Vincent Longo Starlette Gel Eye Stain- Chartreuse Veil & Ambrosia Mist

It's been many years since I last bought any Vincent Longo products (they used to be in Sephora and I adored the lip glosses and eyeliners). I was thrilled to hear that the line has rebounded and Vincent Longo is back with some interesting new products. I probably wouldn't have started with the Starlette Gel Eye Stains were they not sent to me, but I'm actually happy to test and wear things that are outside my comfort zone.

Vincent Longo Starlette Gel Eye Stains are sheer eye glosses with a little golden glitter suspended in the gel. The swatches above show two coats of stain, because otherwise the pigment level is not enough for my taste. You can wear them alone on a (primed) bare lid or layered over eye shadows (they give an interesting effect over dark matte colors). It's worth experimenting for the fun factor alone, and for the occasional truly stunning look you can get.

The gel dries down within a couple of minutes, and once it sets there's no budging and it will not smudge or migrate. The glossy effect is nice and not exaggerated, which makes me wonder why they had to stick the glitter in such a gorgeous product. While some of the glitter fades a bit (falls out and blows away after a couple of hours) I still would have been much happier without it. If it were just plain gel stain I would have bought each one of the other colors (they have a gorgeous navy). As it is, I'm happy to use it for an evening look.

The gel stains come in a tube with a click foam applicator (reminiscent of Ellis Faas). So far I did not have an issue with clogging or drying. You can apply straight from the tip to your lid, and work it with your fingers or a brush to create the shape you want.

Chartreuse Veil looks poisonous green at first but turns out as a bright golden green. Ambrosia Mist looks deep reddish purple on the applicator's tip, but applies mauve red and gains a brown undertone if you layer it. These are beautiful colors that brighten the eyes and give them definition. I wouldn't say that they're very office friendly, but there's only so much taupe we can have, right? (famous last words).

Bottom Line: I'd love it if it weren't for the glitter.

Vincent Longo Starlette Gel Eye Stain ($25 each) are made in the USA and can be purchased from vincentlongo.com. The line is also at Nordstrom these days.
The products for this review were press samples.