with my buddy Kathy, having the SA show us that we should dab a liner brush on the wand inside instead of attempting to apply the loose powder liner with the wand itself, I feared fallout and did not want to contend with the mess. Kathy has mastered the Guerlains. I'm always in awe of her skills. But, MakeUpAlley claims of staying power had me hooked, so off of the hooks I selected the HIP Kohls in Black, Burgundy, Navy and Teal.

The Burgundy was the most interesting of the shades, so this is the one I chose to test out. I thought I should give the applicator a chance, as well as using the Bergdorf-instructor separate brush technique. I unscrewed the cap of the HIP, and immediately little specks of product started to fall off of the wand. I was a bit disturbed by the chunky crumbs that were now lying on my vanity table, but I kept on. I used the wand to apply the loose liner powder to my upper lash line. Crumbs fell on my cheeks and lashes, crumbs were falling on my hand, crumbs were everywhere. But I persisted and got the liner on, a bit thicker than I would have wanted by using the enclosed wand, but it was very pretty and had a definite metallic look. I reached into my brush cup and pulled out a very very skinny old Sephora brand liner brush, and it fit down into the container well of the HIP. I pulled out the brush (more fallout) and tapped it a bit to try to get off some of the excess (more fallout) and used the brush to apply the liner to my lower lash line. Definitely using the Sephora brush was a better way of applying, because I was able to achieve a much thinner line. And then I did something very dangerous. I re-dipped the Sephora brush and applied the liner to my waterline, the inner rim of my eye, both upper and lower. I loved the smoldery look this gave my eye. Very sophisticated (definitely not my usual style) and almost smokey-eye looking (which I love on others but can rarely achieve on my own.) I wiped off all the fallout and crumbs off of my eye and cheek area, and was completely delighted with the eye look I had created with this Burgundy Kohl.

As is the usual case, the raves on the MakeUpAlley with regards to staying power were completely true. The line on my upper lash line did not budge, it stayed clear and didn't crack or flake off or smear in the least. Same with the lower lash line. The waterline began to wear off within an hour or so, which is odd because it wore off unevenly. I don't have watery eyes or any allergy issues with my eyes, so I was surprised. But I still loved the way it looked on the lash line. About three hours later, getting ready to head out for the evening, I checked the liner. It was still absolutely perfect looking, beautiful, exactly as I had applied it, with the exception of the uneven waterline. But what did I see? A red bump? Right there on the lower lash line, a red bump. A stye. I couldn't remove the entire eye look fast enough. I grabbed the L'Oreal Skin Genesis wipes and gently began to remove all of the HIP kohl. It wouldn't budge. I ran for the Benefit Gee That Was Quick and a clean cotton ball. It took three attempts to remove all of the HIP.

In terms of Line Up score, I am not sure how to rate this product. If I rate it only on appearance and staying power, it would recieve a perfect 10. It is that beautiful. The fallout and crumb issue would definitely drop the rating down to about a 3 because it is so messy and hard to apply. And with the stye issue now, I'd give the stuff a big fat zero. I haven't had a stye since I was in college, back in the 60s, when we dorm girls all shared our makeup without even thinking of cleanliness or bacteria. So I have to just attribute the stye to the HIP liner. Nothing else in my daily routine would have caused it.
Good thing Walgreens has a fair return policy.

The Line Up Project: Pixi

Review by MUA's Cavewoman

Pixi was a brand that used to be sold in Sephora stores, and now, along with Jemma Kid and Nepoleon Perdis, is a new group of products that are available at Target stores. Don't expect drugstore pricing from any of these lines at Target. The prices are more like mid-range department store lines such as Clinique and MAC. I spotted these little gel liners on the display rack, and I have to commend Target for having a tester of every single product in the Pixi line, so I caved. I bought the black (of course) and this pretty green called Jade. It's a warm olive-drab like my Dad's old Army fatigues, an unusual color, and it's the one I tested for this review.The Pixi gel liner comes with the teeny brush you see in the photos. The tip of it is a bit too long and flexible to suit me, so I didn't test with it, I used my trusty Sonia Kashuk bent-angle brush. The product is so dense and thick that it would not load smoothly on the Kashuk. I had to work it by pressing and twirling the brush against the inside of the jar, to smooth it out and load it evenly on the brush. Application was a drag, literally. I could not get this liner to apply evenly. It grabbed too much in some places and skimmed over other places, leaving nothing. I had to go back to the pot to re-load the brush several times, and applying from start to finish took way longer than with most of the other gel and cream pot liners I have tested. But the color was pretty, and it dried quickly.


