Korean goodies: Grinif Collagen Aqua Peeling Gel review

I must admit that I quite like the Korean invention of peeling gels, especially when they combine the liquid formula with some tiny exfoliating granules to increase their efficiency. 

What they do is once they're applied and massaged on the skin they kind of coagulate and turn into sort of rubbery flakes or beads (I don't know how to describe them) which gently exfoliate the skin. Many people believe these particles are actually your deas skin cells, but just use your common sense, if this thing tore off such amount of your skin tissue, you'd be suffering inflamation comparable to burns.

So I was quite excited to receive  this Grinif Collagen Aqua Peeling Gel in one of my Memeboxes. Unfortunately, the manufacturer got the whole thing wrong.

First of all, the spray applicator. It spurts large doses of the gel onto the face, very often on the areas which should be avoided like eyes or mouth. That is why I usually spray a couple of doses onto the palms of my hands and then apply the product onto my face. The gel coagulates less than other products of the same kind I've used before and it seems to me it's less effective. While my face overall feels refreshed and smoother, it does nothing to remove dead skins that I sometimes have on my nose. What's more the particles literally get stuck to drier, less porous areas of my face like my jawline and I find it hard to scrape them off.

And then there's the scent, which might have been meant to be 'natural' but I find it rather off-putting. I can't compare it to anything really, floor polish perhaps?  If you add perfume to your product, why not make it smell nice?   

I will use this thing up, as I don't like wasting my cosmetics, but I certainly don't recommend this peeling gel to anyone. There are much better products of this kind out there.

MAC Lip Pencil in Cherry review, swatches and dupes

 After I'd become sort of obsessed with lining my lips, it seemed a natural course of action to try out probably the most hyped up liner in the world.

MAC Lip Pencil  in Cherry, together with MAC Spice, have been on the lips of all renowned beauty bloggers, so I thought they were absolute must haves in the category. As Spice was always sold out, and being a red lip lover I went for Cherry.  

When my Cherry arrived I was both positively and negatively surprised. 

The pencil was much longer than any other lip liner I owned. It was also creamier and applied smoother than other liners. The colour was the most perfect mid-tone cooler kind of red which was a good match for a ton of lipsticks in my stash.

But on the other hand the colour is not at all original, I found almost exact dupes in my own collection. And worst of all it never sets and transfers and smudges like only the cheapest liners do. It's not long-wearing at all, when used just to line the outer perimeter of my lips it disappears faster than my lipstick.  However, when used to fill my entire lips, it does prolong the wear time of any lipstick substantially. 

I really like the pencil, but I feel that for this kind of money I can find something better. Here are some alternatives which I found in my own collection:

As you will see in the swatches below, they're very similar in colour, I could barely see the difference in them when swatched on my pale arm, but used on the lips, tinted by the rosiness of my lips, they look identical. 

MAC Cherry is the creamiest, but the least budgeproof.

Make-up For Ever Aqua Lips #8C is waterproof, smudgeproof, budgeproof, but it's shorter than MAC (making MAC better value for money) and less creamy.

Revlon lip liner in Red is the cheapest option, lasts just as long as MUFE does, but it's the least creamy of the bunch. It skips and drags on my lips and would certainly be drying if I wore it on its own, but it's still an excellent liner I reach for regularly. And it's a twist-up pencil which doesn't require sharpening.

And now for the smudge test. After I'd let these pencils sit on my hand for a while, I rubbed the swatches with my hand and as you can see MAC showed no resistance at all, MUFE barely moved and Revlon didn't budge at all. 

To conclude I want to say that I like MAC Cherry, but I don't understand the hype at all. While the colour is perfect, there are better formulas out there like MAC Pro-longewar which I'm a great fan of and I'm planning to explore in greater detail. As for MAC Lip Pencils, this is the first and the last one I've ever bought. 

GEO Geolica Celine and Lady circle lenses review

Today I'd like to review contact lenses which are in my opinion perfection incarnate as far as comfort and natural look are concerned.

Geolica Celine lenses are made in Korea, but are approved and distributed in Europe and come in the same kind of blister packaging as most European lenses do.  

These one-year lenses are 14.2 in diameter which means they're easy to put on and comfortable to wear.

The design is very natural. They're 3-tone lenses with browny inner ring and a somewhat darker outer rim. There is no defined limbal ring, which means these lenses offer no enlargement or definition, but blend in perfectly with my multi-coloured irises.

