Rodial XXL Lip Liner & Smokey Eye Liners Review

I think 'how to create a smoky eye' is one of the most popular questions typed into Google and Rodial Smokey Eye Pens make it a really simple and easy thing to do. Although Rodial calls these pens, they are in fact pencils (not a felt tip pen liner.) You just draw along the lash-line and smudge the line upwards and out to create the smoke effect. Voila! Then reapply along the lash line for definition. These pens are creamy, they don't tug but glide on and are easy to smudge/work with. They're not as creamy as Urban Decays Perversion but on par with Rimmel's soft kohl pencil liner. I used the brush that comes with the Maybelline gel liners to help smoke out the liner. They are safe to use on the waterline so after you've smoked out the upper lid you can finish the look by applying the pen to the waterline and lower lash line.

Rodial says that their Smokey Eye Pens offers 'super-rich pigment and gel-effect definition...This long-lasting soft formula easily blends for a build-able smokey eye effect with all day hold.' I think their description is pretty much spot on apart from the 'gel effect.' The smokey eye pens are a little reflective like a gel liner but often it looks like pencil on the eyes rather than gel liner. I also found that the black smoky eye looked better than the brown one. I don't know if it's because black smoky eyes are more of a classic look. When it came to sharpening them I used a pencil sharpener as Rodial's website suggests but I soon discovered that you can twist the end of the pencil to get more product, which is much better as then you're not wasting any product. The only thing I'd want to change is having a colour indicator at the top of the pens so I can tell them apart quickly and easily when I store them in a pot without having to take them out in order to read what shade it is.

I really like Rodial's Smokey Eye Pens and I feel that they're not just a gimmick, they're actually really useful to create a smoky eye fast, even with minimal makeup skills. Another bonus is that they're safe to use on the waterline as well.

Rodial XXL Lip Liner in Nude

Rodial describes their XXL lip liner as a 'creamy, soft formula. This tinted lip liner glides effortlessly on, creating the illusion of fuller, more defined lips. Offering high coverage and excellent colour payoff with long-lasting, waterproof and anti-feathering wear, this formula will stay put.'

Nude is a light pink matte shade that looks fairly natural when lining the lips. It's actually a rosy pink colour that is a bit lighter than my natural lip colour. It was excellent at outlining my lips making them look bigger but it dragged and tugged when I tried to colour my lips in. Rodial and some other reviews I read describe the lip liner as creamy, but I don't find it to be so. Compared to the eye pens which are smooth, creamy and soft this is the opposite, being dry and hard which is such a shame. It does not glide on either. The light rose pink shows up well on my lips but the hard, dry pencil affects how much coverage and how much pigment you can get out of it. It's almost, but not quite waterproof in that it hardly transfers much on cups and glasses. It depends on what you're snacking on but it generally lasts through a snack. It does need to be reapplied after a meal though. It's pretty long lasting for a lip liner. I don't really have a problem with lipstick fethering but it wasn't that great at keeping my lip gloss in place. It does twist up from the bottom but mine doesn't seem to work so I have been sharpening it instead. Unlike the Smokey Eye Pens it has a colour indicator at the top so you can see what colour it is at a glance.

The XXL part alludes to a plumping complex consisting of  a Vegetal Filling Spheres and Hyaluronic Acid to make lips appear smoothed and plumped with long-lasting hydration. However this definitely does not hydrate lips and I didn't notice a plumping or smoothing effect. Rodial's XXL Lip liner is £19 and I feel that the poor performance does not justify the expensive, luxury price. There are better lip liners out there for a much cheaper price.

Overall the eye liners are worth it, especially you struggle to do smoky eyes or are often tight on time because using Rodial's smokey eye pens are quick and easy. (However If  you were on a budget you could experiment with other creamy eye liners to see if you can get the same effect.)  While I love me some brown eye liner I think that going with the black Smokey Eye Pen is better for a creating a smoky eye. Personally I don't feel that Rodial's XXL Lip Liner is worth buying. How can you market a lip liner that's so dry as hydrating? The hyaluronic acid which is known for it's moisturising properties is lost in this product, they need much more of it to make it hydrating. Don't fall for the plumping effect either.

