Ah, flexibility… It’s good, no? GREAT, in fact, especially when you’re battling Channing Tatum on the dance floor, wrangling friends into last-minute dinner plans or, say, applying liquid eyeliner.
Honestly, without the flexible tip at the end of my far-and-away favorite LORAC Front of the Line Pro, my liquid liner cat eye looks would look like a hot mess. That flexible tip makes drawing straight, crisp lines much easier for me and my sometimes shaky hand.
But because I suffer from chronic makeup madness (I believe that’s the clinical term), I’m predisposed to seek out other options…
You know how it goes. 🙂
Which brings me to the four new colors in the NARS Eyeliner Stylo line ($27 each).
Even though their tips are a little too firm for me (ruh-roh!), I wanted to test them with an open mind.
The four new shades — black Carpates, brown Nuku Hiva, navy Atlantic and grey Koala — are en route to narscosmetics.com, ETA August 1 (not sure if they’re also going to be available in stores).
From top to bottom: Atlantic, Koala, Nuku Hiva and Carpates
Swatches from the left: Koala, Carpates, Nuku Hiva and Atlantic
Wearing Koala on my eyes
Additional makeup worn in this look…
- MAC Concrete Eyeshadow: Brows
- NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base: Lids
- MAC Haute & Naguth Too Black Lash: Lashes
- NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Cuba and St. Moritz: Face
- Hourglass Oxygen Foundation Powder in No. 4: Forehead, nose and chin
- MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW25 and Care Blends Essential Oils in Grapefruit + Chamomile: Under eyes
- Benefit Hoola: Back of my cheeks
- Tarte Amazon Escape Blushes in Free and Exposed: Apples of my cheeks
- Dolce & Gabbana Monica Collection Lipstick in Only Monica: Lips
Pigment? Check. Intensity? Check?
All four of these have both in spades, and I really wanted to love them, but for the life of me, I just can’t seem to make ’em work.
It’s that firm tip! Sometimes it skips along my skin, doopdadoo, laying down pigment unevenly, and I spent a good 20 minutes today trying to coax a decent cat liner look out of it this afternoon.
I will say this about it, though — it knows a thing or two about wear time. NARS says Eyeliner Stylo will last 24 hours, and I believe it. Once set, it doesn’t smear, smudge or flake, and when it comes time to remove, I have to pull out the big guns, aka MAC Cleanse Off Oil.
I give Eyeliner Stylo big snaps for color and wear time, but the firm tip makes it a little tricky to apply (at least for me).
If you like long-wearing, pigmented liquid liners with firm tips, you might want to check it out.
PRICE: $27 each
AVAILABILITY: Coming to narscosmetics.com August 1
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B-
Some food for thought…
I came across a blog post today that I really liked: 7 Viral Videos to Get You Motivated.
Some of the videos took my breath away, like this one about French highliners practicing their extreme sport between high-rise buildings in Paris…
This one here got me thinking…
…and this one made me want to go running all over the world! 🙂
T-minus four hours till Friday, friend. You’re doing great. We’re almost there.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Becca @ The Beauty Sample says
July 26th, 2012 at 9:11 pmI typically don’t wear liquid liner–I have pretty small eyes, so I find that a soft, smudgy line works a lot better to create the illusion of wider eyes. These look nice on you though
Becca @ The Beauty Sample recently posted … The Sample: NEW Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in 69 Fleur de Lotus Reviews & Swatches
Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:12 amThanks, Becca!
Rachel says
July 26th, 2012 at 9:11 pmUsually if the staying power is there, I let go of everything. lol. Sounds like my kind of eyeliner.
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Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:11 amI think you’ll like this then, Rachel! 🙂
Tracy says
July 26th, 2012 at 9:28 pmEh, I’m not a fan of these marker type ones. I’m all for stay put, but sheesh they just don’t come off at all. Instead of making this product, why didn’t they put the money towards making those soft touch eyeshadow pencils better?
Tracy recently posted … The Jury Of Tracy Is Still Undecided About Lush Liquid Lipstick In Confident
Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:11 amYeah, if they could get those to work like the Make Up For Ever ones that would be amazing! The colors are usually so good, but they fade so fast..
BooBooNinja says
July 27th, 2012 at 4:18 pmThe poor reviews on those eyeliners have made me wary of all NARS eyeliners. I enjoy *looking* at them though. I like the subtlety of Nuku Hiva.
Lulle says
July 26th, 2012 at 9:28 pmWow, the blue one is such a deep, vibrant navy! Really lovely shade, but I think I’ll pass, because the firm tip scares me. Clumsy as I am, I’d probably lose an eye trying to apply it…
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Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:10 amLOL, Lulle! I feel that way sometimes too.
Have a nice day!
Rae // theNotice says
July 26th, 2012 at 9:40 pmPretty! I’m actually a fan of stiff-tipped eyeliner pens, so I might just have to check these out 😉 I guess we’ll see if they’re just-stiff-enough for me, or if they’ll end up being too stiff for my lids, too.
Rae // theNotice recently posted … LUSH Emotional Brilliance: the full range
Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:10 amYou’ll probably really like these then, Rae! I hope they work out for you.
dani@callitbeauty says
July 26th, 2012 at 10:03 pmOoh, I like Nuku Hiva and Atlantic!!! I quite liked the Eyeko eyeliner pen (they lasted ALLLLL day on my oily lids — no primer needed and no migrating south to the lower lashline!) and these sound like they’ll perform just as well. Hmm… Me thinks they’ll be my very first NARS purchases. 😀
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Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:10 amWhat the what?!? You still haven’t entered the wonderful world of NARS? We need to rectify that, stat!