The comfort of wearing these lenses is unbelievable. Geo is my favourite brand of Korean lenses, but Geolica lenses have surpassed those I'd tried before. They seem sturdier than the Bausch&Lomb and Johnson&Johnson lenses I sometimes buy, they aren't as flexible, but they maintain their shape better, bon't roll and bend while applying. Even though the material they're made of seems thicker, they are incredibly comfortable to wear. I wear them for about 15 hours a day and my eyes never feel tired or dehydrated.  There's no burning, scratching, itching or any other issues with these.

The Geolica Lady lenses are pretty much the same, just the design differs.

They're 3-tone gray lenses that are quite sheer. They look even more natural on my eyes and blend in extremely well, but they make my irises lighter than I like, giving me a kind of Siberian Husky look I'm not particularly fond of. But they're great lenses nonetheless. If I were to choose between the two, however, I'd pick the blue ones.

 Who do I recommend these lenses to?

Anyone who uses prescription lenses on everyday basis and looks for comfortable and practical yet fun lenses which won't scare people in the street. 

Who might not like these?

Anyone looking for enlargement, drama in the eyes, a complete change of colour. 

Korean goodies: Hope Girl Wonder Magic Mascara review

When I saw this mascara in one of my Memeboxes, I was highly disappointed. Not only had the brand notoriously received negative comments of other bloggers and Memebox fans, but also it looked like a rip-off Helena Rubinstein mascara.

But I gave it a go and it became my favourite bottom lash mascara which for some reason I forgot to include in my favourites of the year post. I've been using this every single day for at least six months solid and it's only now that it started going kind of gloopy and I feel I'll have to get rid of it, even though there's still plenty of product left.

Hope Girl Wonder Magic Mascara is marketed as a 3-in-1 product which volumizes, lengthens and curls at the same time. As I've said, it mainly served as my bottom lash mascara, so I've got very little to say about how well it performs against these claims, but I did use it all over a couple of times. It offered decent volume, but nothing uber spectacular like false lash effect. I don't think it lengthened dramatically and as for the curl my lashes are naturally quite upturned, so all mascaras do the trick for me.

So why did I love this seemingly average mascara so much?

Because of the wand and the formula.

The wand is slim, long with densely packed bristles. It's so easy to apply mascara on bottom lashes without any special manouvres like in case of XL brushes or wasting too much time on coating every single lash (Clinique Bottom Lash, I'm looking at you). It takes literally one swipe and you're done!

The second thing is the waterproof formula. This mascara doesn't smudge, flake or crumble. I can skip setting my concealer, take an afternoon nap, walk in the rain, cry and nothing would break it. And strangely enough it doesn't take much effort to remove it. Any cleansing oil I'm currently using does away with it completely.

This is a waterproof mascara, so it's worth noting that these aren't usually time-resistant. Most waterproof mascaras dried to the point of being impossible to use within three months. It took my Hope Girl Wonder Magic six months of daily use to turn gloopy, but I can still make some use of it.

The mascara retails for $22, according to Memebox, which is well above drugstore prices, but I feel it's worth it. I'd be glad to return to it one day if I find where to buy it. 

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in The Rock Chick and The Sophisticate review &swatches

I've had the Rock Chick eyeshadow palette by Charlotte Tilbury for a while now, but only recently did I warm to it. While the class and quality are undeniable, this palette lacks in versatility and limits me to basically one look on everyday basis.

This eyeshadow quad comes in a gorgeous compact with a dark burgundy lid and golden interior and a tiny little logo-star in the corner of the mirror, which scream luxury to me. 

The Rock Chick is a gray smoky eye palette which contains a whole variety of smoky shades and finishes to take your eye make-up from day to night. 

Unfortunately, the reason I didn't fall head over heels in love with this palette is that I reach for two shades only and use other palettes to supplement transition shades which this palette lacks.

In the top right corner we find a pale cool-toned champagne shade which is called 'prime'. If you have ever watched any Charlotte Tilbury make-up tutorial, you probably know that this is the shade that she recommends all over the lid, top to bottom, from the brow to the lashline. 

It looks quite decent on the models in the studio, though good taste of this make-up is a question of personal sensitivity, but in real life this looks horrible. Like some kind of throwback from the mid '80s. This is an extremely shimmery shade that looks tacky on everybody, but of course on ageing skin like mine other issues like accentuating wrinkles and sagging lids come to play as well.

