The bad news is that the nice people at Hourglass have no plans for adding navy or any other colors to the new 1.5MM Mechanical Gel Eyeliner. All we get is a classic black (Obsidian). The good news is that even with only one color this is a pretty awesome eyeliner. I love gel pencils for their texture and finish, and Hourglass has taken it to the next level: instead of the regular pencil offered by many brands we get a very thin and quite precise mechanical pencil that doesn't require sharpening, so there's no loss of product.
The pencil is retractable, though only forward and not back (is it so much more expensive to make pencils that retract both ways?). It's not that much of an issue, though, as I find myself using quite a bit in each application, so I always roll out more product. The thin tip draws a very fine line, making it incredibly easy and nearly foolproof. I do have to go back and add a bit more since I usually like a thicker line in the outer corner, and it's such a smooth and simple thing to do--- the pencil glides over the skin with absolutely no tugging and pulling.
Obsidian is very very black. The almost glossy gel finish makes it even more so. A good indication to the pigment's intensity is the fact that I absolutely have to tightline and push more color into the base of my lashes, to avoid looking weird, because my lashes are dark brown and not black, and the eyeliner makes any tiny gap between mascara and lash base stand out.
Now about the waterproof and extended wear promises: As much as I love Hourglass in general and this pencil in particular, waterproof it ain't. If the product slides from my lower waterline and smudges after about 4 hours it is not transfer resistant. I have no problem with the liner on my upper lid and lashline, though. My solution is simple: limit its use for the upper lid/lashline, but I admit that having to use another pencil (YSL or Pixi) if I want to line my waterline is annoying, especially since the Hourglass pencil gives such precision initially. But in the weeks since I've had the pencil I had several nights out that ended with raccoon eyes, and I assure you: it's not a good look for the middle-aged woman.
Bottom Line: beautiful but flawed.
Hourglass 1.5MM Mechanical Gel Eyeliner ($45 for a package of three pencils, $16 for a single) is made in Japan and is available from hourglasscosmetics.com. The product in this review was sent by the company for my consideration.
these are so thin! but at the same time, it seems like a lot of packaging for little product, i'm not sure i'm sold.
ReplyDeleteYou may be right. I love this liner, but I have a feeling I'll be going through these three pencils in no time.
DeleteLove the thinness, but my lashes are blonde, and I use dark brown or charcoal brown; as black is too harsh. So it is a no go for me as I cannot wear strong black eyeliner in any form. Too bad; I love their lipstick and would like to try a thin eyeliner in an appropriate colour.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. I'm dark enough but sometimes black looks too harsh, especially for daytime. My most flattering color is navy, so I was really sad to know there's no plan to release this one in other colors.
DeleteWhat liner have you had the best luck tightlining with? Would the Hourglass be your favorite for that?
ReplyDeleteWhen I use this liner I also tightline with it. I adore Laura Mercier for tightlining, but I'm often too lazy to switch liners in the same look and use whatever I've applied on the lashline.
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