tokidoki Brillante Glitter Eyeliner
($14.00) are fun, glittery shades of eyeliner that come in pencil form.
Available in fourteen shades: Carina (pink beige with gold glitter), Peperoncino (bright candy pink with silver glitter), Unicorno (pale yellow with gold glitter), SANDy (grass green with gold glitter), Liberty (teal with gold glitter), Rondine (turquoise with silver glitter), Rosetta (lilac with gold glitter), Skeletro (navy with silver glitter), Adios Apple (violet with silver glitter), Savana (bronzed chocolate with gold glitter), Marrone (dark brown with gold glitter), Diamante (deep silver with silver glitter), Melodia (dark gunmetal gray with gold glitter), and Mozzarella (black with silver glitter).
I bought three shades to try out from Sephora’s VIB sale: Rondine, Unicorno, and SANDy. All three shades were very pigmented and quite sparkly!
- Rondine is a sky blue with silver glitter. (I don’t know why it’s listed as “teal” because it’s not teal at all on me.)
- Unicorno is a pale white gold with darker gold glitter.
- SANDy is a medium grass green with yellow-gold flecks of glitter.
I loved the pigmentation and look of the eyeliners, and they reminded me a lot of MAC’s Softsparkle Pencils of the past. They also don’t budge, smudge, or fade, and even better–there is very little movement of the glitter. Sometimes the glitter in a glitter eyeliner will end up migrating and falling everywhere but where you applied it, but the glitter in the tokidoki liner stays in place for the most part (negligible fall out).
My issue with these is that they’re a little hard/rough on the lash line–I find they’re noticeably gritty and have a tendency to tug a bit, too. They could just be a much, much softer pencil so they applied more smoothly without tugging.
The packaging is cute with classic tokidoki patterns on the pencil itself, plus each pencil is color coordinated to its shade. They’re affordable and work well, other than the hardness of the pencil itself. They’re good enough that I’ll keep the three shades I have and possibly pick up one or two more, but since the hardness is a little much for my lash line, I don’t see myself buying every single one. I am totally in love with Unicorno, though — so pretty!
Have you tried these?
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- Product: 25/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: Though they stay really well once they’re on, I found them a little rough on the lash line. If you’re used to the softness of Urban Decay 24/7 Liners, you may find this too hard.
Availability: Sephora
Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Hyperliner Review
Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Hyperliner
($17.00) is a soft pencil eyeliner available in thirteen colorful shades. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Tarina Tarantino’s makeup line, but these two eyeliners are the first products from her line that I’ve tried, and I am pleasantly surprised! They are soft but not super soft — think firmer than Urban Decay 24/7 Pencils but softer than Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes — and apply very smoothly. The color range seems fun, even if I’ve only seen two, I’m interested in checking out a few more shades (like Spark of Envy!).
- Glamorous Thief is a brightened medium blue with silver spairkle and a soft sheen.
- Amethyst Android is a blue-based violet purple with a soft sheen but no real noticeable shimmer.
I found these liners stayed put on my lower lash line (I didn’t wear on my water line, since I wasn’t sure if these were waterline safe or not) without budging, smudging, or migrating during the day. The liner itself applies intensely without work, and it glides on without tugging on the lash line, too. I really like the level of softness, because it’s not so soft it’s easy to break, but it’s not so hard that it tugs or drags on the lash line either.
The eyeliners are also very simply packaged–colored end followed by a silver strip, and then the majority of the pencil is a pink all topped off with a silver cap. They’re the same price as both Urban Decay and Make Up For Ever’s eyeliners–and just as good. I’d say the color range may differ here and there, though Tarina Tarantino’s closer to Urban Decay’s. In fact, Glamorous Thief is incredibly similar to Deviant, while Amethyst Android to Lust. (If you have those, I’d pass on both these shades.) On me, all three wear about the same, with Make Up For Ever doing the best on the water line, and then Tarina Tarantino and Urban Decay doing just slightly under Make Up For Ever (but I personally prefer the color range and softness of Urban Decay).
