Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

It Wasn’t Hard to Fall for YSL’s Crayon Yeux Haute Intense Long-Lasting Eye Pencils

by 57 Comments

Goodness, fellow dancing queens, today turned out to be a fantastic day for pigmented makeup. First the Benefit Ultra Shines and now Yves Saint Laurent’s new Eye Pencils ($28)? Fo’ serious, all of this pigment is making me want to shake my groove thing, shake me groove thing, yeah, yeah!

The 12 new pencils are reformulated versions of YSL’s Crayon Yeux Haute Intense Long-Lasting Eye Pencils. I never tried the original ones, but these new ones overflow with color. It’s almost enough to make someone forget about the $28 price.

YSL says that a wax adhesive they use in the formula makes the pigments more intense and helps them stay put for hours on skin.

They aren’t kidding. Each of the three colors I tried — Turquoise, Leather Brown and Velvet Black — won’t let go for nothing! They grab on those lash and water lines like they’re holding on for dear life, lasting the entire day with minimal fading.

  • Turquoise: like the name implies
  • Leather Brown a cool grayish brown with a matte finish; the color reminds me of MAC Concrete shadow
  • Velvet Black: a true black without any blue or green undertones


From left: Turquoise, Leather Brown, Velvet Black

I really didn’t expect these to feel the way they do. They’re hard to the touch but still glide along the skin without any skipping, which surprised me because I’ve had trubs with other hard pencils in the past. I expected these to tug, tug, tug, and I’m glad they didn’t.

YSL just did a great job with the formula. You know how some pencils dry so fast (sometimes within a minute) that it makes them difficult to manipulate once they’ve set? These actually stay creamy and moveable for about 30 minutes, allowing ample time to smudge and layer. SO handy for smokey eyes.

But dagnabbit! I wish these were cheaper… Even though each one comes with a smudging sponge on one end and a pretty decent sharpener, they’re still a lot of dough. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+

You might like YSL’s Crayon Yeux Haute Intense Long-Lasting Eye Pencil if

  • …you like the feel of hard pencils
  • …you’re looking for something that’ll last all day long on your lash or water line
  • …you dig pencils that don’t set immediately
  • …you want a lot of pigment
  • …you don’t mind spending big bucks for an eyeliner

Aggressive blueberries!

Today I made a fruit salad for lunch and took a double take when I saw the label on this box of blueberries:

Apparently, these were the berries that needed anger management classes, ha! Says so right there — “AGRO,” ha ha ha! Okay, I’m way too easily amused.

So what’s the plan for tonight? Last night I started watching Entourage for the first time (I was late to the party). I’m almost done with the first season, and so far it gets a solid “eh.” Sex and the City, it ain’t, but it’s watchable.

Whatever you do tonight, have fun! I’ll see you soon. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. dang well last thursday i bought shu uemura eyeshadow in that color very turquoise color for about the same price, this would have been a lot easier to apply =P

    have you tried their mascara, mine eyelashes look way to intense when i put it on, one coat is all i need but then again my lashes are super long and thick, its just no matter what mascara and no matter how much i curl my lashes sag by the end of the day. =(

    Reply

  4. Speaking of SATC, I was just watching some of the 1st ones! I hadn’t seen any before, only the movie (which I didn’t like much, probably because I wasn’t hooked with it in the 1st place) but now my sister lent me the first two seasons and I’m like where have you been all my life? LOL!
    Love the look of Velvet Black. How does it compare to MAC’s Feline? That’s the blackest black I’ve ever seen!
    .-= Marce’s last blog post… Review: You don’t want no Drama + NEWS! =-.

    Reply

    • Oooh SATC. I thought it was nothing great when my sisters used to watch it but once in University time, I had 2 weeks break and was bored out of my mind, so I got all 6 seasons and watched them in the span of 2 weeks – best 2 weeks of my life. Eating a croissant, sipping coffee, and watching SATC 🙂

      Speaking of which, the trailer for Part 2 – is it me, or do you think they’ve given away the whole plot?

      P/s – Karen, you should consider watching Fringe 🙂 It’s very interesting, doesn’t hurt that Joshua Jackson is hot.

