“The eyes are the nipples of the face.”
Yes, truer words were never spoken. 🙂
Ha! OK, let me explain. I was watching My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding the other day (whatever, don’t judge!), and that’s what one of the girls (14 years old, wearing booty shorts with pink rhinestone hearts) said while she was doing her makeup for a matchmaking party her parents arranged to help her find a husband.
FUN FACT OF THE DAY: The quote is originally from The House Bunny, starring Anna Farris.
So that’s what I kept thinking this morning while I was applying my eyeliner, Bobbi Brown’s new Smokey Eye Kajal Liner in Black Coffee.
Face nipples. I’m lining the nipples…OF MY FACE.
The liner’s new and comes in six colors, including the Black Coffee shade I’m wearing here. Their big selling point: that they’re super soft, smooth and won’t tug at your skin. They’re also very, very pigmented (also known as uber-pigmented) and easy to smudge. Better for messy rocker chick looks with soft diffused liner than looks with sharp lines.
The fancy formula stays creamy, so you can buff it out and play with it throughout the day, but it still lasts 5-7 hours along my lash lines.
Which is cool.
Of course, that wear time doesn’t extend to my water lines, where it gives up the ghost in 1-2 hours. If you’re looking for a long-wearing liner that will set and last there, Smokey Eye Crayon Kajal probably isn’t ideal.
Something like Bobbi’s Long-Wearing Gel Eyeliner might be better. Twelve hours on lash and water lines. Jet, the basic black, used to be my jam. I wore it all the time until my water lines started acting up (no idea why). Now I use Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Perversion.
Now, even with that limited water line wear time, Bobbi never billed these as long-wearing, so there’s that. They’re designed first and foremost for smokey eyes.
I love all of the shades except for Noir, the black, which I don’t hate, but it’s not my fave. I like the off-black colors more, like Black Coffee, a brownish black, and Black Amethyst, a plummy black, because I think they make my brown eyes look more chocolatey.
Sure, Noir, the black shade, looks rich and dark, but really, if I’m going to wear a basic black pencil liner, I want to be able to wear it along my water lines for more than two hours.
When I wear these, I usually apply Urban Decay’s 24/7 Perversion on my water lines, do a thick line along my lash lines with Bobbi’s pencil, and then smudge out the edges for a soft cat liner look.
Pretty!
I’ve also used these as bases for smokey eyes, but I dunno… I think they move a little too much for that, and my shadow starts to look patchy as the day wears on.
I think Bobbi had a specific person in mind for these, someone who has other plans for their water lines.
PRICE: $24 each
AVAILABILITY: Six shades in the permanent line, all available now at Bobbi Brown counters and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Just perfect eotd!! pacific & storm <3 <3
I love the way you write Karen! Writers block or not, you are amazing!
Ummmm, the title just made me pop my eyes. Hehe, the liners look great.
Pacific is so pretty, I think I’m going to have to get it.
Omg haha, I laughed so hard at that quote 😀
These pencils look lovely. And can I just say how good your hair looks like this, Karen, wowies!
Thanks my friend. It’s so fun to have straight hair! And much lower maintenance.
Happy Friday; what are you up to this weekend?
I think we can declare your writer’s block officially dead. Too funny!
Hi Lorraine,
You’re sweet. I’m working my way through it, one day at a time.
Happy Friday to you, friend!
Very pretty! I have fair skin and blue eyes, so I also prefer more off-black shades…true black can look a bit harsh on me I find. Question: do you use a particular tool to smudge out liner, or just your finger?
Hi Jess,
This pencil comes with a sponge tip on the other end, but to be honest I find it kind of stressful because it tugs. I usually end up using a pencil brush. I have this ancient one from Burberry that’s super soft but unfortunately it’s hard to find. But really, you could use any flat shadow brush that you have around. I use MAC’s 239 all the time to smudge out liner, and it works great. You just want something that’s dense and kind of firm. 🙂
The black coffee color will probably look really pretty on you! Also, not sure if you have it yet, but MAC also has liner called Teddy that looks very pretty with blue eyes.
Hmm writer’s block??? 🙂 Now these are clearly not for me since even waterproof crayons barely last on my eyes. I just recently got a BB gel eyeliner and love it (I know, bad beauty blogger but hey who said it was bad to be a late bloomer?). Love the quote! I don’t think I’ve ever seen the American version but the few UK ones I saw were sure funny. 🙂
Hey Icaria,
Oooh, which color gel liner did you get?
Happy Friday!
I’m not comfortable with black and so got Caviar Ink, love it! I wanted one shade darker that L’Oréal Infaillible in Slate (HG I wear everyday) and got exactly what I wanted! Wanna bet I’ll go back for more?
Have a great weekend Karen! xx
Since I’m not comfortable with black I got Caviar Ink which is one shade darker that my HG L’Oréal Infaillible in Slate my everyday liner. Love it! 🙂
“I’m lining the nipples…OF MY FACE.” LMAO! I saw this before lights out last night and it made me laugh so hard.
I really love the look of Black Coffee. I like the idea of wearing it alongside Perversion on the waterlines. Sometimes brown eyeliner just isn’t cutting it for definition, ya know? Softened out on lash lines though? So pretty!
I feel you. I usually do black along the waterlines because it has much more KA-POW, and the black/brown combo is killer. 🙂
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could always have perfectly lined eyes like the kittehs? So not fair.
I like that they’re so pigmented, but it’s a bummer that they don’t last too long on the waterline. That’s sort of a requirement for me these days…
Pacific and Storm are gorgeous! But I wish they lasted longer, especially on the waterline.
Hi Karen,
What do you use to smudge pencils like these? I have tried all different kinds of liners with all different kinds of brushes and nothing seems to result in a nice smudge.
Karen,
Love your blog! I’m super-old-school so I’m new-ish to eyeliner and still wary of most. I finally found one that works for me/ my coloring, Laura Merier Stone Slate – it was LI and only avail in the holiday pack thing 2012. I have been trying to find a dupe since, and the closest I can seem to get is MAC buried treasure and it’s not that close – too dark, too green, too sparkly (I think I look like a strumpet – nipples of the face or not). This black coffee color looks close. Do you happen to know if it is? Does anyone happen to know? Many thanks!
Nipples, you made me laugh out loud! I so desperately need that Black Coffee pencil, but somehow the other pencils have arrived here but BC is still “coming soon”!!
I think I’m the kind of people for whom the Noir pencil was invented. I don’t wear anything on my waterlines (hello allergies) and harsh black lines make my hooded deepset eyes look eveil. So I have been having a bit of a love-in with Noir while I wait for Coffee….