Have you tried Tarina Tarantino’s Hyperliner yet? Any must-have shades?
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you’re either an eyeliner fiend or you don’t have too many Urban Decay/Make Up For Ever eyeliners, then Tarina Tarantino is a nice line to try if you’re looking for a pop of color in your eyeliner. I don’t think the shade range is as standout when the market has so much that is similar, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that these work well and are high quality eyeliners. If you own all of Urban Decay’s liners, you may find these too similar to own both–the only shade that looks different from anything Urban Decay has is Broken Doll (light pink).
Availability: Sephora
Noir (261), Sable (211), Purple Shock (270), Precious Gold (290), Emerald Sparkle (250)
Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Liner ($5.79) is a waterproof, self-sharpening eyeliner that comes in in six different shades (Deep Ocean being the only one not shown). Each pencil also has a smudging tip on the opposite end.
- Emerald Sparkle is a greenish teal with silver sparkle.
- Precious Gold is a true yellow gold with a frosty sheen.
- Purple Shock is a darkened red-based purple.
- Sable is a warmed-up coffee brown.
- Noir is a dark black with subtle sheen.
The formula on these is pretty good, but they could live up their claims of being waterproof and budgeproof just a little bit more. I found that they stayed pretty well, but on oilier areas (yes, I put eyeliner on my forehead–don’t you? What, you don’t? Say it isn’t so!), it doesn’t hold up 100%–more like 90%. The other downside is that they seem to take a little longer to set/dry, so make sure not to blink too hard or else you might unintentionally smudge! On the other hand, if you want to smudge it, you have plenty of time to do so.
None of the shades seemed to last on my water line for more than a half hour or so, but they stayed put on my lower lash line when I wore them just fine (for reference, my skin is normal-to-dry). More watery or oilier lash lines may experience a little bit of migration or budging after several hours, but for a drugstore liner, these worked out well.
The liner itself feels very soft along the lash line, and it doesn’t tug at it either. The tip is fine enough to get a thin line, but it might too thick to get a really tight line if that’s what you’re after. I like that they’re self-sharpening (the sharpener is included on the pencil), because it’s something you can keep in your makeup bag and never have to worry about a sharpener. They also are fairly waterproof–they barely budged after I ran my arm under a faucet.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 25/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a good eyeliner to use that’s self-sharpening and soft, Rimmel Exaggerate might work for you.
Availability: Local Drugstores (CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, etc.)
April Showers Bring Midnight Blue Eyeliner?
Dolce & Gabbana Blue Intense Eyeliner ($29.00) is a midnight navy blue with subtle sheen. It has a rather rich look and an incredibly smooth finish. The pencil itself is firm enough to get very distinct, precise lines without fear of breaking the tip. The color applies smoothly and evenly without tugging the lash line or requiring lots of back-and-forth to get the pigmentation you want.
It is definitely a luxury eyeliner, though, and the price reflects that, so I know this won’t be something everyone will want to indulge in. Nevertheless, it’s a quality eyeliner that applies beautifully without budging, smudging, or fading throughout the day. It lasted impeccably through a forty-five minute yoga session (and for me, I’m so out of shape, that one session might as well be eight hours of sweating!), so it’s definitely an eye-worthy liner (oh, the cheese!).
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you love ultra soft liners like Urban Decay’s 24/7 Eyeliners, these will definitely be too hard in comparison. If, on the other hand, you love the firmness of MAC’s Eye Kohls, this one will be just right.
Availability: Saks Fifth Avenue (available in May)
YSL #17 Ivory Beige/Deep Black Eyeshadow Duo
($41.00 for 0.09 oz.) features a yellow-toned beige with a matte finish and a deep black with a near matte finish (just a smidgen of shimmer).
I purchased this eons ago when YSL had their (first!) Friends & Family Sale, because I fell in love with it when they promoted it during a fall or holiday launch (I think in 2009). I was totally head-over-heels for the depth in the black, so I figured, maybe it was time to splurge on it finally. It’s a very dark, rich black, but it’s probably not the darkest black I’ve tried. Funny how memory blurs those things!
