Review - Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24H

Despite being so comfortable with my BADgal thick pencil eyeliner from benefit (which retails at www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk for £14 and is totally worth it!) I decided that perhaps it was time for a change. Especially with the summer coming up, I could feel BADgal smudging into my crease-line in the heat of a warmer spring day, which as you can imagine was creating a rather odd panda-like effect which surprisingly enough is not what I was going for at all.

As an avid watcher of YouTube makeup tutorials, I realised that the latest trend in eyeliner seems to be the ‘gel’ formula which appears to have popped up in drugstore and high-end brands everywhere over the past year or so. Whilst watching Glee on 4od, for once I was actually paying attention to the adverts preceding it, one of which was the Maybelline ad featuring Jameela Jamil (TV presenter and columnist at my favourite easy-read magazine, Company). This advert showed a Maybelline makeup artist painting a thin line of Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24H onto the upper lash line of a beautiful model and the finish was so precise, I just knew I had to try this product.

So during my most recent Boots online haul, I made sure to add one to my cart before paying, and I was thoroughly excited for my box of goodies to arrive. Finally, a gut-wrenchingly long three days later, my £80 worth of cosmetics were handed over to me in the post-room of my halls, which resulted in me actually leaping in excitement before running to my room to try this item immediately. I bought the colour Black to keep things simple. Before we get into that, let’s take care of business...

Maybelline’s Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner which retails in at www.boots.co.uk for £7.99 claims to be...

‘• [an] Oil-free formula [which] holds highly concentrated pigments in a clear gel base
• Smudge-proof and waterproof for 24 hours
• [the] Most intense line for lasting drama
• Safe for sensitive eyes and ophthalmologist-tested
• Contact lens safe’

at www.maybelline.com. And I completely agree with the whole claim, which rarely happens.

So, what’s my general opinion? My first thought was, ‘There really isn’t a lot of it...’ The pot isn’t very big at all, then when you look a little closer, the frosted glass is extremely thick, so the product probably only fills half of the volume of the tub anyway. However, this is a product which I am proud to have on my dresser, as it just looks so sleek and sophisticated; it looks expensive (which it should, since £7.99 is not peanuts on a student’s budget!)

The brush which comes with the product impressed me a lot as it seems to be quite good quality! The bristles are very soft, cut perfectly for precise application of the perfect amount of liner, plus the black handle fits perfectly in between my spiky little fingers allowing me to draw it on almost as if it were simply a pencil dispersing an even coating of the formula as I go along.

Now, with the product itself I was generally happy. It’s a very smooth jet black formula, which (with a little practise) can be swept on to professional effect. The practise is vital though, as at first I struggled with just how much I needed on the brush, as I found the finish much nicer if it was completed in one single line, rather than having to dip multiple times with a ‘painting-by-numbers’ method.

The product stayed put, and did not transfer to my crease or brow bone during a warmer day, which was basically why I bought it in the first place! It didn’t crack and dry up like liquid liners do, but also didn’t transfer (even to my pillow after a particularly heavy night, when I didn’t see removing my makeup as an option before falling to sleep) as usually happens with creamier pencil formulas. On the other hand, when I swiped it off another night with a make-up wipe before jumping into bed, it shifted easily making for convenient removal. The brush appears to have held up at this stage, and I expect it and the liner to last for quite a while as I have hardly made a dent in the pot so far! Plus with three other colours due to debut soon, the idea of buying another brand of liner just doesn’t make sense to me... The new colours will be something along the line of a grey-blue colour, a deep purple and a seductive brown, which I am particularly excited about as I think it will be lush for daytime!

Conclusion? I am a gel liner convert! This is perfect for day-to-day use and I honestly think I’m in on a great beauty secret... Feeling hopeful about (and I don’t want to jinx it but...) being onto a potential Holy Grail product! If you haven’t tried it, I promise it is worth the money and the time to get this right. Let me know what you think.

Take care

gabriellasofia

Make It, Don't Fake It, Earn the Benefits, Avoid the Consequences...

I know, I know. I haven't blogged in a while, so sue me. Things have been busy recently, but let me promise you, Dear Reader, not a day goes by that I don't think of you and my beautiful neglected blog, wishing and praying to God that one day I will have enough time on my extremely-full hands to pass on the mini-pearls of wisdom which I stumble across unexpectedly each day.

