Stila Smudge Pot, Sephora, $20
Anyway, all of this is simply to say that I love trying out new make-up products. I always ask people- friends, family, even strangers- what product they're wearing. That's how I learned about Stila's Smudge Pot eye liner. Eye liner is something I've only been using for about 2 years now. Prior to that, I just didn't understand how to apply it on my face and have it look good. Once I got the knack, I was immediately addicted and now I wear it daily. Part of the learning process involved figuring out which type of liner product was the easiest for me to use. Some people swear by pencils, others love liquid and of course there are the gel people. I have always hated pencils unless I'm going for a very (and I mean very) smudged-up look. For about a year and a half I wore liquid liner with a great deal of success. Juhree actually introduced me to Stila's Smudge Pot a few months before I decided to try it myself. There's a special smudge-pot brush that they try to get you to buy in addition to the liner itself, but I didn't want to spend the extra $34. Instead, I found an identical brush in the brush section at Sephora for just $11 and it's suited me just fine.
Sephora Collection Eye Liner Brush, Sephora, $11
Anyway, back to the product. As a long-time eye-liner wearer, Juhree swears by the Smudge Pot for its creamy texture, easy application and rich color. (She wears the chocolate brown just about every day.) When I finally gave it a try, I was an immediate fan as well. I purchased it in black to start and soon discovered that the color is amazing- it's rich and creamy and definitely the best black eye liner I've ever used. I wear it daily and it has completely replaced all my other favorite liquid liners. It took me a month or so to really get the hang of putting it on, since it's a little different from liquid. But once I got some practice in, I was fine. The key (for me, anyway) is small quick strokes to outline the shape and then I go back with one even stroke on top to make sure it's a smooth, crisp, clean line. I only use it on the top unless I'm going for a very dramatic look. Here's my typical daily make-up look using the Smudge Pot eye liner:
As you can see, I'm a fan of the "winged" look. And no, I'm not wearing my falsies in this photo. Also, I completely FORGOT to put on lipstick! AAAHHH!!!
After using the product successfully for a few months, I decided to branch out and try some other colors. That was when my love affair with this product met a bit of a bumpy road. I purchased both "Kitten" and "Bronze" colors with a few ideas in mind. I hoped to use the "Kitten" as a high-lighter on both upper and lower water lines and I planned for the "Bronze" to be used just like I currently use the black, but for looks that I wanted to be a little softer and subtler.
While the black is perfectly creamy and just glides on like a dream, neither the kitten nor the bronze have the same effect. Perhaps it's due to the shimmer element within the color, but they tended to clump and flake and just refuse to cooperate. I gave each one several attempts with several different types of brushes before returning them to Sephora. At $20 each, I just couldn't see myself using them at all and $40 is a lot of money to toss down the drain. Back to the store they went and I drowned my sorrows at Starbucks afterwards.
In summary, I whole-heartedly stand behind the original black smudge pot as an amazing gel eye liner that I recommend to literally everyone whether they are liner lovers or not. As for the other colors, I cannot recommend the kitten or bronze colors at all due to their clumpy texture.
Do you have a beauty product you absolutely love? I am always on the lookout for great new products, so please leave a comment or send me an email or tweet me or whatever and tell me what you love! Thanks so much for reading and have an awesome day!
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