      Reply

      • Hi Fieran! I haven’t seen the trailer, actually! Since I wasn’t excited about it, I didn’t even care to look at it. But I’ll do that…right now, LOL! I hate it when trailers give away most of the plot, don’t you?
        PS. My easter eggs went down faster than I expected whilst watching some episodes 😀
        .-= Marce’s last blog post… Review: You don’t want no Drama + NEWS! =-.

        Reply

    • Hi Marce,

      Yay, glad to hear that you’ve officially joined the SATC cult. After you watch the eps with Big versus Aiden you’ll have to let me know what team you’re on.

      As for Velvet Black versus Feline — I find both colors are similar. The biggest diff is the feel of the pencil. VB is much harder, and it wears a better along the waterline. Feline’s smudgier and more challenging to control (on me it ends up all over the place). I’d use VB for lining waterline and doing very thin lines along the lash line, and Feline for layering beneath powdered shadows.

      Reply

      • being a long-time satc lover, i’m ashamed to say i’m a team big. what a jerk. but they JUST KEEP ENDING UP TOGETHER and it’s so perfect. le sigh.

        oddly enough, i’ve definitely had my own mr. big, but right now i’m in pretty deep with my psedo-aidan. innnteresting.

        Reply

        • Big has done so many jerky things… leaving her at the altar was the last straw for me. I know they were all happily-ever-after in the last movie but I wouldn’t Aidan sweeping in and opening a can of whoop ass in the next one!

          A big yay for manly furniture builders and TEAM AIDAN!!

          Reply

          • OK, I’ll let you know! I only have the 1st two seasons, I’ll have to wait till my sister lends me the rest! From what I’ve read in these comments, I can’t wait to see what Aidan’s like!
            Personally…I don’t like how Carrie keeps forgiving Big for those stupid, stuck up attitudes, but love is blind…and deaf…and forgiving after all 😀
            .-= Marce’s last blog post… Review: Of Hypnotic Lashes + Natural FOTD =-.

  6. These are very pretty, however I feel like you can get the same value for much cheaper with most of the mac eyeliners and urban decays 24/7 liners.

    that pita in your picture looks amazing!

    Reply

  7. $28 is steep! Especially if they’re not going to stay on better than the UD 24/7 pencils.
    I’d stay away from the Agroberries, sounds like the carrier of the Rage Virus (Zombie Tabs!).
    Tonight, I bleached and dyed my bangs orange. Woot!

    Reply

    • Hi Trina,

      Zombie Tabs, ha ha! Sometimes I’m convinced he might be a vampire… he has those fangs and just loooooves staying up all night.

      Reply

  8. I quite literally finished up season 6 of SATC just a half hour ago! I love that stuff, I already plan to find at least one girlfriend to go to the movie with. Even if I have to smuggle my Indie into the theater. I have a big enough purse and she’s a tiny kitty so it might work. LOL

    Reply

    • Hi Rachael,

      Definitely DON’T go with the boy. I dragged El Hub to the midnight showing of the first movie (poor guy). He was a good sport, but I sensed he was less than thrilled to be there.

      Reply

  9. The liners seem a bit pricey for my likes. As for Entourage, I think Ari is a master of creative insults, but I pretty much watch it only for Johnny Drama.

    Reply

  10. $28 is a lot of money for a pencil. I can think of spending that $28 on a better item (*cough*HighBeam*cough*).

    I just finished one essay and I swear it’s the longest one I’ve ever written. It’s ten frickin’ pages of writing plus a works cited. What the hell did I all write? I have no idea, but I’m dead thankful it’s done. I, thankfully, got an extension on my other paper. My life is still a very big and incredibly stressful, but I feel a little better that at least one thing is going my way. I feel like crying knowing how much the life I knew is in shambles, but I hope it might piece itself together slowly soon.

    By the way, did you see the Mad Hatter Tabs picture I uploaded on Facebook? I just thought I’d let you know that I did upload it (finally).

    Reply

    • Hi Kate & Zena,

      Sorry to hear things are rough for you right now. Try to remember that this to shall pass.

      I just saw the Tabs pic and left a comment for you. 🙂

      Reply

      • I’m trying to remember, it’s just difficult at times for me to remember that. It’s more that there’s too much drama going on and not enough energy to deal with it all. I can’t wait for summer vacation (it cannot come fast enough. Let it be May 12 all ready!).

