Review : L.A. Girl Gel Liner

I'm not a very big eyeliner fan. I've had a couple of misses with eyeliner products and that's probably why I tend to stay away from products like that. I'm very big on the no eyeliner look and on the occasions where I do need to put on eyeliner to actually complete the look, I always go for a smoked out hazy effect using a really deep matte black eyeshadow...BUT (yes, capital letters for emphasis) recently a product has caught my eye so much that I just had to try it our for myself. The L.A. Girl Gel Liner kit has quickly become a cult favorite among makeup artists, beauty bloggers & beauty enthusiasts alike and I've heard (and read) a lot of good things about this product. I got my own kit a few months ago and I'm finally ready for a review. What : L.A. Girl Gel Liner Kit (with bonus liner brush!) Where : I purchased mine from @prinsesitasarahcosmetics on IG but I'm also selling this product at Unicorn Delight! Price : P250 at @prinsesitasarahcosmetics, P200 at Unicorn Delight (Pre-Order!) What L.A. Girl says about this product:
"This gel liner has a rich and creamy water resistant formula that glides on smooth without smearing or smudging for long lasting, all day wear. Professional fine eyeliner brush expertly defines eyes to create that ideal smokey or dramatic look effortlessly."
The kit is available in 3 choices - very black, dark brown & brown. I obviously chose black because on the rare occasions that I wear eyeliner I always opt for black. I've heard of some people purchasing the dark brown & brown variants to use as a brow product. You can check out MicMics Corner for a review on how it worked for her! To be honest, I was a bit disappointed when I took this photo. I realized how tiny the pot actually is in real life compared to other gel liner pots I've seen up close... But I told myself not to judge too quickly. I'm glad I didn't because I ended up liking this product a lot. The product itself is housed inside the frosted jar with a black plastic screw top. It doesn't look or feel cheap at all but I'm not so sure how sturdy the glass-like material of the packaging is so I'd be careful when bringing this product on trips. The kit also comes with a synthetic bristled applicator brush which I actually like as well. It's the right stiffness and the bristles are packed in a way that makes it really easy to use this brush to line my eyes! The tip is really thin enough to create sharp and straight edges!
What I Like : > Affordable. > Available in 3 different shades, you're bound to find a shade that will work for you & your needs! > Packaging isn't cheap looking. > A complete list of ingredients and shelf life is printed on the product's box. > The brush included is actually useful! > Highly pigmented product, a little goes a long way. > Creamy in consistency, hence no "tugging" when I apply this on my eyes. > Multi tasking product. I've tried this as an eyeliner as well as a shadow base for deep smokey eyes. > Long lasting especially when allowed to thoroughly dry and when set with a black eyeshadow. What I Didn't Like : > Only available online as this has yet to be available in Zamboanga department stores. > Can start fading and smudging a bit towards the 5 hour mark on my oily lids that's why I make sure to set this product.
Check out some looks I created and used this product to do my eyeliner!

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Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner "Black" : Review & Swatches

One of my makeup staples happens to be eyeliner. I initially started using pencil liners way back in high school. In college I "upgraded" to liquid eyeliners and favored those with felt tip ends. When I started getting more into makeup I decided to try out gel liners and see how I feel about it. I'm in love with gel type liners the most because for me, they happen to be the easiest to use.

At the moment, I've been using my Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Black. I've used it on simple days out and more often when I film my makeup tutorials. It's gotten quite a few comments and since I've been using this product since January, I think it's high time to do a quick review on this baby.

What Maybelline says about the product :

"Smudge-proof and long lasting, water-proof type"

"Creamy gel type allows to draw a smooth clean line without crease. Customized eye line brush allows lines to be drawn as desired from fine to thick. The creamy gel texture dries quickly after application. Long lasting water-proof and smudge-proof formula that resists sweat, tears and water."

I (and by this I really mean my lola) purchased this at Watsons, SM Bacolod last January for P449.00.

Packaging / Design : ★★★☆☆

The product comes in a glass-like pot container with a cover that seems to be made of an aluminum-like material. The pot has a matte finish to it and looks post but I somehow find the cover very out of place in the whole product packaging because it sometimes comes off cheap looking. What I do like about the packaging is that it has a very solid feel to it. It has weight, not so heavy, in my hand and I like my products to have a sturdy feel to them.

Another plus is the fact that this product comes with its own eyeliner brush. Now as for the brush, I really don't get why they didn't include an ANGLED one instead. The brush works fine but it does make creating thin crisp "winged" liner a tad bit more difficult than usual no thanks to its more rounded edge.

Quantity / Quality : ★★★★☆

The little pot contains 2.8g or 0.10oz of product. It may not seem like much to some but for me that's quite a lot of product for me to use. I love the formulation of this particular gel liner, it's creamy and applies smoothly and it actually stays put. I've tried using this for 8 hours straight and went home with zero fading. It still looked fresh. I still can't vouch that it'll last up to 24 hours though. Pigmentation of the product is great too. It really comes off black on the first swipe that I don't even have to really go back over it to achieve a solid color.

Now a lot of reviews I've read say that this product has a tendency to dry up if you don't use it often. In my three months of usage this still hasn't happened to me so I'll have to get back to you guys on that claim. I guess best thing to do is to use it as often as you can to get the most of it.

Overall : ★★★★★

Ever since I got this liner I've been slightly neglecting my other eyeliners (pencils, liquid liners and other gel liners) since I'm really diggin' how this product works so well on me. I'm happy that the formula works well on my oily lids. Even without applying primer on my lids, the liner does not fade or smudge so I'm one happy panda minus the "black eye" look. I've even used this on my waterline with no problems at all! 

This black eyeliner happens to one of the blackest gel liners I own so far and I love it! I'm happy that I don't have to apply several layers just to get a great solid black color. It dries pretty quickly and I've yet to have any "transfer to lids" issue with this product. 

I'd definitely repurchase this in black again as well as in other available colors.

Swatch time!

Fresh swatches. No primer underneath. 

Water test!

After being subjected to the "water test".

This is what the swatches look like after trying to rub them off with a baby wipe. Notice the reddish areas around the swatches from my somewhat aggressive rubbing? *lol*

That's it for now my lovely readers. Hope you enjoyed!

DISCLAIMER:

Product was bought with my own money. I was not paid in any way to do this review. Everything said is 100% my own honest opinion.

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