Battle Of The Brands: Maybelline & Bobbi Brown Gel Eye Liners

Eye liner is one of those things, especially on the waterline that wears differently on different people and so whatever works for me may not work for you and visa versa. I have been on a quest to find an eye pencil/liner that actually stays on the waterline. I tried the Maybelline gel liner before the Bobbi Brown one, and instead of doing separate reviews I thought I'd do comparison / mini reviews.

I've used the same brush with both of them, and that is the one that came with the Maybelline gel liner.

Maybelline

I've read such great reviews on this gel liner. Even though I agree it is really good, it didn't work as great as I had hoped. While applying it on my waterline little flakes would get in my eyes and some would stick to my lenses. I had to start applying lenses after applying the liner on my waterline. This just showed how water proof the formula was, because my lenses would obviously be wet when I'd apply them and often my eyes would tear up. Despite my eyes tearing up, the liner would not budge.

It's not very long lasting on the water line though. I've used it with and with out foundation .With foundation it stays on a bit longer, but it would still start spreading from the inner corner within an hour or two.

While using the Maybelline gel liner the eye liner brush I noticed that a thick crust formed around the bristles. I had to wash it every time before using it. It just goes on to show the drying formula of the gel liner. It doesn't happen with the Bobbi Brown one.

Pros 
Long lasting as a traditional eye liner (on the lids)
Water proof
Extremely pigmented 
Price
Comes with it's own brush
Available in Pakistan

Cons
The consistency of the gel liner is a little thick and is not ideal for tight lining the eyes. 
Is not long lasting on the waterline
Starts to fade a little during the day (on the waterline)
Flaky 

click to enlarge image (This isn't the most flattering picture of me, but I wanted to make my point. This is when I decided to buy the Bobbi Brown one)

after 2 and half hours of first applying it

Bobbi Brown

After trying so many eye pencils/liners in the last few months, I was a bit sceptical about it's claims as well. I used the same brush with this one, and I discovered that it applied more easily, and smoothly. It's great for tight lining as well. What I often do with the Bobbi Brown one, which I could never even think of doing with the Maybelline gel liner is that I close my eye and swipe the brush to and fro like a kajal. It doesn't hurt, not does it get in to my eyes. If I'd done it with the Maybelline one my eyes would have been full of flakes.

This liner lives up to it's claims. I've used this with and without foundation as well. On days when I've used just  a sunblock and moisturiser it stays for more than 3 hours and it just spreads a little from the inner conner of my eyes. This is when my skin gets super greasy. On days when I've had foundation/face powder it lasts for a long time.

I wouldn't have been able to survive the last few weeks without the Bobbi Brown gel eye liner. I've used it during dance practises and it would stay in it's place by the time I'd come home.

Pros
Long lasting (on the water line and as a traditional eye liner)
Water proof
Doesn't hurt the eyes
Glides on like a dream
Ideal for tight-lining 
Extremely pigmented 


Cons
Price
Doesn't come with it's own brush
Hard to find in Pakistan

click to enlarge

After 4 hours

Click to enlarge

After 6 and a half hours (don't mind the flash)

If you're looking for a long lasting, water proof eye liner that doesn't budge from the eye lids, then go for the Maybelline one. For those who want a multi-purpose gel eye liner (water line, tight-lining etc.) then I highly recommend the Bobbi Brown one. It's a little expensive, but if it can work on me it can pretty much work for anyone. It definitely lives up to it's claim.

Prices
Bobbi Brown: 21$
Maybelline: RS850

Review: Maybelline Volum' Express 'the Colossal' Mascara

I was in desperate need of a mascara a month or two ago. Sadly my favourite Maybelline Define-A-Lash was out of stock and I was forced to choose between the colossal volum' express and the Falsies. Obviously you can guess which one I chose. My friend Sara, told me to go for the Falsies and bought the colossal volum' espress instead.

Review: Maybelline Dream Mousse Highlighter ♥

It had been soooo long that I was looking for a good highlighter in Pakistan but my search literally seemed to have no end! It was soo frustrating. Every time I went and asked a makeup counter if they had a good highlighter with a subtle glow, but even though, I was always shown a wide variety of highlighters, they all seemed so thick and cakey! But then, Sana being my life saver that she always is, told me to give Maybelline Dream Mousse Shimmer in the shade 01 Porcelain a try! She wore it once in front of me and since I already adore her wonderful skin, I fell in love with her suggestion!

I have a wedding in the family coming up in a week or so and the wedding fever is already in full swing, so I went and bought the dream mousse highlighter. I was soo glad when my mom was like, why are your cheeks glowing today! See, I told you, water helps! Hahahaha! I then revealed my beauty secret! Just as the name, it gives such a pearl-like, porcelain effect to your cheeks and being my first time, I applied it to my cheeks only, I believe it can be applied where ever the light naturally hits the face (cheeks, nose, chin, forehead, and cupids bow).

