Review - Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy Forever Stay Pencil (Deep Jade)

I won't lie, y'all: I love Carmindy. I love her ever-cheerful disposition, her childlike belief that anyone can be beautiful, and her hair like yellow cornsilk. She is a delight on What Not to Wear, unlike Clinton and Stacy, who are occasionally just a little too shrill even for me. (Though Stacy knows her a silhouette. MORE BELTS, I SAY.)

In any event, Sally Hansen has a new line of products "inspired" by Carmindy, so I'm not sure if that means that Carmindy called them and was like "I just want everyone to be SO PRETTY!" and the Sally Hansen people were like "YES! We can make them pretty!" and Carmindy was like "Great! Bye!" and that was it, or if they actually worked to develop this line with her or what. But so far, I like what it's produced.

The Forever Stay Eye pencil does not stay on forever. But it stays on a good long time, to be sure, and I really like how smoothly it goes on. It's almost as good as my fancy-pants eyeliner pencil I want to keep forever and ever. This is just a good basic eyeliner from a trusted company with a spokesperson I like, in colors that work well for lots of people. The deep jade I tried was a nice, more-blue-than-yellow green that worked well for my hazel eyes, and I can see working well for green-eyed ladies or dark, dark brown-eyed ladies. Basically, if you're satisfied with the eyeliner you currently use, it's not worth switching to this one. But if you're looking for something new, give it a try!

Review- The Balm Pick-Up Lines eyeliner pencils

the balm Pick-Up Liners II features 3 mini eye pencils in green, plum, and navy shades. These water-resistant liners glide on smooth for a perfect application and are tucked in a travel-friendly case that's complete with its own mini sharpener.

(Warning, possible cute overload)Seeing whereas I am on the high end of the list for picky eyeliner people, I thought this could just be a gimmick and nothing more. I mean, after all, three mini eye-liner pencils in cute colors that come in a CUTE box with... yes it's true, a teeny sharpener built into the box?? But how well does it work? Really well actually, this is good eyeliner. The Balm (check their products out if you haven't already) has good products overall anyway, and this did not let me down. I tried all three colors over the weekend and they're all beautiful with good stay-put value. I'm an eye rubber of the worst kind too, so this isn't a small feat for a small eye pencil. Second to the cuteness/greatness of the compact idea is the built in sharpener. I seriously hate dull pencils. I am not that savvy with them to begin with, so if they get dull or hard to use, I just throw them out. And I hate waste. I get mean for the rest of the day about a bad eyeliner. (I'm petty sometimes too... oops). But with the built in sharpener I can take the clunky one out of my make-up bag and slide in this cute teensy box with everything I need to roll around town looking cute.
OH, and the clincher: the packaging. A cute little image with the quote "You must know karate 'cuz your body is really kickin'". If that's not a good pick up line for these liners, nothing is.

Josephine says: We have the Balm at Makeup Mania NYC so I use their line both personally and professionally. These liners are so creamy yet so long-wearing I have spent hours wondering just how this came to be. For real for real. All six colors (they come in two different packs of three, one set being more staple colors: black, brown, grey and the other more fun and experimental: olive green, navy, burgundy) are equally badass. The advantage to a tiny (yet mighty!) pencil, too, is that they are tres easy to apply to one's own eye line because you can get super close to the mirror. Finally, psychologically-speaking, it might be the name which as we all know can be powerful but I tend to use these after I have been at the store for hours and need a "pick-up." I am not making a bad pun either!

Deedlejuse Says: I love this little three pack of eyeliner! The three pencils I got were black, grey and brown. I love them, so much! I, as Amanda S, am like insanely picky when it comes to both Mascaras, but more so with my eyeliner. My go to liner right now is Make Up Forever in black, but I have begun leaving it at home because I sooooo much prefer The Balm's Pick-Up Liners. They are small, which can be as aggrivating as the pencils at Ikea, or mini-gulf, but as soon as you get the hang of them you realize that the size is just one of the best parts! There is a sharpener at the end of the box ( which is awesome) the creamy pigment that really stays, even when you tend tp rub your eyes like all the time, and even at the end of the day I have not found that any black streaks are left around my eyes. The tips of the pencils are so wonderfully small that your able to draw on exactly what you wanted. I'm very, very happy with this little trio!