The idea of a 'primer' eyeshadow is not new at all, Dior Designer palettes have had this sheer pearly base for years, but it is less sparkly and dry, therefore performs better. 

This shade, however, may make a nice 'no make-up' soft nude lid colour as long as you stick to the movable part.

Shade 2  'Enhance' is a beautiful warm, taupey shimmery gray colour. The pigmentation and blendability of this shade are on point, making it one of my absolutely favourite smoky eye colours. The shade is rather unique thanks to its browny hue, it looks as beautiful with grays and blacks as with browns and taupes.

Shade 3 'Smoke' is a stunner. The only thing I can say is that it's a pity Charlotte Tilbury makes more shimmers and sparkles and mattes as it's the mattes that she really excels at. This dark, warm-toned gray matte eyeshadow is buttery soft, blends and adheres like a cream eyeshadow, remains true to the pan throughout the whole blending process and generally is perfection incarnate.

I usually use a combination of thades 2 and 3 or any of them separately for my ultimate smoky look.

But I almost never reach for shade 4 'Pop' which is a taupey glitter. Not because I don't like it, but I wear glitter on New Year's Eve only.

This is a very pretty palette, but if I were to rate it according to price vs practical use ratio, I would say it isn't the best buy in history. I love the packaging and every shade in it is right up my alley, but I wear only two, usually combined with some matte taupes or browns from other palettes.

While I have my reservations about the Rock Chick palette, The Sophisticate stole my heart entirely. Like I said, Charlotte Tilbury should make her matte palettes her selling point as she definitely somehow managed to master the technology in spite of her personal preference for all that sparkles and shines.

 For some reason The Sophisticate palette is not as hyped-over as other palettes by the brand eg. The Dolce Vita (perhaps it's simply because it was The Dolce Vita that was submitted to bloggers for reviews). However, I think The Sophisticate deserves just as much attention of all lovers of neutrals and mattes and good eyeshadows in general.

Every single shadow in this palette is matte and all of them are pigmented, buttery soft and apply smoothly without dragging or skipping. They don't disappear or turn muddy while blending. They don't cause fallout, crease or fade during the day. And all of them are perfectly wearable on all kinds of occasions and would suit a variety of skin tones. I personally love them cause they lean slightly cool-toned which not only matches my skin, but also my taste.

Shade 1 'Prime' may look like it's not there, it blends so well with my complexion, but believe me it's pigmented and it makes a perfect even-all-out canvas for the other eyeshadows, it also makes the blending process easier (not that it's difficult with these eyeshadows, but you can use this with other more stubborn eyeshadows of yours). It's an ivory shade with some very, very slight sheen which reads matte with some depth and dimension.

Shade 2  'Enhance' is a warm-toned brown that is a lovely transition colour I reach for to combine with other palettes as well as this one. It also looks great all over the lid with some darker colour in the crease or on its own for mono-colour looks (just like all of the shadows except for the 'Prime' do).

Shade 3 'Smoke' is a brownish gray, much more brown than the one in The Rock Chick palette, but still more gray than brown. Looks good in the crease or when used to smudge a liner.

Shade 4 'Pop' is a gorgeous chocolate brown shade with some super tiny micro shimmer, which similarly to shade 1 looks matte, but not flat on the lid.

I've got a ton of palettes, many of them matte and neutral, but this one has superceded all competition. I own no other combination of eyeshadows that would appeal to my taste and work for me so well. 

I'm a sworn believer in Charlotte Tilbury mattes and would buy all other matte palettes right now, but there are no more of them. 

I strongly recommend this palette to anyone as this seems to be so versatile, not only on its own but also as a supplementary palette to blend or smoke out any other eyeshadows you might want to use.

Korean goodies: Original Raw Ice Blue Jam Water Block Cream review

When I saw this Original Raw Ice Blue Jam Water Block Cream in my Just Gellin Memebox, I was instantly drawn to its unusual packaging. 

The cream comes in a silver sachet with a screw-on top nozzle. The packaging is the most travel-friendly concept ever as it's weightless, flexible and sleek, but turned oput to be quite impractical for home use. Not only did it get shuffled away on my skincare shelf, but also I had to chase the product all over the sachet when it was running low.