The highlighter is a sheer pink with shimmer in it, and has lilac undertones which gives the skin a subtle glow. One of the best things about this highlighter is that it's long lasting. This particular shade is for light to medium skin tones, there are a variety of shades to choose from.

It's light and blends into the skin perfectly! I LOVE it! It cost me Rs. 840 which makes it like almost $10. That's quite reasonable and sooo worth it! Thank you Sana!!! :))

It's not available at Maybelline counters in Pakistan (it is available at Maybelline counters in other parts of the world). I bought it from Al-Noor, it's the plaza behind the liberty outlet of Warda. Sana bought hers from Liberty as well. She bought the highlighter from Chanel (yes, that's the name of the shop) a shop right under Enem.

Aroosa

Review: Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation

I had been wanting to try a new foundation for a while now since my Sephora mineral one finished. I wanted a foundation that I could use every day, because I didn't want to use up my Bare Escentuals Mineral foundation too quickly! It's not available in Pakistan, so I'm a little stingy with it as I love it so much!!

The reason I was drawn to this foundation is because it's not entirely liquid nor is it powder. I love the no-make up, make-up look and that is what I was hoping to achieve with it.The Maybelline mousse foundation has a whipped consistency, which is great because despite its creamy texture it has a silky powder-y finish.

I had read a lot of mixed reviews on it, which had me a little worried that I wouldn't like it and let me tell you, I love it. I tried it on when my skin was super oily (just to test it out), it applied like a dream and gave my skin a flawless matte finish. It blends easily and gives an air brushed finish. Its so light weight that I don't even feel as if I'm wearing any foundation. Which was exactly what I wanted.

I also noticed that it evens out my skin tone and covers everything that it's supposed to-without the help of a concealer. It has light to medium coverage, but for those with problematic skin, this foundation is build- able for those wanting an even better coverage. One of my favourite things about this foundation is that it allows your skin to shine through. It doesn't feel or look as if you have a layer of product or a mask on your face, it really looks very natural. One of my cousins uses this foundation and for the longest time I used to think she had the most flawless complexion, and then I found out she uses the Maybelline dream mousse foundation. I'd be standing next to her and honestly I used to think she had nothing on her face!

Since it has a creamy/mousse-y consistency its easy to dab a little on the fingers and apply on the face.I apply the foundation with my hands, because I find its easier to blend in and it gets the job done. However, you can use a foundation brush to blend it in. I have oily skin so it works great for me, but I also have dry patches around my nose and I found that it doesn't collect in those parts. I'm not sure if this is ideal for those with really dry skin though, but if you use a just a little bit of primer or moisturiser before applying this foundation, I doubt it'll look cakey or cause any flakiness. Sometimes what I do is, I mix just a little bit of The Body Shop radiant highlighter with it and it gives the most prettiest dewy finish!!!! (you can use any liquid highlighter)

foundation blended in

This foundation is long lasting, and it fades naturally through the day. It comes in a cute little jar which is very portable and you pop it in your bag for touch ups. I'm hoping to go on a holiday soon, and I'll be taking the Maybelline dream mousse foundation with me, because I won't have to worry about it taking too much space or spilling in my make-up bag. For a drug store brand this product is excellent. I highly recommend it, especially for those who are just getting in to make-up.

Price: RS1400 (around $8)

Sana

Review: Maybelline Define-A-Lash Mascara

I was in need of a new mascara when my Sephora one dried out and I couldn't decide which one to try next. All the YouTube Beauty Guru's rave about the L'oreal Telescopic Mascara, so I decided to give it a shot.

I was disappointed to find out that two of my go-to stores were out of L'oreal Telescopic. To me that just proved how good it must be, and now I really wanted it. Luckily for me, the lady at the Maybelline counter got hold of me and persuaded me to try their Maybelline Define-A-Lash Volume Mascara the dupe they had for L'oreal Telescopic.

This mascara defines lashes while adding volume at the same time. The best thing about it is that it doesn't clump at all. The wand is big and is a bit curved towards the edge (very similar to L'oreal Telescopic). It gives the perfect definition to the lashes, adding multiple coats can make the lashes look really dramatic.

There's a Rs1000 difference between the Telescopic and Define-A-Lash Volume Mascara. The Telescopic retails for Rs1800 and the Maybelline for Rs800 (I'm sure in other Countries there's not a big difference in the price). The packaging for the Maybelline is such a pretty bright pink, which I love.

A few days after I bought it, I went shopping with my friend Sara. She wouldn't stop complimenting me on how amazing my lashes looked. She didn't say it just once, she kept saying it over and over again. I, of course loved hearing it, so I kept batting my eye lashes at her just so I could get a few more compliments out of her. Ha!Ha!

-Sana