Rodial Smokey Eye Pens £17 Online here
Rodial XXL Lip Liners £19  Online here

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows & They're Real Push Up Liner Review

 

Benefit Creasless Cream Shadows

 

The formula of Benefit's Creaseless Cream shadows means that they do exactly as they claim, which is no mean feat for a cream eye shadow. They are easy and quick to use, a quick swipe your finger and you're good to go, perfect for rushed mornings or for eye shadow newbies. These shades are fairly shimmery/metallic, but used as a base and then paired with other powder eye shadows or a matte cream eyeshadow they can be toned down if you like. Benefit's shade No Pressure seems less shimmery than the others if that's more your style. These don't need a primer, they can be applied directly on the lids and will stay all day (at least in a British summer) and on a night out lasted me the full 7 hours. I've had R.S.V.P for a least a year, probably for two years and it hasn't dried out yet. Benefit has changed the packaging recently, still in the same glass jar only thinner and bigger than the original, which had a bird pattern on the front. The new design has a notched/serrated edge and a cream coloured plastic base but contains the same amount of product (4.5g). They also now come in this cute little circular box too, which you can see in the photo above. They are fairly pricey cream eye shadows compared to the drugstore (such as the wonderful Maybelline colour tattoos) but they are good quality eye shadows with a performance to match.

 

Bikini-Tini  is a shimmery gold, great for brightening the eyes or for wearing in the summer, while R.S.V.P is a light Oyster pink that is flattering on the eyes without making them look pink and tired. Compared to MAC's Paint Pot in Bare Study, Bikini-Tini is yellow gold while Bare Study is lighter and more of a champagne colour.

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows are £15.50 Available at Benefit Cosmetics online, Boots and department stores. 

 

Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner 

 

 

 

I also picked up a couple of Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner samples a while back and tested the liner over 7 days.  For Benefit's eyeliner you click the bottom of the pen until the product is pushed up and appears at the slanted nib. Then you draw across the lash line. One click is enough for one eye. The tip is made from a very soft flexible rubber material that Benefit calls an 'Accuflex' tip. Benefit claim that the Accuflex tip provides a smooth lash hugging application and that the nib draws an 'easy line.' The Accuflex tip does feel really soft against the skin, which is great since the skin near the eye is so delicate. This makes applying eye liner feel incredibly comfortable and easy since it just glides across the skin.

Yet the results I got with the samples weren't good at all. It was difficult to get a thin or medium line or a line close to the lashes and drawing cat flicks was incredibly hard. The consistency was on the dry, thick side. This meant that the results weren't smooth and some bits came out dry and balled in clumps because it had dried up between uses. Before applying I would recommend doing a test line on your hand first to get rid of any dried bits that form in between uses. However when I tried the full sized version in the store it was a lot easier to get a thin line and the consistency was much more fluid and easier to use. When you first press the eyeliner down you tend to get a thick line which gets thinner but I think with practice you can draw a line with same thickness all the way through or however you want it.

The gel liner is strongly pigmented and shows up nicely. The full sized liner in the store had a very wet consistency so you have to be careful not to smudge it while waiting for it to dry. Once it had set it does last the day, there wasn't any flakiness but the colour did fade towards the end of the day.

I think I either got bad samples or that they weren't very well designed (In the full sized version the liner is kept fresh as it is stored inside the pen. In the sample the liner was kept in the nib which you had to squeeze to get product out.) You do need to practice a little to get the hang of it but props to Benefit for coming out with this unique design. It hasn't replaced my Maybelline pot gel liner as my Holy grail favourite because Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner did fade towards the end of the day, while Maybelline always remains pristine. I think if you have the money give this a go otherwise try the cheaper Maybelline gel pen first to see if you get on with a push up liner pen.

Benefit They're Real Push up liner is £18.50 from Benefit cosmetics online, boots or department store counters.