This is an excellent smoky eye duo, and surprisingly, the yellowed beige is pretty workable on my warmer toned skin without looking too chalky (as some light mattes can be). The eyeshadows are soft, smooth, and both are pigmented. The matte isn’t chalky, but it isn’t the softest matte eyeshadow I’ve tried. The black shade is really the star of the duo, though.
It’s packaged in classy, traditional YSL packaging with the faux gold metal look and logo emblazoned on the top of the compact. The logo is also embedded into the eyeshadows themselves as well. Even with the hefty price tag, you don’t get that much eyeshadow — it’s about the same as buying other high-end eyeshadows in singles. Usually, you do see a little bit of value savings when you buy duos, even in high-end brands like YSL, but not so much here. This was definitely a splurge item to satisfy a long-time want, so I’m happy with it.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 27/30
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: Pretty but incredibly pricey, so I’d consider it an indulgence and luxury, rather than a must-have.
Availability: Sephora
Just Add Colour Lipglass (note, sample packaging)
MAC Prep for Colour Collection
The Prep for Colour Collection is a short and sweet collection. I’m not even sure why they bothered with any color cosmetics, and I could have gone for repromotes of great permanent neutrals, too — just because MAC does have a great neutral range. The collection includes one lipglass ($14), three eyeshadows ($14.50), Prep + Prime Skin Brightening Serum ($40), Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50 ($30), and Prep + Prime Fortified Skin Enhancer SPF 35/PA+++ ($30). I don’t have photos of Prepped for Glamour Eyeshadow yet, which I will purchase when it launches in-store on Thursday (so check back then!).
- Hey Eyeshadow is is a gilded beige-champagne with a touch of peach. It was a very shimmery, frosty finish. For reference, it is a veluxe pearl finish, though! This is a repromote from Fafi, but I know a lot of you love this shade.
- Sorcery Eyeshadow is a burgundy-brown with a satin finish–it’s not entirely matte, but it’s not overly shimmery, either. It has more of a satin sheen. It reminded me of a a lighter version of Sketch.
- Prepped for Glamour Eyeshadow is a darkened chocolate brown with a taupe edge to it. It’s sheerer and lighter than Satin Taupe, but it also has less of a frosty sheen. Pretty, but if you already have Satin Taupe, you could probably skip this.
- Just Add Colour Lipglass is a reddened, dark fuchsia pink with fuchsia-pink shimmer. It’s a frost finish lipglass, and though my sample comes in a square tube, online shows it in a regular lipglass tube, so don’t buy because it’s square It’s a very pigmented, color-rich gloss–so if you’ve always wanted a darker pink than Pink Poodle but still very intense, this might be it.
- Prep + Prime Brightening Serum is a clear, slightly watery liquid that pumps out. It’s hard to describe — it’s cool and thin, and it absorbs into skin quite quickly. I haven’t used it long enough to really be able to tell you about results, but I can at least tell you about the consistency! Hopefully will have more for you later on in April…
There are no must-haves in this collection from me. While all the color products in this launch are high quality and well-pigmented, they’re not necessarily must-haves. Hey is the closest to a must-have, but I think you could easily substitute All That Glitters, Gleam, or Retrospeck in its place. Sorcery is too similar to Sketch and Beautymarked, while Prepped for Glamour is quite similar to Satin Taupe. Just Add Colour Lipglass is pretty, but again, just doesn’t strike me as a must-have. You can’t go wrong with any of the four, so this is more of a “there’s nothing super-duper original or so awesomely pigmented you have to get it” kind of a review.
Skip if you have…
- Skip Hey if you have All That Glitters, Gleam, or Retrospeck (unless you use these 24/7, then you’ll probably love Hey!).
- Skip Sorcery if you have Sketch or Beautymarked, particularly if you don’t use those very often.
- Skip Prepped for Glamour if you have Satin Taupe, unless you’ve always secretly wanted Satin Taupe but didn’t like how frosty it was.
So, are you stopping by MAC (or shopping online!) for Prep for Colour or are you waiting until Pret-a-Papier?
