More BIV Pencils/Shadows

Wow, I'm sure getting a lot of work done today, aren't I? I've been itching to share my most recent beauty thoughts, particularly this one. After a couple of less than thrilling experiences with BIV eyeliners (as in blue, indigo, violet from the rainbow acronym ROY G. BIV - yes, I know I'm a dork), I refused to give up. After a few buys/returns/exchanges, I gathered the following thoughts on some products:

1) Smashbox Cabernet Eye Shadow ($16.00) - An absolutely *gorgeous* deep wine (as the name suggests) shade with a very small amount of shimmer/sparkle. Like the other Smashbox shadows I've used, the texture of this was soft, velvety, and very blendable. Unfortunately, I just didn't know how to make it work for myself. I wanted to use it as a liner but at this price, I didnt' think it was worth it.

2) LORAC After Dark Eye Shadow ($17.50) - Eye shadow's answer to Laura Mercier Black Violet pencil liner. Wow. Another amazingly pretty, deep, blackened purple whose name clearly follows its function - this is definitely a shadow for heavier, smokier eyes or just as liner. It felt like butter and with a heavier hand, would've given me a black eye. Again, I just couldn't justify keeping it at this price since my makeup use is rather minimal overall. I tried to pretend I would use it. Then I moved into my new apartment and decided I need the almost $20 back immediately.

3) Sephora Jumbo Pencil Pink 503Y ($) - This chubby pencil is a muted, lilac-mauve with a slight metallic sheen. It was easy enough to apply and rather blendable. I actually quite liked it, but the effect wasn't all too noticeable. It took a few layers for the color to really show through, and I didn't want to apply so much product. There must similar pencils out there with slight better color payoff and consistency - I could see this one drying out pretty fast.

4) Sephora Colorful Mat Mono Eye Shadow Mat No. 07 ($10) - This lovely, matte, deep burgundy/purple shadow was actually quite impressive. Very smooth texture and a great, basic shade that could work with so many looks. However, it was slightly chalky and not very pigmented. I layered it over the Jumbo Pencil and it kinda worked...kinda. I was very tempted to keep this but decided to do a little more exploring.

5) DuWop Eye-Catcher Pencil - Brown Eye Intensifier (Dark Purple)($18.50) - Hrmph. This one sort of stumped me. A combination of Almay's Purple Amethyst liner and Laura Mercier Black Violet, this new liner is sized somewhere between a regular pencil and a jumbo one. The color was pretty and intriguing, but the pencil itself was incredibly dry and difficult to apply. Plus, for this shade, the pencil was too thick.

6) Revlon Beyond Natural Eye Pencil, Dark Brown & Plumberry) ($7.99) - After testing Plumberry, I didn't even bother with the Dark Brown. It was neither plum nor berry. In fact, it was a slightly metallic, muted lilac. Yeah, seriously. It disappeared right into my skin with one smooth blend. Utterly forgettable and not worth a cent. If you're into smokier brown/black eyes, perhaps those shades will work for you (although a better option would be NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils or Jane's ColorSticks Eye Crayons). I wasn't too impressed.

All this, and all I really ended up lusting after is the DuWop Smoke eye shadow duo in Plum Wine (pictured above). These are exactly the shades I've been looking for and the cream, non-pencil formula looks like it might be easier to work with.

I'll keep you posted on the rest of BIV shadow/liner hunting, and hopefully this DuWop duo - stay tuned.