Gel Eyeliner and My Love of Bobbi Brown

For years I used the typical stick eyeliner, the kind that snaps off and smears and sometimes crumbles into chunks and will not stay in your waterline, even if you cemented it there.

I thought this was normal.
I didn't know I was in a one-sided relationship with my eyeliner.
I put in all the effort and eyeliner did not meet me halfway. Eyeliner let me down again and again, and I made excuses for eyeliner because I did not know better.
Maybe these work for you, but for my particular needs they suck.

I thought the eyeliner in a pot was a pain in the ass and pokey to use because who wants to have to find the little brush and get the right amount on there and then draw it on your eye, re-dip it, draw, load that baby up again, etc. And you can't take it in your purse because the brush will get crap everywhere.

Boy was I wrong...
A bunch of makeup reviews and trip to the Bobbi Brown counter later...I am a self proclaimed gel eyeliner woman. I hate using anything else and I now own 3 pots of Bobbi's stuff (Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner), in Black Ink, Ivy Shimmer, and Purple.

I tried the L'Oreal Color Hip gel eyeliner, which is supposedly a dupe of BB, but it was hard as a brick and dries out rapidly. And the brush is prickly and cheap.
BB may be pricey, but you get what you pay for.
I use the angled eyeliner brush from Sephora (it has a kind in the end so you don't have to contort your hand to get a good angle on your eye) to apply and can make a pencil thin line that looks like I was born with incredible defined waterlines, or a thick cat eye that screams "sex!" like nobody's business. And this brush makes the little "flick" at the corners easy as pie (I hate that metaphor because pies are a P.I.T.A. to make, but whatever).

And Bobbi Brown's gel pots? Don't even get me started! I've had my first one for a year now and there is barely a dent in it. I'd say it is about 1/6 of the way used and it is still as fresh and moist as the day I bought it. Now that is quality my friends!


The shades aren't too "out there" but still compliment the eye and give a different hue to your look without the feared teenager-ness. They stay on all day (yes, even in the bottom waterline) and I've never had a problem with smearing or smudging. They'll even decently last through a good cry.
These things blow my mind. I will never go back to any other eyeliner.
No, I didn't receive these products free, nor was I paid to endorse them (unfortunately). Try em, love em, ditch that abusive stick eyeliner.
I have yet to try any of Bobbi's other products, but if they are anything like these eyeliner gels, I'm in!

The Balm

I have never tried products from this line, but admit to lusting after them at Sephora, mainly because of their sweet-yet-naughty vintage packaging and product names.
They remind me of Benefit, and I love Benefit, and I was tempted.
But the price! Ayudame! So I put The Balm out of my mind.

Last week after work I ran over to TJ Maxx to pick up a dress shirt for a work event when there, in front of me, was treasure. An affordable set of The Balm products!! Including Staniac--the one I have really been coveting. It looked like this

but with different products in it.

Mine came with Cheater mascara, Hot Mama, Shady Lady (in light brown and dark brown), a red lippy Balm Shelter, Better Off Red nail polish, and Stainiac.

I have used all of these products and the verdict?
I'm in love.
I have been using nearly all of them on a daily basis--they fit right into my routine and have actually streamlined it! I can do concealer, powder, and then use a sponge to dab Stainiac onto my cheeks (a surprisingly wearable shade, even for pale-as-death me, and it LASTS!), use the Cheater mascara (it really gives lovely definition to the lashes and I haven't had a problem with it flaking off..rare for me), do some eyeshadow and the Overbalm (wonderful shimmer that isn't too noticeable), and the red lippy, which comes off quite sheer. Sometimes I use Stainiac on my lips for extra pucker power just because the doe's foot applicator makes it so damn easy.
And the nail polish is a doozy--only needed one coat and it is vibrant. But...I wore it to Southern Utah and roughened it up a little, chipping it after just 2 days.
I am starved for more Balm products! I am so happy with all of these gems that I want to try every item in their line!
The best part about it is the cutesy and put together but natural look I can get with them in 6 minutes! These babies are lifesavers at work, especially since I typically put makeup on in the morning and don't have time to think about it the rest of the day.