Review-Smashbox Double Ended Eye Brightener

This double-ended brightener instantly highlights and brightens for eyes that roar for attention. Use one end to brighten the inner corners of eyes and the other to highlight brow bones, bridge of nose, over brows and on the cupid’s bow. The easily blendable, lightweight formula has vitamins C & E for added healthy-skin benefits. $22.


This nifty little pencil is a true beauty essential. There are dozens of ways to use it and each one equally gorgeous. I tried it as the site suggested, applying it to the inner corner of my eyes. That really is a magic spot - my eyes instantly looked super bright and shapely, almost like a sultry cat eye but without the dramatic winged liner. I also tried lining my entire eye with it, then smudging gently. The effect was a soft, subtle shimmer that made my eyes look big and dewy. It was a little bit 80's, but in an awesome way. I wore it like that all day yesterday, and it even stayed put through my afternoon nap.

The "brow" side of the pencil was lots of fun too. I tried dabbing a bit under the arch of my eyebrow, which was pretty, but it really highlighted the fact that I was due for a brow wax, so keep that in mind when using that side! If you want to make your lips look fuller, apply it to your Cupid's bow (a.k.a. the little dip in the middle of your mouth, just above your upper lip) and blend! It also really brings out your cheekbones when blended across them and out towards your earlobes. This multi-purpose pencil is an asset to any girl's makeup box - easy to apply, long wearing, and leaves you simply gorgeous.

Trish says: This handy brow/eye pencil can perform so many basic beauty tricks, it's a cosmetic miracle! After layering on some heavy eyeliner, shimmery eyeshadow, and thick mascara, this eye brightening pencil managed to pull the whole look together magically. Instead of having my eye makeup look all over the place, the light nude tone of this pencil neatly connected each component and created an overall harmonious look. I lined the bottom of my eyelid with it and was surprised at how smoothly it glided on and how it really pulled my eye make-up together, making my eyes look more defined and sophisticated. Also, by using it below the brow, I noticed how beautifully it opened the eye area, highlighting just the right parts. Even more so, by applying it on top of the bridge of my nose, I created a much more elegant and defined look with the use of one simple move! This pencil defines, shapes and elongates in so many different ways, you really can transform or play up your best features easier than ever!

Review- Three Custom Color Specialists Clarifier Eye Pencil

Our one of a kind Clarifier pencils are used on the inner rim of the eye to brighten and widen. As a rule, Light is great for fair-medium skin tones and Dark is great for medium-dark skin tones, but many of our clients have both - Dark for subtle definition and Light for more drama. Clarifiers are also great for highlighting under the brow and as a spot concealer in a pinch! $16.50

Oh, how I love this pencil! Please, don't get me started. I tried to show the amazing difference it makes in one's eyes to some non-makeup friends & they totally ignored me until I later cornered one and made her look at the before and after & even she was impressed. This pencil makes you look like you got the perfect amount of sleep and you are alert and on the ball. If it's possible for a pencil to make me look more attentive and less my A.D.D. self (yes, I really have it, no need to write in) I am %100 for it. And this pencil doesn't give you that weird newscaster look like when they line newspeople's eyes with white or light blue, line the inside of your lower lid with this baby & no one will be able to put a finger on why you look at your perky best. Seriously- I recommend this pencil for absolutely everyone! Only bad side- they're out of stock on the dark & don't know when it will be back for sure. Even if you don't ordinarily line your lower, inner eyelids (I generally don't) this adds a special something to your eyes and even with contacts I've experienced no discomfort or problems. All you fair to medium toned girls- order this now! You'll find it to be one of the best $16.50 purchases you could make with your beauty dollar.

