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If you could only use one brand for eye products, which would it be?
Make Up For Ever!
— Christine
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MAC!
Paint Pots
Haute and Naughty Mascara
Teddy Eyeliner
Naked Lunch, Patina, Vanilla, Vex, Wedge, Soft Brown, Red Brick, Shroom, Wooswinked, Blanc Type, Charcoal Brown, Antinique eyeshadows
All I need!
Mascara, liners and shadows? Oh dear!
A year ago, I would have answered MAC without hesitation. But now, I am not so sure about them, unless they bring back their DC’d shades. I do love MUFE eyeshadows and mascara, but haven’t yet tried any of their eyeliners of any sort. UD is great, but I’m allergic or something to their 24/7 eye pencils. Wow!!! I’m stumped! ?
MUFE eyeliners might be their best product.
MAC!
ColourPop ! With primer, the hybrid cream powder formula easily holds up 10 -16 hrs on my super oily lids, they have the basic colors, as well as some of the most unique colors/finishes out there, and only $5 each (woohooo!!). Purples and blue shadows are notoriously hard to get right, but many of my best ones have come form CP. I have more backups of CP shadows than any other brand
I’ll go with Viseart!
Probably MAC, simply because of the variety (and the price isn’t as high as a lot of other brands).
By Terry, despite the fact that literally the only eye product I use from that brand is the Kohl Terrybly eyeliner. I’ve tried the Ombré Blackstars and they’re really not my cup of tea with all that shimmer Never tried their mascara or brow products either. But I love that eyeliner to death and I’d be willing to give up all my Surratt eyeshadows if it came to such a dire decision. (I kid, sort of). I’ve heard mixed things about the By Terry powder eyeshadows so I guess I’d cross my fingers and just hope for the best!
Uh oh…wait, does this include eyelash curlers? Because I don’t think By Terry makes one and that just might be a deal breaker. In which case, Surratt…wins.
This is killer.
Maybe Giorgio Armani. Still a fan of the ETK formula and I’ve heard good things about the brand’s mascara though I’ve never tried it myself.
Their black Ecstacy mascara is pretty good!
Hmmmm…Urban Decay, though I haven’t tried Perversion mascara I’d convert if I had to stick with only one brand forever. I love their eye shadows and 24/7 glide pencils!
Perversion is my holy grail mascara. Love, love, love it.
MAC Cosmetics.
MAC!
My choice would be Urban Decay. Their eyeshadows are wonderful, and I can’t live without their eye pencils!
I’m going with my beloved Too Faced. Tarte is in second place.
Make Up Geek!
I say the same thing! Makeup Geek!! ?
It would be either MAC or Urban Decay, though in a pinch, I’d be fine with any of the faves in my collection – Chanel, Stila, Inglot, MUFE, Too Faced….
NARS most definitely.
MAC. This is my answer today. Thank God I don’t have to choose for real, though!
Urban Decay
I guess Chanel or Dior. If it was just eyeshadows I’d say MUG but they don’t have mascara or concealer.
Chanel and Dior are my favorite brands for most things soo…yeah…
Viseart 🙂 blends like a dream, you get quite a bit of product per/dollar, and it’s nearly idiot-proof ;-D
Oh, that’s really hard. Probably Alima Pure.
For eye shadow, I’m already there with Viseart. With the palettes I have (and with two more on the way) there isn’t a look or combo I can’t create. You would have to try really hard to mess up a look with these shadows as they quality and blend-ability is outstanding. I really don’t need to get any others.
As for other eye products, I’m not truly wedded to one brand.
Kat Von D – if for no other reason than that you’d have to pry my tattoo liner out of my cold, dead hands 🙂
This question is so hard, but that’s the same reason that I was thinking to choose “Kat Von D” as well! The eyeshadows from this brand is also bomb!
Urban Decay. It’s basically 80% of my shadow collection. The other 20% consists of MAC and MUFE.
This is totally unrelated, but I don’t know where else to send this/ask you, Christine. I was looking for some Dior shadow swatches for dupes and I can’t find them on your swatch matrix. I’ve searched using your general search bar, under brands, under reviews…. nada. I know that you reviewed these quince in the past because I remember reading them. Did some of your swatches get “lost” in the redesign of the site?