There isn't much information in the leaflet about this product apart from the fact that it's poplular among Korean actresses and that it's cooling, soothing and prevents moisture loss. And in these terms it does deliver perfectly fine.  The blue gel (lighter and less dense than its Black Jam counterpart, if yopu're familiar with that) turns watery when melted on my skin, it sinks in quickly, making my skin moisturised and make-up ready. It by no means offers a matte finish, but it's not the glowy/sticky type either. It made a perfect day/night cream for my oily skin, but I have a feeling that drier skin types would benefit from it too.

It's not the cream that will stay in my mind as a sort of wonder-doer, but it certainly does its job well. I liked how quickly it absorbed and how well it served as a make-up base on my quite dehydrated oily skin. I really do enjoy gel creams and this one was no exception for me.

Korean goodies: Tosowoong Acne Cleansing Foam review

Tosowoong is a brand I've learnt about thanks to my Memebox adventure. Some  products were kind of 'meh' for me,  but some were actually very nice, like the Acne Cleansing Foam I'm about to review. You can read what it does in the description below and I'll just focus on my personal impressions.

I really like Korean foam cleansers but a lot of them tend to strip my face of any moisture, so I was quite afraid that a product marketed as acne treatment for summer time will leave my skin parched dry. To my surprise it turned out to be not as drying as other products of this kind. 

This cleanser is a thick pearly, nicely fragranced gel which lathers well, creating a thick foam that cleans the skin really well. I don't think this prevented any hormonal breakouts I've been experiencing lately, but it certainly helped my skin regenerate and look more smooth and even in spite of those horrible bumps that were protruding on my forehead as if I was growing horns.

The full size tube is rather small (100ml) as the regular size of such products is 150-200ml so I was under the impression that I went through this faster than in case of other similar products, but it may just be because it's smaller.

Overall, it's a good choice if you're looking for a good cleanser, but if I were to choose I'd buy something by Etude House or Skinfood or other market leader which would be twice as big for the same money.  

Bourjois Nude Sensation foundation in #42 Rose Nude review & swatches

I've been on a bit of a foundation kick recently. I've bought a number of different high and low end foundations, each of them different, and I loved every single one of them. As if that wasn't enough I reached for what I expected to be a cherry on top, but in fact turned out to be a rotten egg in my newly acquired recently-released plethora of foundations.
The new Bourjois Nude Sensation foundation attracted my attention because it comes in a jar and I currently don't own any foundation like that and what's more it made 3 claims that I believe are of fundamental importance for me: flawless complexion, refined pores and fine lines smoothed.
The foundation comes in the same jar as their previously released bronzing base and I dare say this is exactly the same product, just differently tinted. I believe this is a primer, not a foundation.

Let me go through my impressions:
I first applied this product with a brush, using both stippling and circular motions.

• One layer - no coverage to be seen, optical blur present, silicone feel, pleasant floral scent.
• Two layers - still no coverage, redness and discolouration exactly where it was, skin looks smoother and if I applied a filter
• Three layers - still no coverage, but product settles in the pores. Fortunately it was possible to even everything out by just smoothing the foundation with my hands. At this point I realized that I cannot go any further building this thing up and that hands are the best tool to apply this. Shade 42 Rose Nude has a whitening/brightening effect on my NW20 skin.

This product is sheerer than ANY foundation, tinted moisturiser, BB/CC cream I've used. To my mind this is a primer, just like the bronzing base, which can be worn alone on perfect skin to add some refined polish to it or as a smoothing and matifying primer. However, when tested as a primer I don't think this product displayed any ability to prolong wear time of my foundation, facilitate application or prevent oiliness. 

I think it's not difficult to decipher what I've been trying to say throughout this review. Don't buy this. This is not a matter of a personal preference, skin type or tone. This just can't work. Don't waste your money and get any Bourjois liquid foundation instead.

Korean goodies: SECRET NATURE skincare overview

Today I'd like to say a couple of words about a Korean brand I discovered thanks to my adventure with Memeboxes. I was lucky enough to receive four products by the brand, all of which turned out to be incredible beyond belief. The products come from different ranges and perform different tasks but they're all beautifully packaged in classy frosty glass bottles and jars, quite heavy and travel unfriendly, but gorgeous nonetheless. Their prices are quite consistent, ranging from $31 to $36. 