Review- Pencil Me In Eyeliners

The Pencil Me In website talks a lot about the supposed health benefits of their products - that the antioxidants and the vitamins in the pencils help keep your eyes protected from free radicals. The copy also says they are the "newest 'green' cosmetic," but I'm not sure that the person who wrote that knows what "green" is typically intended to mean. Nowhere on the page does it say anything about being particularly environmentally-friendly. Maybe it's referring to the all-natural ingredients? It's not terribly clear. That said, however, whether these eye pencils are somehow "better" for you than others or not, they certainly live up to the claims of being tug-free and come in the widest (and wildest) variety of colors I've ever seen.

I had two colors, the Emerald City and the Mint (the Mint being the light, light green pictured above). The Emerald City, a deep jewel green with a touch of blue in it, is wonderful for hazel-eyed girls (me) and redheads (not me; I wish). It's everything you want in a liner - easy to apply, doesn't pull your eyelid all around, and stays in place for a good long time. The highlight shades like the Mint could theoretically be used in a number of places; what I did was put it just in the crease of my eyelid, giving my eye a brighter, lighter look without overdoing it.

Overall, the Pencil Me In is a great product - above average when compared with other similar products, and a reasonable price. But the thing that tips the scales for me on this one: BUILT-IN PENCIL SHARPENER. Yes, it's true. It's right in the cap. It's SO GREAT. Now, this does require that you not lose the cap, which I have been known to do, but it's so much easier to keep track of than a free-floating sharpener. Definitely a big recommend on this product.

Hillary says:

I got these pencils in something called "Buff" which is actually a very light green and "Platinum" which is silver. I love all the funky colors these pencils come in. I can't think of many colors you would look for that they don't have. These pencils have a great consistency- just soft enough to glide across the eye area and just hard enough to keep a point. And as Movie Maven pointed out, this pencil solves the age old problem of searching for a sharpener, as it's right on the cap. The Buff pencil makes my eyes look bigger and the Platinum makes them just look cooler. I ditto everything Maven said about the "green" product question, but I appreciate any additional anti-oxidants which are thrown my way. After all, every little bit helps!

Amanda S. Says:

I got two great colors of this eye pencil: denim and greystone. They go great with my light blue eyes. I too was a little confused about the 'natural' aspect of this product, but beside that, they're great pencils. They went on really smooth without skipping and slipping along my eyelids when I worked with them, and they also didn't turn to mush and lose their strength either. I often have trouble rubbing my itchy eyes too much and lose my eyeliner quickly, but this stuff stayed put.

Joyce says:

I like eye pencils I can sharpen, and appreciate that these come with their own sharpeners in the cap. I tried Brownie and Indigo (perfect for true hazel eyes--gold with green rims), especially when I use brown at the top and blue smudged into my lower lashes. They aren’t too hard nor too soft . . . they’re like Baby Bear’s porridge—just right. I do not like when I have to drag a pencil across the delicate eye area repeatedly to get it to work or repair it because it smudges too easily. And, they stay on. I like ‘em!

Sheba says:

I have been using their Black Velvet and Brownie. Both are very soft and easy to apply -- no more dragging!! They open up your eyes and help to make them pop. I thought I had two neutral colors however, maybe that is best for me. The Brownie does seem to really bring out Hazel eyes. . . seems to make them sparkle a bit. I honestly think anyone can use these two colors to full advantage. Their array of colors is amazing and you will find have difficulty selecting one -- you will probably end up with a couple. They do have some staying power -- I did not have to refresh these as often as I usually need to. You can lightly line for the office, etc. and go a bit heavier at night or whenever you want a more noticeable effect. Also, I found them to be relatively easy to remove with soap and water. I use a gentle soap and it took them off quickly. . . no racoon eyes, etc. The sharpener is like the frosting on the cake -- what a simple but very smart idea.

