Illamasqua Precision Ink Liquid Liner, Swatches and Review

Illamasqua released the Precision Ink Liquid Liner for their Fall 2010 Art of Darkness collection. I've been in the market for a good liquid liner for ages, so I was really excited to try it out, even though the price was a little steep at $27. I actually impulsively bought both the black, Abyss, and the gold, Alchemy, before giving either a good try because I'm a sucker for anything gold. I'm only reviewing Abyss today, because I haven't had much of an opportunity to use Alchemy yet. Both colors feature a felt tip applicator and true vivid pigment. I'm not so great at applying liquid liner, so I'm happy to have an easy to use applicator like this one. The precision of the applicator is definitely just that, there's a lot of control.

So I'm not a liquid liner connoisseur, but I definitely expect quality from just about any beauty product that I use, and I must say I'm very disappointed with the Precision Ink Liquid Liner. I really wanted to like it, I really wanted to have a HG liquid liner that would stand by me to the end. But this is certainly not it. My biggest complaint about liquid liners in general is that if you aren't super careful of your eye area, it flakes right off. I always inadvertently rub the corner of my eye (which is actually out of habit, because I want to rub away any mascara gunk that might have accumulated), and end up with lopsided liner. This liner is billed as being long-wearing, but it's just as guilty as the rest for flaking. It's possible that a primer of some sort would fix the problem, but I'm not really down for that. I feel that I shouldn't have to apply something else to the whole lid in order for a liquid liner to last all day. Although, maybe I'm also expecting too much.

Another aspect of this liner that would disqualify it from HG status is the fact that it dries glossy. Only a matte liquid liner would enter that particular hall of fame. I'll definitely get a lot of use of the Precision Ink Liquid Liner because I intend on using it up, but unfortunately I won't be repurchasing. I think that Alchemy, the gold color, is a better buy. It's not for everyday wear, but the color is so beautiful and true to life that it's very much worth having. Tis the season to be festive after all. 

Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Ore: Review and Swatches

Illamasqua. Makeup for your alter ego. I was a goth-punk in high school. What can I say, it was 1999. But I most certainly did not align myself as such at the time. If you had asked me what I identified myself as back then, I would have said, "nothing, I'm not cool enough to be anything." But in hindsight, I was total goth-punk, complete with black spaghetti strap tank tops, stud belts, dyed hair, and black eyeliner, plus a whole crew of friends that were dropping out, drinking, and making the same fashion statement (my straight A's were a secret, apparently). The mere thought of it makes me cringe. Funny what ten years will do to your out look. Anyway, I'm not a participant in alternative culture these days. I think I'll always be counter in some way, because I'm such a loner. But I don't have an alter ego, and I don't need to make it up. But that doesn't mean that Illamasqua doesn't have a little something for anybody. The new Pure Pigment in Ore, released as part of the Art of Darkness collection for Fall 2010, is very main stream and everybody friendly.

Taste-y sparkly bronze goodness. Who am I to resist such a lovely color? I'm not at all afraid of glitter (maybe being an ex-goth-punk will do that to you) so I'm really into the sparkle of Ore. The chunks aren't too big, although fall out is fairly unavoidable if you use this as an eyeshadow. But fall out is another thing that doesn't typically bother me, especially with a product like Ore. It's so flashy on the lid anyway, that the fall out sparkles underneath sort of add to the effect, right? This is particularly awesome layered over cream things. The black Mac Cream Color base comes to immediately to mind.

I might mention that the packaging of the Illamasqua Pure Pigments are outright hands down superior to the Mac Pigment packaging. See that plug looking business on the underside of the cap? Well you guessed, it's a plug. Genius right? Why didn't Mac (and BareEscentuals, remember when that was the it brand, not anymore! ha!) think of that? It keeps the product from exploding anytime it's tilted away from being perfectly level. Gravity is no match for Pure Pigment, you can toss the packaging anyway you like, and the product with stay neatly contained. Let's give a round of applause.

Slightly out of focus shot to show the glitter. Lovely!

The whole Art of Darkness collection is pretty awesome, but this was the only product that I absolutely had to have. This and Viridian Nail Lacquer. Almost forgot about that. Now that I'm thinking about, I'm going to go explore my nail polish stash because I'm sure there is many a forgotten polish in there. Polishes that get purchased, and instantly whisked away to purgatory. So sad!