About an hour later, I checked the Pixi to see what was happening. It had cracked on my lid, and was so matte in appearance that I was pretty shocked to see my wrinkly old lash line in the mirror. A few hours later, chunks of it had disappeared, they weren't on my face or in my lash line, they were just gone. I removed the remainder of the liner with a L'Oreal Skin Genesis wipe, and noticed that my lash line was a bit red and irritated.

Pixi rates a dismal 3 on the Line Up Rating Scale. I give it a point or two for having this good, unusual green shade, and for enclosing a brush in the box. But that's stretching it. This really is not a fine product at all, for any money.

Does anyone know what Target's return policy is?

The Line Up Project: MAC Chromaline
Review by MUA's Cavewoman

I haven't had any new liners to review in quite a while, but I am on the lookout, just in case some new ones pop up that need to be tested and reviewed. And so when I heard about the new group of MAC liners in their Pro line, I had to try them out. These are called Chromaline and they are supposed to be waterproof. Of course that meant to me, good staying power, and I eagerly bought the Black and the Rich Purple. Well, good thing I read the little paper enclosure in the box. The Purple, along with five other shades, is listed as "not eye safe." Okay, MAC, why make a liner that is not eye safe? It's not lip-safe either, according to the paper enclosure. I'm not sure what I am supposed to line with this product. But the black was eye-safe, so I tested it.

In terms of texture, I would compare this one very closely to the Smashbox Jet Set. It's slipperier and creamier than the MAC Fluidlines. I could barely tell the difference between the Chromaline Black and the Smashbox Jet Set that I reviewed last month. It took a bit more patience to get a wiggle-free line, same as the Smashbox, and I kept thinking how similar they are. I used my Sonia Kashuk bent-angle liner brush to apply the MAC Chromaline. Staying power was no better than a regular MAC Fluidline on me. And it removed easily with the Benefit Gee That Was Quick eyemakeup remover. I have to say I am sadly unimpressed. Or, as Michael Kors would say, "I'm underwhelmed."

Both of these Chromalines are going back to MAC.

The Line Up Project: Wet 'n' Wild

Review by MUA's Cavewoman

You're looking at the most elusive of products, the Limited Edition Wet 'n' Wild Mega Eyes Creme Liner. It took me weeks of searching drugstores and swap lists, and thanks to my buddy Andrea, she finally was able to obtain one (used) for me. Thanks, Andrea! You'd think this little pot would not be so hard to find, but evidently only a few stores had them, and only two of each of the two colors, Black and Eggplant. It didn't even matter to me which one I would find, I just wanted to be able to review one of them. Andrea was able to get the Eggplant color for me.

The little pot looks like a clear plastic spaceship with a rounded bottom. Unless you want it to roll around your vanity table like a toy top, this product gets stored on its lid. The color of the Eggplant is a beautiful, very darkened blue-toned plum, a true Eggplant shade with minimal red tones. I can't say it has shimmer in it, but it does have a metallic appearance. I set out to try it, ignoring the fact that it was a used product and I could see someone elses' brush lines inside the pot. I'm not too squeamish about this kind of thing, so I proceeded. The first thing I noticed when I opened the lid was that there was a big crack across the entire product contents. I wonder if the swapper had left it open and it dried out, or if maybe the fit of the lid is not so great, or if the plastic jar had something to do with it. The product itself had a short 70 mile journey through the US Postal System to arrive at my door. Maybe it was the weather. And maybe all of these things factored into the density and stiffness of the product itself. I may never know the answsers unless I actually find a brand new one. On to the research!

