The Body Shop's Brow & Liner Kit / Review

For years I'd been using M.A.C. Brun eye shadow as an eye liner, applying it with a slanted brush lightly dipped in water to make the color deeper. No, the water did not alter the powder and the reason I did this was not only to make the color deeper but also to give it more staying power. You can do this with almost any eye shadow. Water on the brush, not the powder.

M.A.C. Brun eye shadow

Why did I stop using it? Simply because I figured that I should be able to find a "ready made" eye liner that wouldn't budge. I must admit that I was also a little tired of dark brown at the time.

Enters The Body Shop's Brow & Liner Kit, a great find! Although I'd been going there for years I'd never purchased any makeup. When I saw this little compact in 03 Brown & Black, I was quite intrigued and the dark shade, a very dark grey looked perfect. At about $18.00 I wasn't breaking the bank with it and so decided to give it a try.

I've been using this eye liner for close to a year now and since it's so easy to apply I couldn't be more pleased. I only use the dark grey. The brown is kind of so so for me as an eye liner and much too dark to consider using on my brows. In a way I am loosing half of my money but considering how little I use every time it's still a good buy.

The Body Shop's Brow & Liner Kit in 03 Brown & Black

How I use it!

The color is buildable and depending on the amount of water I put on my brush, can go from light to very dark. I simply dip my brush lightly in a drop of water and pinch off the excess between two fingers. Do note that the little folding brush that comes with this kit is, for eyeliner purposes, pretty useless. It's so thin that it would take half an hour to have a good looking line. The slanted side is stiff and aimed at eye brows. 

Would I recommend it? Yes!

That is if you're looking for an eye liner that will give you a more natural, less harsh look. The bonus is that when you apply it you don't have to pull on your lids like you would sometimes have to do with a pencil or even a gel eye liner. It's got an honest staying power. Not water or sweat proof but for me, less messy than others I've tried on my deep set eyes. It does transfer to the upper lid but it can be easily wiped off. On me it fades but not in a messy kind of way like other eye liners tend to do. 

This is not the "ready made" eye liner that won't budge that I was looking for but I am still pleased with it.

Next I do have to try it using Laura Mercier' Tightline Activator (made especially for cake eye liners). I've heard that M.A.C. also makes a product with which you can transform any eye shadow into an eye liner but couldn't find it on their website. I've tried using Personnelle's Magic Potion (a Canadian brand) but this product was pretty bad.

I would not recommend if...

You are looking for a deep bold line. If you are used to gel, liquid or dark pencil liners, this will disappoint you. It's really for days when you want a more natural look and only want to define your lash line lightly.

Reviews:

MakeupAlley: 4.3 / 5 lippies for 71 reviews. Most reviews are about it's use on brows.

Beauté-test: the compact shown is different and the one reviewed here is not listed.

Screen shots from M.A.C. & The Body Shop's respective websites.