MORINGA SEED TONER is the newest arrival. It contains moringa seed, hibiscus flower and fermented lotus flower extracts all mixed up with purified water to soothe and moisturise the skin and remove any traces of make-up left after cleansing. This is a substance of a kind of runny jelly consistency which is quite difficult to get out of its bottle, a pump would be useful here. You apply it using a cotton pad and this will leave your skin silky smooth and soft. This is one of those rare examples of toners actually doing anything for my skin. I'd be absolutely delighted to try som more items from the same line as I feel they must be just as amazing as the toner is.

After I've prepped my skin with the toner, I reach for the FROM JEJU combo consisting of a serum and a cream. The serum contains what is called a Jeju complex, which in practice is extracts from organic broccoli, aloe, carrot and asparagus from Jeju island. It provides nutrition and moisture surge to the skin. This makes my skin feel softer and smoother as if it was coated with some silicone based primer. My oliy skin could do without anything else on top of the serum, but I can't resist the pleasure of moving on to the next step. The bottle comes with a pump, which makes it easy to distribute the product. 

The FROM JEJU CREAM contains the same Jeju complex as the serum and promises to nourish and create a protective layer to lock in the moisture. I can fully agree with the second claim, this can be really felt on the skin surface. The cream's consistency seems very thick at first glance and initially made me worry if a cream this heavy is actually good for my oily skin. I couldn't have been more wrong. This absorbs quickly leaving no greasy residue on my skin. Quite the contrary, it feels extremely comfortable.  

And finally, the mask which I use erratically, whenever I have some time to spare. 

VOLCANIC ASH PORE PACK contains, apart from the from Jeju complex, volcanic ash, charcoal, green tea and pine needle extracts. It's supposed to help control sebum and enlarged pores, so I guess it targets oily skin concerns, but having used about half of the tub I can say that I'm not exactly sure about this. 

Although the mask is of ashy gray colour it is not as clay-like as other mud masks I've used. I actually find it very moisturising. To me it's like a cross between a nourishing, moisturising mask and a mud or clay one. It doesn't dry to a crust within the 10-15 minutes of wear time prescribed, doesn't feel tight or uncomfortable, but I have serious problems removing it because it turns kind of gooey and clings to the skin like hell, so a cloth is always handy.

I don't notice any serious tightening of pores or reduction of sebum production, so when considering a claim to fulfilment ratio this mask is a fail, but if I judged it by overall results, I'd say it's excellent. Not only does it leave my skin soft and silky smooth and purified but also nourished and soothed.

L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte foundation and powder review & swatches

I was made to order this L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte foundation by other beauty bloggers who vouchsafed this did wonders to their oily skins, but I never believed I would love it as much as I do. It took the ebayer I bought it from a while to ship and when it arrived it turned out that the same foundation was released also in Poland, in a slightly different packaging, which is great cause if I need a darker shade for the summer, it'll be waiting for me just round the corner.

So, what is so amazing about this drugstore foundation?

It comes in a simple, travel-and-drawer-friendly tube, which is quite innovative as it contains detailed information about the type of foundation and skin it targets.  

So according to the manufacturer this is a 24h wear-time foundation with demi-matte finish, medium coverage and air-light texture. What is incredible is that it actually does live up to these bold claims.

I haven't been in a situation when I had to wear this for 24h, but it does equal the infamous masters of long-wear like Estee Lauder Double Wear. I wore it between 7 and 11 and with minor touch-ups it still looked great towards the end of the day, which is quite rare as everything melts down my oily skin within hours.

I wouldn't say this foundation is the most weightless in history, but it definitely feels light on my skin. The consistency is quite thick, but it goes on creamy and blends in perfectly without accentuating any dry patches which I've been recently having along my nose or settling in my pores. The preferred method of application is by rolling the foundation along the face with fingers, but I prefer my brush do do the job.

The foundation sets instantly to a matte finish which makes it possible to contour my face without powdering it beforehand, which is great as I don't need to overload my face with products. I would describe the finish as more matte than demi-matte, but I think what the manufacturer had in mind when calling it demi-matte is that it's not powdery flat.  

The coverage is good enough to hide imperfections and even out the skin tone without the effect of the mask.

What I like best about this foundation is that it doesn't stimulate any sebum production like many other matte foundations do and it stays oil-free for a substantially longer period of time. 

