Drawing eyes

♫ Helloween – Mr. Torture

Lil' miss lazy blogger strikes back with the eyeliner review post I promised a while ago. I have even tried one new product after I mentioned I could write some reviews, so I will have, um, at least four eyeliners to write about.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you've seen enough photos of my face too and thus, know that I tend to apply quite a lot of eyeliner and it's been my trademark for ten years. Yet it's taken me almost ten years to master a style I'm happy with... :> And still I think my taste is developing constantly and maybe one day I'll look back on the style of make-up I had these days and just *facepalm*. Oh well, the road to success is always under construction!

When it comes to my skin, I suffer from acne and my skin is constantly oily, and it applies to my eyelids as well. It gives a real challenge to eyeliner products and I'm still looking for a perfect one!

I didn't take photos of my products because I lack some at the moment. Instead I'm trying to link to the product web pages on their respective manufacturer's sites. I didn't take photos of sample lines drawn either, because the differences aren't either that remarkable or couldn't be seen in photos. However, I've tried to state whether the finish is matte or shiny.

As for prices, I'm not stating exact sums I paid but an approximate price ratio based on the price per millilitre. Thus, the first product, which I consider "the very basic", shall get the price number 1 and the rest a number in the proportion to that number.

Gosh Eye Liner Pen
This is "the very basic" eyeliner – promised to be quick-drying and tear-proof which stays beautiful for hours, yet is not waterproof. Well, only the last two statements may be true. I'm not sure what slow-drying would be, but in comparison with other products I've tried, I think this is one of those slow-drying ones. At least it's the one I screw up most often by closing my eyes too quickly after applying it. As for tear-proof: I disagree. However, it may stay beautiful, if you're lucky. I've seen worse liquid eyeliners. I used this for years thinking this was very good.
The brush is comfortable and easy to use, works well for both thin and thick lines. I like it so much that I've saved and cleaned some caps to be used later after the contents of the bottle have run out.
Price: 1
Finish: Matte
Durability: ***
Ease of use: ****



Gosh Long Lasting Eye Liner Pen
For a while I thought this product was beyond awesome, but it turned out not to be perfect after all. I am not too fond of the shiny finish, but it stays well. However, lately I've also had to get disappointed with it, having had it melt on my eyelids even with good primer underneath. The tip is very thin, but easy to use. The liquid is also occasionally thin! I've had to shake the bottle a bit, or apply multiple layers. I think I used 1.8 ml in a month and thought it ran out quickly.
Price: 1.26
Finish: Shiny
Durability: ****+
Ease of use: ****


Gosh Intense Eye Liner Pen
I thought an eye liner pen with a marker tip would be awesome and wanted to try it. And yes, a marker tip feels strange at first but nice after a while... Until you would need more paint. Since the container is, like in marker pens, at the base of the pen, you would have to wait for the liquid to flow down and make the tip wet again. Unlike with actual marker pens, you cannot press the tip against the paper—err, your eyelid, because it will hurt. However, the tip is supposed to be tilted slightly in order to make the contents wet the brush tip again. Yet it doesn't quite work like that! At least I have to resort to tilting the tip against the back of my hand or something, and when it starts to get wet again, all the paint is at the base of the tip, and it's difficult to get the very tip of the brush wet so that you could continue drawing neat, thin lines. Sure, the idea was good. However, the lesson learnt: brushes which are dipped into the container work better than markers when it comes to lining your eyes. P.S: It's expensive.
Price: 2.5
Finish: Matte
Durability: ****-
Ease of use: **

Isadora Glossy Eyeliner Waterproof
I have a strange habit of staying very loyal to a certain cosmetics brand even if I hadn't tried many. I may be only relatively satisfied with the products I always use, not knowing if there could be something better out there... Thus, I dared to try this one recently. Said to be "super glossy", but I think it's less glossy than the Gosh Long Lasting one. And yes, it is waterproof – tested in the rain, stayed where it should. However, it's not as oil-resistant as I'd hope! Even with primer and Grimas eyeshadow, it can melt on my eyelids – even before the eye shadow does. Left me slightly disappointed, but it's at least as good as Gosh Eye Liner Pen, and yeah well, more tear-proof too. The brush tip is similar to that basic Gosh one.
Price: 0.97
Finish: Shiny–
Durability: ***+
Ease of use: ****

Extra: Grimas Water Make-Up Pure (palette)
I sometimes use this product as well, it's good for any body painting and works well as eyeliner as well. I mix it with water and apply with an old eye liner cap brush, and it works. Naturally, it's not waterproof but stays well nevertheless, and although it's water-soluble, it's not the easiest to remove with mere water.
Price: I cannot remember the exact price of a 15-millilitre palette, but I guess I won't be lying too much if I give it the number 0.2. Much cheaper than using actual eyeliner products!
Finish: Matte
Durability: ***+
Ease of use: Must be mixed with water or such, you need to get a separate brush. At home with good equipment ***** and on the go **.

I'm willing to try more products since I'm still looking forward to meeting the perfect one. What is your favorite? What would you never recommend to anyone?