So am I any less busy than I have been these past few months? No. Have I been overcome by my uncontrollable yearning to tell you about the mundane activities which have mostly filled my time? Again, no. So why on earth have I chosen today, of all days, to relaunch myself into the stratosphere of online media? Well, perhaps I have a message.

I have spent an awful lot of time recently watching vlogs on Youtube, reading blogs on the internet and keeping up with all sorts of characters across the globe via social networks. Well, perhaps not all sorts, but at least those who share similar interests to me; media, fashion, beauty, hard-work, pursuing ones passion etcetera. Anyways, just the other day I was hunting down a tutorial on the mighty Youtube (which by the way I have recently realized offers a wealth of beauty advice if you know how to word your topic in the search bar, but that's a story for another blog...) I wanted simply to find out if there are any alternative ways of using Eye Bright by benefit cosmetics. As it turns out, there are about a million different ways in which this product can be used... really a sensible investment for your make-up train, but again, that's a story for another blog also.

After watching a couple of helpful tutorials, I couldn't help but click on a video whose title caught my eye. Entitled 'Warning - Fake Benefit Cosmetics' this video features the online beauty 'guru' Chyaz Samuel, 20, expressing her disgust upon the receipt of some false benefit cosmetics which were sent to her following a purchase she had made on ebay. The vlogger, who goes by the screen name of punkchyaz, ordered two items, BADgal eyeliner and BADgal mascara, for discounted prices.

It was clear when these items arrived that the products which would usually retail at £14 and £16.50 respectively had not been sold to her, but rather she had received two false and unconvincing duplicates of the genuine products. Naturally, Samuel was not very happy with this transaction and managed to get her money back for both products.

Following this, I clicked through to another vlog which was actually a review by a different 'guru' entitled 'fake benefit thrrrob - ebay!' In this video, the 20 year old vlogger who goes by the screen name 'M3Lchann3l' tells the story of a similar experience where a fake product arrived in the disguise of a poorly-executed rip-off of benefit's statement beautiful packaging. This beauty 'guru' on the other hand actually didn't mind about the fact that she had been sent a fake, but was content with the quality and price of the item which she had been sent. She was merely bemused by the fact that someone out there had taken advantage of not only herself, but also the brand, benefit, in order to make a fast buck.

Samuel's message is clear; beware of ordering beauty products from anyone other than the company themselves, or a reputable vendor. And rightly so, considering the danger which she believes herself to have narrowly avoided; upon receipt she noted that the mascara stank of 'strong chemicals and alcohol', looked 'like paint', was 'dangerous' and 'should not be put near eyes'. Her anger is clear, and the fact that Samuel made the successful effort to claim back her money from the seller is the only somewhat redeemable quality countering the fact that she bought this item in the first place.

So, lesson learned. But what about those who missed Samuel's video and skipped straight to 'M3Lchann3l's video which expresses only the message 'it might not be real, but it works.'

Whilst Samuel was 'disgusted' at the risk these sellers are putting people at, I am disgusted with those who are buying from them too.

Before I continue this rant, let me clear some things up for you. If I don't go into this now, there will be those out there who will presume 'Oh, its OK for her, she probably gets free products, or asks daddy for some money to be able to afford the real products'. This is completely untrue. I work four jobs in order to feed what I refer to as my 'habit' for fashion, beauty, eating-out etcetera. To be able to afford my daily benefit foundation "hello flawless!" I have to work for five hours which is one whole shift. I earn the right to be hacked off at those who help the horrible rip-off merchants out there to continue screwing over my favorite cosmetic brand by purchasing these vile knock-offs.

We have all been there when someone else takes the credit for the hard work which we have put in, haven't we? Now imagine that the evil person behind that betrayal is lazy, uneducated in our field, and taking advantage of the people too innocent to know any better; putting their health at risk, robbing them blind and falsely advertising using our name in order to get ahead against all the odds.

This is sickening.

I wanted to write this blog in order to let everyone know to avoid these vultures as much as possible, and also to exercise your better judgement when confronted with the naivety of those out there who like 'M3Lchann3l' will not fully understand the negative consequences of what is effectively theft until it is too late.

If you cannot afford a product then work for it. If you don't want to work for it, then perhaps you need to reconsider your lifestyle, but please by no means consider handing your money over to these cowboys.

You've been warned...

Ciao for now

gabriellasofia