The shade I picked is 102 Shell Beige, which looks fairly neutral when swatched, but then blended it reveals strong rosy undertones, which blend well with my NW20-ish skin, but may look really bad on yellower complexions. This shade is a perfect match now, when my skin is at its palest after the winter months, but I'll definitely need something darker in the summer. 

To make my 'infallible' look complete I paired my foundation with the Infallible Pro-Matte Powder in 100 Porcelain.

The powder comes in the same kind of compact as its True Match counterpart. The two-tier packaging holds the powder in the upper compartment and a mirror and a very convenient latex spnge in the bottom one. I believe the sponge makes all the difference as it's an excellent tool to blot, while the papery puff included in the True Match powder was good for nothing.  

L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Powder is super finely milled, but not powdery at all. The sponge picks up a small amount of product which results in moderate application of the product which never goes cakey. 

The finish is very definitely matte, sometimes even too matte for my age and liking.

While the foundation neither claimed nor did anything to reduce the appearance of pores, this powder magically blurs all imperfections and lines. They two make a perfect combo that complement each other.

The shade I picked  is 100 Porcelain, which is very fair, but it makes a nice, brightening match for the foundation. Good for now, definitely too white for the upcoming spring/summer season.

All in all this is a high class duo and only the packaging reveals its drugstore nature. 

Well done. L'Oreal!

Korean goodies: Tonymoly I'm Real Red Wine Mask Sheet Pore Care review

I love sheet masks for the moisture they provide and the comfort and speed of application and disposal. But they all seem the same for me and they claim the same: anti-ageing through providing moisture.

Tony Moly I'm Real Red Wine Mask Sheet Pore Care, however, caught my attention as it promised something totally different. It says on the packaging that the mask "tightens uneven skin texture with enlarged pores".

I used two of these masks within one week and here's what I found out.

The mask is well saturated with essence, its size is relatively large, though eye openings are rather on the smaller side. It has some kind of cosmetic scent to is, but no wine fragrance could be detected.

After wearing this for a bit longer than 20 minutes my face felt slightly less dewy than with other sheet masks, after letting the essence absorb and dry fully my face remained slightly tacky, but less so if compared to some other masks I'd used before.

And now, the answer to the fundamental question: does this tighten pores? No. It does absolutely nothing porewise. My pores neither look nor feel tighter.

It's a nice mask, like all of them are, but if you assess products by judging how well they perform against their claims, this one is a total fail and if I'd bought this to improve the appearance of my pores, I'd be bitterly disappointed.

Benefit They're Real Push -up Liner review & swatches

I've had this Benefit They're Real Push-up Liner since last summer, and the reason why it took me so long to write a review is that I can't form an opinion about it. I seem to be having a love and hate relationship with this product and each time I'm ready to send it to hell, it does wonders to my make-up and makes me use it again and again.

The concept of this liner is quite peculiar. It's a gel liner that comes in a pen form with a slanted silicone applicator which distributes the product through a narrow opening. The applicator is soft and flexible to make it possible to reach all areas, but stiff enough to allow fairly precise application. 

I was wondering whether to start with the good or the bad about the product and I thought the disadvantages unfortunately outweigh advantages, so I'll start with these.

First of all, contrary to what this claims, this liner isn't easy to apply at all. One click releases either too much or too little of product. The rubber applicator drags on my lids and I found that it's easier to apply in dabbing motion instead of drawing a line. While lining my lid the product forms little balls which crumble and fall on my cheeks. I find it's quite unreliable as far as drawing a nice and even line is concerned.

On the other hand, this liner offers the most saturated matte black line I can get. I've got a ton of other liners and nothing compares to this one. What's more, once this is on it stays put and doesn't budge all day long (except for some crumbling). 

This liner is a perfect solution when travelling when you don't have the possibility to wash your gel liner brush all the time.

I've noticed that this product glides mych better on bare lids or over cream eyeshadows, so those of us who don't use powder eyeshadows may not experience any issues with this liner. Powder eyeshadow causes friction and dryness which make this liner flake and crumble. 

I do honestly hate how unreliable this eyeliner is and how much effort it takes to make it look decent. But on the other hand I have nothing that would replace this thing in my stash.

I definitely won't repurchase, but I'll make sure to use this up before it dries out.

EDIT: After I'd written this review I used this liner again and it produced the most beautiful, smooth, skip-free and flake-free line ever. I don't know what to think, but it generally seems to get better in time.