e.l.f. mineral eyeliner pencils

The fact that I have been such a lazy writer of course has nothing to do with my actual purchases - those have been piling up since February. So embarrassing.

From top to bottom: e.l.f. Feather Proof eye liner,
e.l.f. mineral eyeliner in Ash,e.l.f. mineral eyeliner in Coffee,
Manhattan's Extreme Last eyeliner, Lumene mineral eyebrow pencil in Gray Brown

Here are all my eyeshadow and brow pencils. I have to admit I'm quite happy with the latter - my Lumene mineral eyebrow pencil (with protecting arctic amethyst, mind you)  in  gray brown. (Lately everything has to be "mineral", have you noticed?) Of course, it could be a tad cooler and less red but that's besides the point since my eyebrows seem to have a slight reddish shade as well.

Main heros here are the latest acquisition - e.l.f. mineral eyeliners in Coffee and Ash. They are soft and spread well which also means they kinda spread all over my browbone should I forget to fix them with some eyeshadow. Ash is a quite dark gray blackish color, no medium gray as could be expected by it's name.

Nice texture and I quite like them. Unlike the e.l.f. "feather proof" one which is a true pain on the lid, extremely harsh (came with the mineral eyeshadow set). Manhattan's eyeliner pencil is dark black and also very soft. I still want a white or cream eyeliner but e.l.f. does not carry one in their mineral line. The Essential line I'd frankly rather miss and the Studio one does not seem very tempting either.

I am rather old fashioned (or new fashioned, perhaps) - I prefer pencils to liquid and cream liners - they seem easier to control. These I do not need to sharpen, a big plus.

e.l.f.'i Mineral seeria silmapliiatsid on pehme tekstuuriga, kanduvad kergesti kulmuluule üle (halb, eksole) kuid minu meelest siiski kaunis ok. Ei ärrita silmi ja kestavad kaua. Ausalt öeldes pole mul veel õnnestunud kohata silmapliiatsit, mis kulmuluule ei kanduks - alati tuleb lauvärviga kinnitada.

Eyeshadow primers

Here's a comparison between 3 different eye makeup bases: e.l.f.'s Eye Primer and Liner Sealer from the Studio series ($3), e.l.f.'s Mineral Eyeshadow Primer ($3) and Manhattan Cosmetics Eyeshadow Base (ca 70 kr, $6).

e.l.f.'s Eye Primer and Liner Sealer  has a very thick texture and when applied, looks yellow. I find it a little bit difficult to apply. No love because of the strong yellow color. Liner Sealer has a strong chemical smell but works very well on skin. In fact, it's quite hard to bet the product off the lids afterwards. This one gets bonus point for it's casing - looks great.

Ingredients: Paraffinium Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Mica, Talc, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Ozokerite, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Methylisothiazolinone, Caprylyl glycol. May Contain: Iron Oxides(CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)

Liner Sealer Ingredients: Aqua(Water), Acrylates/Octylacrylamide Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, Benzyl Alcohol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

e.l.f.'s Mineral Eyeshadow Primer is very liquid and STINKS. Mirror, mirror on the wall, which one's the stinkiest of them all - well this one wins. It stinks so bad (terrible chemical smell) that when I use it I hold my breath when I lift the product close to my face. It also cannot be applied using the doefoot applicator cause then you end up applying too much. And if you apply too much, it creases as soon as you apply it. Trick is to put it on the back of the hand first and from there use your finger to get it to the lid. No love, will not buy again.

Ingredients: Isododecane, Cylopentasiloxane, Octyl Palmitate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Triacontanyl PVP, Propylene Carbonate, Titanium Dioxide, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Mica (CI 77019), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163).

Last and imho the best is the Manhattan Cosmetics Eyeshadow Base - skin-colored (with some light sheen), holds pigments in place, does not stink and ingredients list is rather short. Does not contain triclosan like ArtDeco's eyeshadow base. Problem with this one is application... and it's tendency to dry up quickly. The consistency is rather thick (mostly mineral oil derivates) and difficult to apply with brush so I use my fingers. Must take care not to scoop up too much because the excess will start rolling on the lid.

Ingredients: C11-12 Isoparaffin, Talc, Mica, Cera Microcristallina, Polyethylene, VP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Propylparaben, CI 77891, CI 77492, CI 77491, CI 77499

Manhattan's eyeliner pencil

Can a true cosmetics freak even imagine that I have not had an eyeliner pencil for a couple of years and I have not even missed it that much? The brown "feather proof"  one (chinese manufacturers are so funny! I suspect they did it on purpose :D) that came to me in an E.L.F. kit does not count since it's far too harsh to be used anywhere near the lids. 

Well now I've got one, a fancy Manhattan Cosmetics X-treme last twist-up eyeliner (45 kr, 3 EUR). And now I also know why I have not missed it that much - the upper inner lid line transfers under my eyes. Am now in-between: should I use the pencil to optically increase the thickness of my lash-line and look like a panda or keep the lower lids clean and lashes more thin-looking?

At the moment the liner has a pretty sharp tip but I suspect it'll be dull soon and making a thin line will be an impossibility. It's very soft and smears well, a good thing to have if one wishes to achieve the smoky eye - blends well too. I guess for a thin line I'll have to apply it with the E.L.F. Studio slanted eyeliner brush.

Colors used are: China Jade all over lid, pencil line on the upper lid is covered with Travel to Jupiter (color shift from turquoise to cold green), Garnet as blush, EDM's Olive Fair o-glo as foundie.