Jackie says
July 26th, 2012 at 11:49 pmI really like your blush and lipstick in that photo. Pretty!
Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:09 amThanks, Jackie. 🙂
Sonya says
July 27th, 2012 at 3:21 amI love Nuku Hiva… but I’m with you on the tips – I’m not sure how I’ll fare with a firm tip as I’m so used to the flexible ones!
Sonya recently posted … Once Upon a Polish Queen of Hearts – Review, Photos, Swatches
Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:09 amHi Sonya,
Which liners are your faves? I want to find more flexible tip liners to love…
Kim says
July 27th, 2012 at 4:53 amHappy Friday! That’s a shame about the NARS tip because who couldn’t use 24 hour staying power? It would be perfect for people like me who want to just put makeup on in the morning and have it last all day. 🙂
Oh, my. I don’t have a fear of heights but just the screenshot of the first video made me a little woozy. I could never balance on a wire, even if it was a foot off the ground. I think people who can do that are amazing!
Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:08 amHappy Friday to you too! 😀 Oh gosh, I gasped and jumped out of my chair I first watched that video. The camera work gives you a sense of just how high up there those guys are. Craziness!
What are you doing this weekend? I’m going to drive out to my parents’ house to visit the dog (LOL) and hit up a few furniture stores. It’s also El Hub’s birthday so I’m going to take him out to a movie.
Kim says
July 30th, 2012 at 5:34 amOh, hey! Happy belated birthday to El Hub. 🙂 I hope you guys had a great weekend. The Hubs got home late Friday night and was gone shooting yesterday (competition target, never furry friends) so we didn’t do too much. Just kind of got the house in order. He’s out of town for work this week and the boys are at hockey camp so I have to be extra organized. 🙂
Nina says
July 27th, 2012 at 5:41 amAhhh it sucks that its got a wonky tip — the colors are amazing and the staying power seems to be the best around! But if it cant lay down a straight line, I wont use it. My cat liner skills arent all that much to begin with, so I need all the help from the liner that I can get!
Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:06 amHi Nina,
I hear ya. Hmm, what’s your stance on gel liners? They’re probably the easiest products to control for the cat eye look, IMHO.
Nina says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:40 amI like them, esp when I have a lot of time to line my eyes. The quickest way for me to line my eyes would be pencil liners — I rarely wing my liner so I line and go!
Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:56 amI like pencil liners too, because there’s just so many fun colors to choose from. 🙂 Do you have MAC Tarnish? It’s like my new fave color. It looks so pretty with a little bit of Club patted on top.
Nina says
July 27th, 2012 at 11:57 amI dont think I have Tarnish — did a quick Google search and now I want it!
Yep the fun colors is one big draw for me… plus its just quick and easy and soo convenient!
Soo Jin says
July 27th, 2012 at 8:24 amI LOVE the Nuku Hiva color! So beautiful! But I haven’t mastered the liquid eyeliner (I stick to gel) so not sure if this would work out. Bummer :T But I suppose practice makes perfect!
Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:05 amHi Soo Jin,
True that! I like gel liners too. Which ones do you like?
Sunny @ Mostly Sunny says
July 27th, 2012 at 8:31 amMy Eyeko eyeliner has a very similar tip, and I find it easy enough to use. I might just have to check Koala out because it’s an interesting color!
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Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:05 amHi Sunny,
That’s my fave shade out of the bunch. 🙂
Larie says
July 27th, 2012 at 9:11 amOh, call me curious! I’ve never tried these marker-type eyeliners before, but I’m all for something that stays put!
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Karen says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:05 amHi Larie,
Liquid liners are really cool — super great for getting sharp, crisp lines. If you find you prefer flexible tips, then you might want to check out LORAC Front of the Line Pro.
https://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/product-reviews/liquid-liner-made-easy-with-lorac-front-of-the-line-pro/
Happy Friday!
Kiss & Make-up says
July 27th, 2012 at 10:11 amNuku Hiva looks amazing, I really like this color. And I like felt-tip eyeliners. Gel eyeliner is still my number one, but whenever I’m in a hurry, I grab my felt-tip liner for a perfect line within seconds.
Kiss & Make-up recently posted … New and put to the test! Catrice Nectar Gloss
Marilyn says
July 27th, 2012 at 11:04 amYour makeup in this post is AMAZING!!! You look stunning!! Get it girl!
Katherine G says
July 27th, 2012 at 12:13 pmHahahaha, I like how you wrote that you suffer from “chronic makeup madness.” The Nars eyeliners look interesting. I haven’t tried them yet. I would say my makeup madness issue is definitely eyeshadows and liners. It’s so easy to accumulate a ton of them because one blue is a different shade/tone from another, etc. I try to only buy what I actually need but it’s hard when there’s a new, tempting eyeshadow out there!
Ankita@corallista says
July 27th, 2012 at 12:18 pmNuku Hiva is gorgeous!! Even though I’m quite comfortable with liquid and gel liners, felt tips are easier to work with!
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Yelena says
July 27th, 2012 at 12:25 pmu look gorgeous and glowing! love that lippie on u too
becca says
July 28th, 2012 at 4:14 amI made the mistake of looking at what lippie you’re wearing here and of course, it’s a spendy one. Why do I seem to only like the $$$ products??!?!? Gah. It’s perfect on you. Wannit!
Joanne says
July 31st, 2012 at 4:24 amHi Karen!
I love your makeup and you look really pretty when you smile 🙂
Nuku hiva catches my fancy.
Ashley says
August 7th, 2012 at 8:37 pmGirl, your makeup is to die for! You look so beautiful!