        Reply

  11. I have to say that the fact they included a sharpener does heighten it’s appeal for me… And of course the pigmentation. I’ll need to check these out asap.
    .-= Karen B’s last blog post… Friday Fame =-.

    Reply

    • Hi Karen B,

      It does a lot for me. For some reason I’m always losing sharpeners, and these work really well.

      What else do you like from YSL?

      Reply

  13. It seriously lasts all day on the waterline? I need one then. I’ve been searching for something that lasts on the waterline for years. Even Shu Uemura’s painting liner doesn’t really and ends up in the outer corner of my eye. Guerlain’s loose kohl just… disappears.

    Reply

    • Hi Sylvie,

      I’ve have very good luck with these on the waterline. The top stays on all day, and there’s just a teensy bit of fading in the outer corners along the lower lash line. Try the black shade! It’s really great.

      Reply

  15. Them blueberries are scary! 😀

    The pencils are very nice … but I dont know. Im in an eye makeup rut lately and ive been going around with just UDPP Sin + an eye pencil or smudge pot. Im in a blusher and lippie kick though.

    Reply

    • Hi Nina,

      They are so agro, ha ha ha!

      I know what you mean about eye makeup phases. I’m going through a MAC Woodwinked/Soft Brown/Blacktrack phase… maybe we both need some new summer colors to shake things up.

      So, has Napoleon stopped by lately? I hope he’s okay.

      Reply

      • Hes great – when we got home yesterday, he was at the hood of my car, chillaxin! Were going to try and bring him to the clinic again this Friday…

        Yep we do need to shake things up!!! Whats weird is I didnt get any eyeshadows @ the CCO yesterday – I must be goin thru withdrawals!!!

        Reply

      • That’s good to hear. He better be back on Friday so he can officially become part of the fam!

        Wha?! Did you get anything from the CCO at all?

        Reply

  16. I don’t mind splurging on a high-quality item, but if I do it needs to be pretty unique! So if YSL will grace us with some amazing colors that I can’t find in other lines, I’ll be happy to buy & try!

    Reply

  17. OOOH the Deepest Green pencil is calling me. Why does the blue gotta be Oriental?? hahaha

    Not an Entourage fan – I’ve tried to watch 2 episodes and it’s just MEH – not even worth my time. I did like the other show, Mark Wahlberg produced for HBO, “How to Make it in America” I may just like for the use of the actor, Luis Guzman and the guy that plays Ben is pretty cute.

    Reply

    • Hey Lexi,

      Haven’t heard of that show. I’ll look it up after I’m done with Entourage. Although, Luis Guzman kinda freaks me out a little…

      Reply

  18. Hey Karen, stick to Entourage.. once you get to the 2nd and 3rd seasons it starts picking up and sucking you in! I didn’t really enjoy the 1st season that much either but it gets better 🙂

    Reply

  19. That’s a lot for 1 pencil…I’ve spent a ridiculous amount for a lipstick before…but I don’t think I’d spring for a $28 pencil…maybe if they came in sets of 2…

    Reply

  20. It’s hard for French brands to compete here I think, with the exchange rate. I’m not springing for a $28 pencil though. I guess I will look for these in Duty Free.

    I saw those Agro blueberries in my own Farmer’s Market too and thought the same thing!

    Reply

  21. Hi Karen,

    One question… Do you know if there is any difference in the packaging of these pencils versus the previous ones? (It seems that the name is the same, isn’t it?) Because I don’t think that YSL will bring those to Mexico just yet and I’m sure the girls at the counter won’t even know what I’m talking about if I ask, they are just employees of the department store. I’ve been looking for a liner that lasts on the waterline and so far I haven’t been lucky, these seem worth trying and I need to replace my touche eclat so…

    As for the “agro” joke… I got lost in translation, sad to admit

    Reply

    • Hi Sarab,

      Unfortch I don’t know… this is my first time using YSL’s pencils so I’m unfamiliar with the original packaging. And yes, you’re right — the name is the same.

      Can anybody else weigh in on if the pencils look the same or different?

      Reply

    • It was delicious. I got a few healthy things for pita sandwiches for lunch this week from TJ’s and threw a bunch of ’em in: tomatoes, egg salad, micro greens and shredded carrots! 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Copyright © 2021 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.