Japanese brand In2it has a waterproof gel liner that comes in pen form. I instantly fell in love with the product's creamy consistency, strong pigmentation and budge-proof finish on the lids (I haven't tested it for waterlining. And I have no plans of doing so). 

Pros and Cons

Unlike most gel liners out there that comes in a tub, this pen type eyeliner saves you space in your kit and is definitely easier to tote around. Unlike most cheap pencil liners that can be a pain on the lids because they lack the creaminess (you can blow dry em before use though, but that's an added step), In2it's waterproof gel eyeliner glides smoothly on the skin pretty much like kajal liners.

In2it Dark Brown Gel Liner on my lids
(I use an eye tape to achieve a good, visible crease)

One may find pure glory in its creamy consistency but I found a handful of cons. I find it hard to create a thin line using this because the tip is never pointed without sharpening it. Hence, it seems that I'm using a lot of product already due to frequent sharpening. Third creaminess con is that this takes extra time to dry up on my lids versus my Maybelline Lasting Drama gel liner.

Con #3 is something I'd easily forgive since a little patience can result to a foolproof, pigmented eyeliner. I tested In2it's waterproof gel liner at the back of my hand, waited for more than a minute (for it to dry up) and smudged it with all my might. It smudged a bit, haha. Replacing "with all my might" with "hard enough to see my skin turn pinkish", the liner was amazingly intact. A-mazing!

Availability, Price, Etc

• Available at Watson's, PCX and Landmark, SM & Robinson's Dep't Stores 
• The gel liner is available in Black, Aztec Gold and Dark Brown. This will cost you ~380php ($7) for a 1.2g product plus a good sharpener (Aztec Gold is sold at 320 and does not come with a sharpener)
• 3 years shelf-life (check both manufacturing and expiry dates at the back)

Rounded tip, not pointed --- a challenge for my unskilled hands

Helpful Hints

1. Those with extreme oiliness may want to dust the lids with a bit of powder before using the liner.

2. Counter the cons of its creamy consistency by placing it in the fridge a few minutes before use.

3. This eyeliner is made in Germany so expect to be wowed.

After several hours of walking around the humid metro

I am definitely recommending it to anybody who wants clean eye makeup. If you plan on getting the In2it waterproof gel liner, be sure to get a good eye makeup remover along with your purchase as this can be tough to wash off.

I love how the 4U2 Glitz Shimmer Brow Mascara works wonders for me! I got the dark brown shade (which looked black to me) which suited me just fine.

I initially wanted to get shade 02, which is brown, since I felt it suited my colored hair better. However, it ended up streaking my brow with this weird whitish color at the tips. But it could've been the tester, i'll sure be back to give that prettier shade a second chance!

4U2 Glitz Shimmer Brow Mascara 01 swatch

4U2 Brow Mascara costs a fraction of a MAC browset. It delivers satisfactorily despite the cheap tag (not as marvelous as MAC's, though). This is available in all 4U2 Cosmetics counters in Watson's and SM Department Stores priced at P 234.00.

Will definitely recommend this to those who can't afford a MAC browset and wants to prettify the face further by enhancing the brows. I often use this after using the In2it or ELF Brow Kit to keep my brows in place but on lazy days, I plainly use a dash of the 4U2 brow mascara on my brows to frame my face.

1: Thick application of the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner
2: perfect brows to frame the face (thanks to 4U2 brow mascara)
3: after 2 hours on my oily lids... smokey look na
4: effect of 4U2 brow mascara + maybelline gel liner
5: bare face: before Pure Anada Minerals+4U2+Maybelline
6: don't let the shimmers freak you out; not shimmery at all on the brows
7: brow mascara 6.5g, P234; gel liner, P449

Learning to apply the product properly on the brows for makeup newbs will definitely want them to repurchase. I discourage those who do not plan to use this often as I noticed that this brow mascara dries up in the bottle gradually over time.

I love the 4U2 Glitz Shimmer Brow Mascara to bits. It's cheap, effective and definitely something that can revamp the way your face looks!

Early 2009, I've read a lot of raves about how smudge-free fanny serrano's gel liner is.  And so I purchased one right away.

Most bloggers, including me, would've considered this prod as a wonderful gel liner staple if only it stayed creamy long enough.  I noticed the gel liner hardening by the 7th or 8th week of usage.  And up until three weeks ago, this beauty product was simply stashed inside my drawer, boxed and a big part of it unused.

Fanny Serrano Gel Liner in Black, more or less 400php (~$8)

So what I did was:
1.  boiled 2 cups of water
2.  prepared a ceramic mug with a lid
3.  tightened Fanny Serrano Gel Liner's cap
4. poured the boiling water inside the mug, submerged the gel liner (and prayed that the product was truly tightly sealed, you wouldn't want water in it), covered the mug, and waited for 20 minutes.

The gel liner has a thick frosted container so I thought that it might be necessary to submerge it for a long 20-minute period.

And it worked!!!!  For a second, after getting it out of the water, I thought that I failed because it really didn't change much in appearance (hence, I didn't take a pic); however, I lightly glided my pinky on its gel surface and it actually felt like how it did the first time I bought it.

 I now have a creamy, inexpensive, HG gel liner!