Hi Sarah,
There is a “Contact Us” link in the footer of every page. I have no idea what swatches you’re looking for, so I’m not sure if/why or if they were ever added. I did not add all photos from the entire history of the blog to the Swatch Gallery – photos stopped around 2012 or 2013 due to quality requirements. If you let me know what you were looking for, I can look. No swatches were removed during the redesign; the redesign was very minimal on the Swatch Gallery (just the look but it was not really changed beyond that).
Specifically the Dior Femme-Fleur quint
I’ve never reviewed that one! I don’t have it, I’m sorry!
Pregnancy brain! lol
Lancôme, because mascara is the trickiest eye makeup item for me, and I’m liking Definicils lately. I could work around sub-par eyeliner and eyeshadow if I had to; but not mascara.
That’s a tough one but I think I would go with Urban Decay!
Ditto, Christine!!!!!
Fudge… Chanel, NARS, or maybe MUFE or UD.
God, I really love Melt & Illamasqua, but I’d have to go with NYX. They are one of the bravest brands out there, out of drugstore and high end alike. As far as I’m concerned, I think they have absolutely everything. And they’re not afraid to take risks. A lot of their products easily measure up to higher end products when it comes to pigmentation and longevity as well.
I’m so glad you said that! It’s NYX for me too 🙂 The new shadow formula (for example, the Avant Pop palettes) is as good as any I’ve tried, in any price range. The slide-on liner pencils great. I really liked the one “Boudoir” mascaras I tired (I’d have to go back and check which specific one), so I could live with going back to it. They have the brow products covered. And they even have a primer, the opaque shadow bases, and dark circle corrector that all work just fine for me. And if I get a wild hair and feel like going for glitter, I can get that too LOL! The final bonus is, I could indulge my short attention span and constant desire for new colors without breaking the bank. I could live VERY happily with that one brand if I ever had to.
I agree…if I have to only have one brand, this is the one for me too. Their Slide-on eyeliner is the holy grail for me. I use it daily. I love their shadow palettes, especially the Ombre Brights. Haven’t tried their mascara though. Do they have one that isn’t clumpy, just looks natural with maybe some added length?
Urban Decay or Kat von D. I also really love my NARS shadows, but I haven’t tried the eye primer (although I do have a sample that has been sitting in my bin for a while…). I also haven’t tried mascara or liquid liner from NARS or KvD, but those are two products I can be flexible on. However, when it comes to shadows, all three are close contenders, and each really do have a special place in my stash.
Too Faced
ABH for sure! Love all my ABH palettes and they are the top favorites in my collection!
Ohhhh, I totally misread this as one brand for everything! Whew! My answer isn’t much different though – I could be content with Cle de Peau, Armani or Tom Ford without complaint. They make up the majority of my eye makeup collection along with Chantecaille – which I also wouldn’t throw out of bed as a one brand only option. Picking from among those four though? Maybe Tom Ford? Ford and Armani are in my heaviest rotation lately so I’m torn.
If I had to use only one brand for ALL eye makeup, that would be really tough! I would choose Make Up For Ever, though, too! I adore their eyeshadows and Aqua Brow, like some of their mascaras (could I get a topcoat from somewhere to prevent smudging, though, please, since almost all mascaras smudge on me?), and think I could tightline with an Aqua Cream and prime my lids with the HD concealer.
I would go with Urban Decay because my staple shadows and liners are that brand. I’m not as picky about mascara so I’m sure they have something I can use. I’ve heard good things about Make Up For Ever eyeshadow though and they’re definitely on my one to watch list.
My mascara allergies knock most brands out of contention, unfortunately. I’m going to say Urban Decay, because I really like Perversion Mascara and Subversion eyelash primer, and I am not allergic to them. Although I prefer Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Primer Potion is a close second. I already love UD’s eyeshadows, and they have a great variety in neutrals and brights. Plus, I love their palette packaging. The 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils are my favorite eyeliners, with Perversion and Roach being Holy Grail for me.