I used the Sonia Kashuk bent-angle brush to apply this Wet 'n' Wild Cream Liner. I am pretty sure that there was a brush included in the original packaging, but I didn't receive it. That was fine with me, since I have come to love the Kashuk the best of all the liner brushes I have. The color loaded very thickly on the brush and I had to push it against the edge of the inside of the pot to smooth it out on the brush. Application was a breeze! The liner went on with dense, rich color, and needed no touching up or filling in. I could see the purple very well, this liner didn't go black or dark at all, and I loved the color with my dark brown eyes. I'm beginning to use all of these liner products in colors, rather than just black (other than MAC Fluidlines Nightfish, which is a warmish black.) I still haven't found the absolute perfect black in gel liners yet.

In terms of staying power, I'm really pleased with the Wet 'n' Wild. It stayed all day, did not chip or flake or fade. At the end of the day, the color was still vibrant and the line was still even and clear. One swipe of a L'Oreal Skin Genesis facial wipe and it was easily removed.

Wet 'n' Wild wins a solid 8 rating in the Line Up Rating Scale. I'd give it one more point if it were not for the plastic jar, but then again, this is a company that offers some of the lowest-price products in the drugstore lines. Retail price was somewhere around $4 USD. Imagine a Buy One Get One Free sale on these! No wonder there are none to be had anywhere. I am sending out an appeal to Blogdorf readers, if you see the black shade in your local drugstore, please grab it for me. Grab one for yourself as well, and if you like the purple shade, try the Eggplant color. I'm waiting to hear from you!

The Line Up, A Preview
By MUA's Cavewoman

When Annie and I first started talking about this new Blogdorfgoodman project, I was just beginning to explore the world of gel and cream liners that are applied with brushes. My old Almay Amazing Lasting eyeliner pencil, the twist-up crayon type, had had a change of formula, and wasn't even lasting an hour. I dabbled in other lines, from department store to drugstore, and could not find a crayon-type pencil that lasted very long at all. And so with the advice of some very wise buddies on the MakeUpAlley, I set out to try the gels and creams. And to acquire a few brushes to go along with them.

The possibilities and combinations of brand, formula, color, and brush, are almost endless. I got to thinking of how in the world I would accomplish this project. It reminded me of a class I took at Youngstown State University when I was an advanced student in the art department, working in independent study. I chose, under the supervision of my professor, who himself had never done this kind of work before, to do hand sensitizing in cyanotype, Van Dyke Brown, and platinum printing. Only one student in the department had ever done these before, and he wasn't in town to help me. So I started my research, dug deep in the school library, mailed away for chemicals, scoured the stationary stores for Crane's cotton paper, and bought myself a big fat notebook. And into the darkroom I went. After seven weeks, my professor wasn't happy that I had not produced one single print for him to evaluate. At that point I handed him my binder, two inches thick with my lab work, pages and pages of notes, combinations of film and film processing chemistry, exposure data, chemical formulas, proportions and measurings, and all the little pieces of test strips that I had done in order to find the perfect combination of film, film processing chemicals, developer, fixer, and the formulas for the printing paper which I had to make by hand in total darkness. Sometimes even one tiny drop added or subtracted from a formula was the key to success. I documented every minute and every trial. He didn't say another word to me until our final evaluation, when I presented three perfect prints in the cyanotype and the Van Dyke Brown, and four in platinum. When he saw my final portfolio, he told me that I had achieved the most perfect platinum prints he'd ever seen. It took ten weeks.

Dear reader, I do not intend to take my eyeliner research to those levels, but it would be entirely possible to spend that kind of time testing each brand, color, formula and applicator! But I'll try my best to experiment, test, wear, evaluate, and report on the ones I can find and try.

I present to you two sample prints of a small still life that I did as I was working out my formulas, one in cyanotype and then the identical negative printed in platinum. And a little photo of a few of the liner pots that I've started to test. I've got work to do. Lots of it. I'll start reporting soon!

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