***UPDATE*** Stila goes live at Rustan's Makati, Rustan's Shangri-la, and Rustan's Gateway! Check them out!

It's been a month now since it has been rumored that Stila, a U.S. make-up brand, will be squeezing into the already crowded imported booths in Rustan's. Whichever Rustan's branch it would be, of that we're not totally sure. I'm betting it'll be up over at Rustan's Makati first... well hopefully, Stila opening syncs with the rest of the branches.

Here are the top 3 Stila products that got most girls swooning with joy:

(images from Stila website)

#3: Eyeshadow Pans ($18)

With over 40 pretty shades to choose from, these babies have been hailed by magazines for their great color pay-off. Accessories to match these eye enhancers are Stila's aluminum compact and refillable 4-pan compact.

#2: Lipglaze ($22) and Cherry Crush Lip& Cheek Stain ($24)

It's a tie between two lippies, pretty friends! The Lipglaze offers 28 yummy glosses in their famous lip pens. Glittery or not... take your pick! The Cherry Crush is both a lippie and a cheek tint. Hurrah, I can give my good old body shop L&C tint make-up a break. How good can that be? If you think that's good enough wait till you hear this:

This revolutionary multi-tasker not only moisturizes and protects skin with all important anti-oxidants (cherry and pomegranate extracts), but it beautifully reacts to pH levels in your skin and creates a personalized blush and pout. It's that perfect shade every time. - from Stila website

#1: Smudgepots ($20)!

Everybody loves dramatic eye make-up and a lot of girls can't stop gushing over Stila's smudgepots! Do you remember how quickly strawberrynet.com ran out of stocks??? Grrrr... I only scored one and nothing else to back it up. Frustratingly, Smudgepots in jet black is equally out of stock most of the time over the Stila site. That only means one thing. They're not manufacturing enough. These gel liners come in 6 lovely colors to match our ever changing mood.

If you'll notice, I've noted the product prices as well. I wanna watch Rustan's infamous mark-up on most beauty prods, checking how they'll fare on Stila's goodies.

Anyway, I just hope it comes out really, really soon (or is it already out?). I hope it doesn't end up like Missha (BB creams and Korean beauty stuff), who announced their Philippine launch last April 09. Up until now, I'm hoping they'll snag a booth at Megamall, as promised. I certainly hope Stila make-up products won't share the same fate.

How about you? Are you excited about this new make-up line, too? Tell me!

P.S. There are other Stila products' Filipino reviews you can check out!

Royally yours, Bleak

The first time I ran through the shots of the girls sporting the ulzzang (or ullzang) look, I dissed myself for not knowing make-up and stuff as much as I should.

Despite my run-of-the-mill skills in make-up, I pushed myself to watch youtube vids on how to get the much coveted "ulzzang" look. Ulzzang is a Korean term that connotes a pretty face. Who wouldn't want that? And so I ventured...

(thanks, Nikki of Askmewhats for the inspiration)

(Disclaimer: This is my death-defying act with make-up because I badly wanted to TRY the fad... the authentic ulzzang look necessitates circle lenses and falsies... but I don't have those and so I went ahead with what I've got on hand.)

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Five Cheap (and easy!) Ways to Get the Ulzzang Look

Ulzzang Look Step 1: Make your eyes magical with double eyelids

My biggest problem is that my left eye's lid is waaay thinner than my right eyelid.

my assymetric lids

I scanned youtube for tuts on creating double eyelids. I made sure I practiced these "lessons" several times till I got used to using an eyelid glue right. Koji Eyetalk is what most of the girls use, but since we don't have that locally, I opted for:

Aido Eye Putti 140PHP (roughly $3)

we glue and poke!

Finally, I now have a better left eyelid!



Ulzzang Look Step 2: Conceal the bags and line the eyes!

A Nichido concealer came in handy to hide my eyebags and dark undereye areas.

I used a black gel liner to line the upper and lower (outer third) lash lines. Then, I used a silver highlighter on the inner lower corner of the eyes (used L'oreal illumination in 915 Highlight Reflets)

Fanny Serrano's gel liner, 220PHP (roughly $ 4.50)

the black liner+white liner tandem widened my eyes

Ulzzang Look Step 3: Apply eyeshadow

I am no pro at eyeshadows. They are the last thing I'd learn to do mainly because it looks difficult. So I just slathered a basic bronze shadow on my lids and highlighted my browbones (used L'oreal illumination in 915 Highlight Reflets). If you can do shadows well, I'd bet you'll be perfectly uzzlang-ish!

Body Shop Cubes Palette, I used Shade 04, Rich Bronze $22

now you know what i mean by hating eyeshadows... i can barely let them appear on my eyes!

Ulzzang Look Step 4: Apply Mascara and fill the brows

Using light sweeping motions, I filled the gaps in my brows with Avon eyebrow liner (brown).

I used my all-time fave mascara to add that girly touch to my flutters.

Lash curler and Maybelline Unstobble Mascara in Shiny Black, around 300PHP (roughly $6)

Ulzzang Look Step 5: Finish with light powder and lip balm!

Just to keep the oil at bay, I used Aromaleigh's Ultra Resolution Finishing powder. Add Burt's Bees Lip Balm, and you're all set!

Although the real (and very pretty) Ulzzang look is based on circle lenses and long flirty lashes, I skipped those parts because, one, I have yet to buy those, and two, I haven't found the guts to play around with circle lenses and falsies. Here is my final ulzzang look:


If I can be Ulzzang (even just on the average), then so can you! Go ahead, quit hesitating and start digging up that train case! Try on that Ulzzang look you've long been wanting to do!