I have the same issue with mascaras, although most brands that make things I’m allergic to also make mascaras that I can wear. I find that the more thickening/plumping mascaras are worse on my eyes than the thinner, lengthening formula, although for contact wearers those lengthening fibers can be awful.
It would have to be a toss up between Urban Decay and MAC.
MAC. Their brow pencil in Lingering is essential to my look.
I only use MUFE, MAC, and Coastal Scents eye shadows ANYWAY but:
Dream answer: MUFE! I adore the formula, and the pay off is amazing! And they last really well on my super oily and hooded eyes. BUT they are $25 a PAN in Canada. Soo
Realistic answer: MAC! Thinking of it, a LOT of my basic every day shades I use are MAC! I use: Wedge, Nylon, Embark every day! And I use Mulch almost every day!!
Oh I read that wrong! For eye shadows I stand by my first comment,
But for mascara, it would be Essence! I go through mascara like water, because my lashes only look good with super WET formulas. So I don’t spend a lot of money on mascara! Plus my not holy grail but well loved mascara is from Essence!
For eye liner, I’d say colourpop for waterline/gel liner. And physicans formula for liquid liner!
MAC
But kudos to Clinique, IT Cosmetics, Chanel and Tarte
Was a die hard UD fan, but I’ve recently discovered ABH and their eye shadows/palettes are fantastic!
MAC — with Chanel Tisse Rivoli in a close second.
Too Faced forever 😉
Tom Ford. The way the quads are put together just work for me, and the quality is pretty consistent.
This is hard because I use different brands for different things….I.e. Colourpop for glittery sparkly shadows or Too Faced/ Tarte for neutrals (that’s just how my brain works) ha so I have no idea lol I have a lot of MAC lipsticks but way less of everything else. I can’t answe this one ????
Urban Decay
Primer
Vice shades
24/7 liner
Mascara
All I need
Fyrinnae.
All eye products? Then it’s Too Faced. It’s the only brand that I can get great results from eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara.
WetnWild, NARS, Body Shop, Botanics!
I’d probably do Urban Decay because I know I like their eyeshadows and I’ve been loving their Perversion mascara. Their eyeliners are pretty good, too.
Crap I was gonna say MUG (for eyeshadows), but then I saw EYE PRODUCTS, meaning more than eyeshadow; so I’m going to have to go with MAC. MAC is a wonderful, reliable and inexpensive brand. I love it. Always have, always will.
Urban Decay – but not their recent products
bareMinerals – their Ready 8.0, quads and duos are great.
Too Faced. I am in my 40’s and believe their eye products are the bomb! Too faced Primer for the eye, with some chocolate bar shadows along with Better than Sex (not sure about that though) mascara. All I need!
Hands down, Urban Decay.
Urban decay for their shadows and eyeliners, and Mac second for their awesome paint pots.
Urban Decay
Kat Von D! I love her eyeshadow formulas and could easily keep up my usual routines, mixing an all-matte palette (Shade and Light) with bright shimmery colors (Metal Crush). I’ve heard solid things about the mascaras so I’d probably be fine, and the liner…well, everyone raves about it for a reason!
Mally
Make Up For Ever; a no-brainer, for me!
If I had to stick with only one brand for everything on my eyes, it would be NYX, hands down (Surprise!) They really upped their game with the shadow formula in the newer palettes like “Avant Pop.” It’s fantastic! And I have used and liked — or in some cases, absolutely loved — primers and bases, liners, mascara, and brow products, all from that brand. Seriously, I can’t think of a single type of eye product I’d have to “settle for” if I could only buy NYX forever. And the price point would allow me to indulge without breaking the bank.
Good answer! I’ve looked many times, for a long time, at the NYX display in my local Ulta, and their range of choices is pretty impressive. I’ve only ever purchased their colored mascara, but one of these days I’ll give them a real try.
Urban Decay
Perversion is my favorite mascara but if I have to pick only one brand for thé entire eye makeup I would say KIKO : théir extra sculpt volume mascara is my 2nd fave, love their eyeshadows and eyeliners, I have so much KIKO makeup because it is affordable and there are pretty often big discounts. Also the range of colors is impressive and it’s easy in France to get KIKO stuff.