Images: Sokos webstore. Finns can go shopping and check out more accurate prices too!

P.S: I think I have tried sleeping with each of these products on my face. :> This is what I call "the ultimate test", although the conditions for the product to endure are not as extreme as in the rain, while working out, sweating on a hot summer day... I never neglect evening beauty routines and removing make-up if I'm at home, but occasionally, when I'm spontaneously sleeping elsewhere, it's easier for me to sleep with make-up and remove it with appropriate products once I get my hands on them again.

Yesterday's news

♫ Dreamtale – Payback

I've been lazy again, and will only update very shortly about yesterday's musical event. Otherwise I'm in a hurry, I should get going very soon... But I will type fast!

Yesterday we went to see three bands playing live; Force Majeure, Dreamtale and SpellBlast. Seems like something you've already heard of, huh? Yes, already saw FM and DT recently. And talked about SpellBlast coming here. Well, there we went, and had a blast, pun intended.

I didn't take any photos of Dreamtale or Force Majeure because, well, I only had my cell phone with me again and the venue was the same too, I was standing in the middle of the front row again... The photos would have been exactly the same! I took a few of SpellBlast though, and they suck in quality.

Had no time to take photos of my outfit, being busy preparing a dinner for two (although I hate cooking), but I took a few random shots anyway to share with you.

I finally put on a pair of thights I had bought quite a while ago and let them wait for warmer weather. I had been unaware of how pretty the lacy pattern would be, so I had to take a photo of them before I manage to rip them. Usually that happens quite fast with fancy thights... 

Lately, I've been fighting eyeliners, getting frustrated and occasionally impressed by different products. If someone is interested, I could write a blog post about these issues.

Anyway, the night was very enjoyable! Good live music, and Dreamtale (which I saw for the third time within two months) played my favorite tracks too. Thus, I probably lost my voice. Already did after SpellBlast, who played second.

As yesterday was Ascension Day, I had a day off work, but would basically have had a work day today. However, we decided to keep the office closed today, which was perfect for me since the night went on late again. And the weekend will be rather busy too, let's see if I can post about it... Anyway, I really gotta hurry now, exercise calling! So long!

Tears won't dry

"Look to the mirror // What do you see? // Beneath the shadows // Hiding your face // I can see hatred // Consuming fear"
– Dreamtale; Tears

Oh yeah, I've spent the last two days crying, or, only one eye has. I don't know why; one eye just started running a race with my nose a few days ago. A mild flu or something, but it's exceptional for my eyes to react in such a way although they are generally quite wet, and tears escape my eyes very easily when I go to bed and press my head against a pillow. And out in the wind etc... And my eye is not sore, red or irritated, so I really don't know why, but it's damn frustrating to look weepy all the time! I noticed the issue yesterday morning after applying my regular heavy make-up, and I had trouble with it all the day. In the evening I had to find a good solution and I tried using Grimas make-up to draw very heavy lining on my upper lids, but it didn't save my looks. And today... Well, I knew I had better surrender.

I went to work wearing only very light makeup without bright eyeshadow or any eyeliner at all. And although I can easily leave my apartment without any makeup, I don't like it if some external factors determine whether I can wear makeup or not. But yeah, just one day during Easter I popped to a kiosk in the central marketplace without makeup, and it wasn't really a problem. But I just like draw something around my eyes! (A side note: the makeup products I use are not the most sensitive to melting or smudging. Even the eyeliner I generally use was advertised as being tear-resistant or something! But oh, I tell you; it's not. And Grimas didn't work either; my eye really is running SO much that absolutely nothing stays there now. Oh, I even tried some UDPP and light eyeshadow today. Nope.)

Only one thing made this agony a bit more bearable. Last night a friend and I went to a local club to see Dreamtale live (yes, again). I guess we both were slightly hesitant since it was Thursday and we both had to get up for work in the morning. Well, I live in the city center so I'm not dependent on public transport, but the gig began probably over an hour later than it had been announced, so well yeah... In fact Dreamtale was only a warm-up act, with Humangod being the main, but I was more interested in Dreamtale anyway. Had they started on time, I would have liked to stay there to see Humangod as well, they're interesting after all, but by the time Dreamtale were done, it was already only six hours to when my alarm would go off for the first time (=six hours and a half before I get up). Oh well, I pretty much ran home and knowing that it would be nothing but a waste of time to try to apply my regular makeup in the morning, I could sleep for another fifteen minutes. :D

I don't have photos of the gig, didn't feel like taking any. Well, the guys hadn't changed much from a few weeks back. The gig was particularly enjoyable though! Unlike the last time, they played each and every song I wished to hear! That said; it was worth the short night and feeling all sleepy.

Back onto my makeup. I feel a bit strange when I'm without makeup or wearing very light makeup like in that photo. I don't know what it is, but I feel somehow... Okay well, when I'm totally without makeup I feel that I look like a boy. Not a man, but a boy. With light makeup I feel that I just look old and tired when my face lacks contrast. However, I popped to a pharmacy today after work, to get something for the running nose, and the pharmacist was about to recommend one product to me which was only for people over 18. Then she actually had to ask if I'm old enough. Thank you my lady, you made my day. Being sleepy and slightly sick, I had a stronger feeling than usual that I looked like I was over thirty.

