Wanna See My Expert Eyes? (Maybelline Expert Eyes Kohl Pencil)

Member Name: Brown_eyes1984

Product:	Maybelline Expert Eyes Kohl Pencil
Date:	09/03/05 (3942 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: stays on longer than most oher pencils, not too expensive

Disadvantages: smudges a little

Yes ladies and gentlemen I have a confession. I cannot live without my make up. But in particular, I can't live without eyeliner! Whenever I don't wear it I feel naked and my eyes look funny. I just love the way the eyeliner makes my eyes look. However, finding one that lasts more than five minutes on has proven to be a hard quest! I've tried at least five different ones that have all proven to be quite rubbish in the staying power stakes but thankfully I struck gold when my fiance treated me to the 'Expert Eye Kohl Pencil'.

*** A Little Info ***

The Expert Eye range is created by Maybelline and has been around for a little while now. The Expert Eyes Kohl Pencil comes in three different shades which are blue, black and brown. Designed not smudge or smear and to last for hours, this pencil is every eye liner lover's dream.

*** My Opinion On... ***

Here you will find everything you need to know about my experience with this pencil and hopefully you'll be able to make up your mind whether or not this product is for you. We'll start with the most important thing:

1) Results

The main thing I look for in a kohl pencil is it's staying power. Will it last if my eyes start watering? Will I end up looking like a Panda after a couple of hours? Well after using this I can safely say that it's far from perfect but compared to all the other brands I have tried, this one definitely is the best.

On first application I applied the pencil to my lower eyelid (where the eye meets the eyeball not under the eyelashes as you will see from the picture). I applied it at 9:00am and it lasted without me having to reapply it for an amazing six hours. Now that to me is impressive because usually I put on eyeliner and it fades after around five minutes. Now granted on that day I didn't leave the house. So on the next application I decided to test it and see whether the forces of nature would make it fade. My eyes tend to water a lot outside especially in the cold weather so if going out didn't test it I don't know what would! So after two hours walking around outside and shopping I got back to find that although it had faded slightly, it was still very dominant and you could definitely notice it was there.

It also doesn't irritate the eyes. I've had a pencil before that really made my eyes sting and water but this one doesn't have any effect at all apart from making my eyes look gorgeous!

One thing to note though is the fact that the results do tend to vary depending on how sharp the pencil is. When you first open the pencil you will see that it is quite sharp and that it has obviously never been used. This is where you get the best results.As the pencil starts to go blunt (which happens after about a couple of weeks using it) the results don't seem to last as long and it is harder to apply the pencil too. So keep it sharp and you should have no problems. Also note that although it is sharp it doesn't hurt while applying it!


2) How to Apply

This is easy to apply if you have had practice using a kohl pencil. Just in case you didn't know though a kohl pencil is a little different to an eyeliner (even though I call them exactly the same thing!). A kohl pencil allows you to draw a line actually on the lower lid where the lid meets the eyeball. Obviously you shouldn't get any of the pencil into your actual eye but that hardly ever happens and usually happens when you are in a rush and you accidentally poke yourself in the eye with it! Not nice and quite painful! As well as that you can apply it to your lower lashes, or rather the area just below your lower lashes, the area just above your top lashes and your eyebrows.

If you are going to use this pencil to define your eyebrows my advice to you would be to be wary and not press down that much while coloring them in. You could end up looking completely stupid if you press on too hard especially with the black pencil as it is a strong colour and goes on really easily without the need for added pressure.

If like me, you apply it to your lower lid, I would suggest taking it slowly and pulling your eyelid down a little as this makes it so much easier to apply.

Above the upper lashes and below the bottom lashes is really simple to apply. You just get the pencil as near to the line where your lashes meet the skin and draw as neatly as possible, a line along them. A tip for getting the straightest line possible is by resting your elbow on a hard surface while you are drawing the line.

Really obvious and simple advice but worth adding in case anybody is unsure about how to apply it. All in all it takes less than a minute to do the lower lid and around 3 minutes to do the whole area.

3) Does It Smudge?

I have found that although it isn't supposed to smudge it does tend to after a few hours. Now it's nothing drastic but it's still a smudge and although it wipes away quite quickly, it's still annoying when it says it doesn't do it. Luckily it's not enough to make me look like a panda but I'd prefer it if it didn't smudge at all.

4) Does It Look Natural?

Now it says that this pencil is designed to make the line look as natural as possible. To be honest how natural can a black line look around your eyes? I really don't understand that but I can say it doesn't make you look like Christina Aguilera on a bad day! I suppose it looks as natural as it possibly can and although the line is very defined, it looks quite nice and isn't over the top.

5) How Easily Does It Blend In?

True to it's description, I find this blends in quite nicely especially on my eyebrows. I use it every day to define my eyebrows and every time I find it blends really easily without any pressure. Some eye pencils I've used in the past have made me rub until my thumb turns red and still not blended in right. So thankfully this gets 5 out of 5 for blending!

6) Price And Availability

You can grab yourself one of these pencils at a few supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda for just under three pounds. It is also available in shops such as Superdrug and boots but prices will vary depending on where you shop.

*** My Overall Opinion ***

I really love this pencil and although it doesn't always last those six hours, it is the longest lasting eye pencil I've ever used. It's not over the top and it definitely gives me confidence to go out knowing that my looks aren't drastically going to change by the time I get where I'm going. I would recommend this to any girl who loves kohl pencils and is looking for a longer lasting one. It's not too badly priced either and it lasts a good 3 months maybe even six months depending on how often you use it. Don't forget to keep it sharp though otherwise it won't work as well as it could.

Aimee xxx

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