Urban Decay
I say Makeup Geek. Because their gorgeous, have numerous finishes in shadows, a wonderful variety of colors and are so affordable! Also, they have so much variety that I can dupe a lot of popular palettes which is so much fun! But I’m going to suspend belief and pretend I don’t need mascara! Lol! ?
Marc Jacobs. Love 95% of the eyeshadows, 100% of the eyeliner and have heard good things about the mascara.
Or Mac, I have never tried an eyeliner, but they seem to be a popular item, at least they were a few years ago so I’d be willing to risk it for the variety of eyeshadows available.
Tarte.
I like both their mascara and eyeshadows. And they are cruelty free.
Cle de Peau- love their mascara, concealer, & liner. Their basic shadow collection is fine for me as I don’t wear much shadow.
Makeup Geek!!!
Makeup Forever – their shadows, liners and mascara are AMAZING. I would of have said UD but perversion mascara is a deal breaker.
I am a long time fan of Dior eye palettes.I have collected about 50 of them thru the years.Lately I also love the Tarte eyeshadows as well.I found that Makeup Geek also makes the best foiled or metallic eye shadows.
Urban Decay but i use a lot of other brands as well.
Hmm that’s a hard one but it would be a toss up between natasha denona, makeup forever and colourpop. But if I had to pick one it would be natasha denona;)
Ooooh. Tough one. All eye products? Like mascara? And liner? And primer? I can’t come up with an answer that hits all categories. If I were to make a decision based solely on a brand that would allow me to use primer, liner, and mascara, I’d pick UD. If I were willing to give up those items (or if that wasn’t what the question intended) then I’d pick Aromaleigh. Honestly, if I were only allowed to use one eye product for the rest of my life, it’d be mascara, and in that scenario, my pick is Dior (for their Diorshow waterproof mascara).
Urban Decay. Their eyeshadow formula works great for my application methods and skin. Their liners are really consistently great/excellent for me…really. Perversion mascara is good for me, and I can make it very falsie with Subversion.
That being said, Perversion is not “perfect” due to smuge, and “run” on me. But frankly I’m still on a mascara quest. I would try other UD mascaras if I could only use UD.
Honorable mention: Lorac and Bobbi Brown eye shadows. Benefit They’re Real mascara. Avon Glimmersticks liners and Wash Off Waterproof mascara. Clinique mascaras (but not powder shadow or liners!). Fyrinnae primer and shadows are very nice and excellent for unusual shades. UD across the eye categories works well for me.
I suppose it would be Urban Decay because with the Naked Basics mattes, and the huge range of shades, textures, finishes, in both shadow and eye liners, I could probably achieve any look I could dream up. I also like their Anti-Aging Primer Potion.
MAC if I had to choose just one.
LORAC
Makeup forever hands down
Paula’s Choice (wish she made more!) because they honestly have the best color payoff of any eyeshadow I’ve tried.
That’s such a hard question! I think I’d have to go with ABH, since the Mario Palette is my favorite eyeshadow palette of all time.
What? Seriously, only one brand for shadow, liner, and mascara? I guess I’m going with NYX since I consistently use their Slide-On Eyeliner. I have all 16 shades and use it daily. I have never used their mascara though. I think my fave there is Lord & Berry. As for eyeshadow, I love a variety. Wouldn’t even know where to start in picking a fave there.
ALL eye products?? Christine, you are bending my mind with this one lol….I guess I’d have to say Gucci. Their shadows and liners are amazing 🙂
Urban Decay
I wanna say Colourpop, but they don’t make mascara. I love CP shadows and pencils. I wanna say UD, but I don’t like their matte formula for shadows, and I don’t like how most of their products are glittery. I do love the 24-7 liquid liner, love the eye pencils and love the brush and the formula for the perversion mascara. I wanna say KVD cause she has my hands down favorite eye shadow formula, but I don’t like the liquid liner, and I’ve never tried her mascara.
MAC!