Deedlejuse Says:

I have to agree with everyone on how fun and use-able these eyeliners are. The colors I received are so cool: Meteor a bronzy highlighting sort of color, so wearable when you don't want to really commit to a color, and Lapis an almost navy dark blue. I love the way they glide on, they aren't too malleable, which is great because it is easier to control. I also love the built in sharpener, I am forever loosing sharpeners for some reason and it is much more difficult to loose it when it is attached to your favorite eyeliner! So much fun, and for only 7 bucks? Yeah, I love them.

Malikah says:

When I think about my perfect summer makeup, I think soft, shimmery, easy to apply, and long wearing. Pencil Me In Eye Pencil in 24 Karat Gold totally fits the bill. The frosted metallic yellow-gold pencil had a great subtle sheen and glided onto my eyelids effortlessly. I applied just a little bit and smudged with my pinky finger for gorgeous, yet still daytime appropriate eyes. When getting ready for an evening out, I layered a bit more of the eye pencil on my upper eyelids and swiped a tiny bit just under my lower lash line. My eyes instantly looked bigger, brighter, and drop dead sexy. I felt Studio 54 ready in no time at all! Sadly, my disco eyes didn’t beat the summer heat, but as the pencil started to fade it left pretty little sparkles across my eyelids. It wasn’t as defined as I had hoped it would be, but still looked great. If you’re looking for an easy way to achieve super glam eyes, definitely go for Pencil Me In 24 Karat Eye Pencil.

Josephine says:

I have the mint color sans sparkles. When I looked at it I thought, "Aw, h*ll, no" based on my own skin tone and eye color but I was pleasantly surprised with how soft the color is. It does go on fairly creamy although my problem with a consitency like this is that it doesn't go on very evenly. There is a run-off of color on one's lashes which "has to go somewhere" buy the day's end, and that generally is not a good thing. The sharpener, in my humble opinion, is neither practical or necessary for an eye pencil. It also doesn't work that well. I am going to throw it in my kit and use it on my ladies of color in the future.

Trish says:

I love colored eye pencils and especially love the look when I see it on others! However for me, maybe it's because of my darker eyes and golden beige-ish skin tone, I can't seem to make the right color work...hence a box full of blue eyelining pencils! When I tried the Pencil Me In shade in a baby blue called "Sky" I had great hopes it would match my skin tone and eyes...sadly, it didn't...so the shade didn't quite work on me, but it's still a good pencil with a soft smooth feel. As much as I like the look and the pencil itself, the light blue doesn't quite go with my dark hair and eyes.

Sultana says: I got this in a color called 'Pink Lady'. I remember when I was younger, the popular thing to do was a wear a white liner to make your eyes pop. This pencil reminded me of a white liner except its pink. I put it on and what it does is give your eyes a very subtle pop. The color is a nice baby pink. But you can put on additional layers to create a brighter pink. I love pencils that have a sharpener in the cap. It just simplifies life! I would definitely purchase this in another color. I even tried the pink out on my daughter. It is so subtle an 8 year old can wear it!

Review - CoverGirl Perfect Point Plus eyeliner

Smooth blendable color in a self-sharpening liner with blender tip.
* Water Resistant
* Ophthalmologist tested
* Lasting Liner

Although this isn't the longest lasting eyeliner on the market, for under $5 and for as easy it is to use for even the most novice of make up users, you can't go wrong with cover girl. This stuff sharpens itself and goes on in one smooth line no matter how jerky handed you might be, because it is a softer pencil tip than your usual eyeliner, and by that i don't mean liquid (which let's face it... can go horribly wrong and we've all seen the evidence of that...), i mean rather that it's just a super soft tip. It's pretty cool, you just turn the pencil and more of the tip comes out perfectly sharpened, and there's a neat little smudger thing on the other end for the smokey smoldering eye'd look. I prefer jet black to go with my hair, but they have all the standard colors. for a drug store purchase, this is always the one to get.