Hooray for budget beauty! In this new series, we talk about sweet finds you can get for $10 or less.
Maybelline is famous for their potted Tattoo Studio Gel liners, and I’m happy to say that their gel pencils are just as good — AND at $7.99 each, they’re crazy affordable.
I used to wear gel pencils all the time because of the epic wear time (Bobbi Brown Jet was my jam back in the day), but I quit a few years ago when my skin became drier than all earthly deserts combined! Gel pencils just got to be too uncomfortable as they sucked the moisture outta my skin, so I switched to regular old kohl liners instead.
The Maybelline gel pencils are different, though. They’re on the moisturizing side (for gel liners). They’re creamy and easy to feather for perfectly smudgy, soft lines.
One big caveat? Their quality varies based on the color. Like, the brown and gray shades, which I wear all the time, are bulletproof; however, other shades like the blues are softer and have more “give.” Both the navy and the teal tips broke the very first time I used them.
Grrr… After I sharpened the tips, the pencils stayed solid and didn’t crumble, but still, it’s always annoying to waste product right off the bat. Keep your receipt just in case you get a wonky one.
I’m still a Chanel twist-up liner girl all the way, but it’s nice to have affordable options. If you can’t decide which colors to get, I say go for the gray or the bangin’ brown. Both last all day without even a touchup.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Yaay! This is great! Thank you for swatching and posting. I was just thinking about purchasing an inexpensive blue eyeliner to switch out with my usual black. 😉
Thank you for your advice! I’ve never tried gel pencil liners, and I’m really curious about the formula. The gray and the brown ones are so cute, but what about the purple one? I really like that shade!
I don’t think I have even tried the pot ones by Maybelline. Are they that good?
I’m glad some non liquid liner eyeliners are getting some love. I’m ready for that trend to die lol. Ok it won’t but at least we can do some else than a black wing at least some of the time? This hooded eye girl appreciates it! I find Maybelline makes some great liners and they offer many colors. I’m wearing the Master Precise Skinny Gel Eyeliner in Refined Charcoal. So easy to use and lasts all day. Great for tight lining!!I’ll look into these too?
It’s a very rare occasion when I wear a pencil liner these days (despite my eternal love for UD Whiskey). I’m not a very good blender and find them too harsh looking for my old – I mean, experienced – eyes. I’ve had a lot more luck with powder eyeshadows used as liners.
If u end up getting one that does break right away. U put it in the microwave for a few seconds to get it a bit softer than u put it in the freezer to harden it for half hour or so this way the gel is all one piece again. I learned this with my broken pencil crayons when I did adult colouring and tried it on my pixi eyeliner that broke and it’s working awesome now.
the black is phenomenal for tightlining!
I love a good budget beauty buy too! I just recently got into the L’Oreal Infallible Pro Last Waterproof Pencils, and those are amazing too! Long-lasting and creamy. I have really dry skin too so I can’t be bothered with eyeliners that tug and pull.
I’ve tried the deep onyx one and it is very good for the price!
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