I've noticed a strange thing; I think I manage to babble quite a lot in my blog posts. It's very strange; I'm comparing my style of writing to what I used to do with my studies. I always wrote compact essays and such, but often got better grades than those with twice as much text. Back then I couldn't really prolong what I had got to say with useless words! It seems I'm capable of it nowadays.

This entry has probably turned out boring by now, so I will entertain you with a bit of art for both eyes and ears. At first a portrait which I finished... Hmm, a month ago I suppose, because I think I finished it four months to the day after my dog's death. Well, a portrait of her. I actually had a print made of it for my parents; it was sent straight to them so I haven't seen it yet, but they've received it already.

I don't have much to say about it, I just felt the need to immortalize her sweetness once more. It was made completely using Photoshop CS5.

And then, candy for yours ears. I already embedded a few Dreamtale songs in this blog post but you will get another one here. I was somewhat surprised they played this last night, but it was awesome to hear it!

And one more thing. Sad, sad news. I mentioned Freedom Call coming to my hometown in that same metalfest entry – their concert date was confirmed and quite soon also cancelled! The whole event where they were supposed to play got cancelled. I'm so very disappointed! :C So long!

Urban Decay ordeal

♫ Sonata Arctica – Mary-Lou

Oh my, let's talk about cosmetics for a change. I rarely blog about make-up since I don't have much to say, really. I'm neither innovative nor experimental with make-up and I feel my creativity is confined by this skin I was blessed to have. Which properly leads me to the subject...

I had been wondering how I could possibly keep eyeliner from melting away during the day... And a few years ago I found a relatively good solution; Grimas eyeshadow. Sounds a bit strange, I suppose – now, if you look back on the photos you've seen of me in my blog, you can probably notice that I am indeed wearing bright pink eyeshadow pretty much all the time. Well, I do like the looks a lot, but the fact that it stays so damn well without any special eye make-up base and also keeps eyeliner from melting and fading has been one of the most important reasons for me to keep wearing it daily – in other words, at work as well. I love Grimas products because they have a lot of pigment too, and won't really remarkably fade with time. And since I've been suffering from a nasty acne ever since I was, uh-oh, ten, I think subtle shades wouldn't look good on my face. Getting creative with make-up requires a relatively flawless skin which I certainly don't have.

Anyway, although I hadn't got totally fed up with my trademark looks, I wanted to solve my eternal problem; how to wear eyeliner without any Grimas eyeshadow and prevent it from melting? The problem may seem quite easy to solve for all of you with a normal skin, but for someone like me, whose skin is particularly oily, there are much less functioning solutions! And let's put it this way; I haven't yet encountered a single make-up primer product (foundation, powder, anti-shine) which would retain the matte finish they eagerly promise. (Covering the whole face with Grimas eyeshadow might work, though.) I highly doubted some eyeshadow primer potion would work on my oily eyelids.

The package is quite pretty!

However, I read reviews of Urban Decay eyeshadow primer potion in various beauty blogs and decided to give it a try even though I considered it pricey in case it would turn out to be just as useless as most products for me. So far, I've tried it thrice, so it's been through these ordeals:

Case #1
• Make-up applied in a hurry, used UDPP underneath some Gosh eyeliner
• Had an appointment with a doctor, went to work, had a dance lesson
• Normal winter weather; no extreme frost or snowfall
Results; A light trail of eyeliner in the lid furrow of my right eye, which is exactly what I had been hoping to avoid. The eyelid in the right eye is the problem, my left eyelid is slightly different and make-up doesn't melt so easily on it. Hence, I was disappointed.

Case #2
• Make-up applied with time, used UPDD, Grimas eyeshadow and Gosh eyeliner
• Stared at the TV screen for hours, which often makes eyes more tired and thus, make-up more vulnerable to flaws. Also, slept with the make-up on!
Results; Noticed how eyeshadow was getting slightly lumpy (before I went to sleep), but nothing too bad. Make-up hadn't melted by the time I woke up. However, I've done the same without UPDD, and most of the time Grimas eyeshadow alone works. I've had it melt too, but it occurs rarely. Hence, I wasn't convinced.

Case #3
• Make-up applied rather quickly, UDPP and Gosh eyeliner
• A normal day at work, a bit of exercise after work.
Results; Nothing suspicious in the eyelid furrows – yay! A bit of melting in the inner corner of the right eye, but I can forgive that. Maybe I didn't even apply the primer potion properly there. Hence, I'm getting convinced! Maybe UDPP is the miraculous product everyone has been praising!

Make-up after work, case #3. It's there... there, where it should be! And it seems I can be slightly more creative again, trusting my make-up just might not melt after all if I decide to go without my trusted Grimas eyeshadows. I would be more comfortable experimenting with lipsticks without a strong and bright eye make-up, so... It's about the time I learn to accentuate my lips for a change! So long!