I can’t remember the last time I got all excited about gel-liners. I’ve always felt like they aren’t worth the hefty price tag  because I don’t get to maximize their value. Based on experience, my old high-end gel liner dried up too quickly for me to even finish up HALF THE POT. Because of this, I stuck to the liners that had longer shelf lives–liquid liners and pencil liners.

When I found out about the new ground-breaking Benefit They’re Real Push-up Liner, I definitely got excited. Reading about the amazing feedback from my fellow Filipina bloggers sealed the deal and had me dying to try it out for myself. Luckily, the boyfriend (J) knew how much I’ve been lemming over the product and decided to give it to me as one of his gifts on my birthday.

Product

I went home and excitedly tested it out on myself as soon as I could. The first thing that caught my eye was the accuflex tip which is truly a genius idea. I’ve never heard of anything quite like it. It’s a flexible angled rubber tip uniquely designed to hug the lashline and angled in order to easily create a flick at the end of the lash line.

I had to twist the butt of the pen a tad bit too many times in order to let the product out. Finally after what seemed like forever, the gel liner started coming out of the the tiny slit at the tip.

As I started applying it as close to the lash line as possible, I noticed that it’s very tricky to create a very thin line due to the way the tip is made. The gel liner is a true matte black and is pigmented enough for my liking. Initially, the formula was a bit drier than I would have wanted it to be and its texture was almost clay-like. So much so, that there are times when I have to tug on my eyelid and in order to fill out the broken line. It also dried out way to quickly for me to do minor damage control (aka evening out the line) and going back on a line that’s already dried caused flaking and clumpling.

Around my 4th try, I noticed that the gel became a bit easier to work with because the texture of the gel became a teeny bit more liquified. I don’t know if what happened to my pen happens to all other pens or if the gel in my pen just became a bit more liquified due to accidental exposure near my heated curling tools. However, even after the formula became a bit wetter, it still never dried out to a clean solid line. From a far, the line looks fine but upon closer inspection, one would notice how the line it creates is slightly crooked.

clumping under my eyes………. yikes.

Despite all this, this eyeliner still had some saving graces up its sleeve. It stays put and does not budge at all. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. Experts in eyeliner application will love this feature but beginners will hate it because the liner isn’t easy to fix even with a cotton bud soaked in makeup remover. Initially, I thought that the accuflex tip was genius to be designed to hug the lash-line and create thin lines. However, I think the accuflex tip is perfect for creating bold graphic lines with equally bold flicks/edges.

Final Thoughts

So the burning question is: WILL I RE-PURCHASE?

Sadly, the answer is no. I really wanted to LOVE this product. I wanted to love it more because it was a gift from J. And it broke my heart to tell him that I turned out not liking the product. I couldn’t lie to him because he reads my blog (Hi Josh!) so, there.

Although I know that there are quite a number of women out there who have found their way into making this product work for them, I’m just going to be honest and say that I don’t think the results of the liner do not justify the struggle of the entire process of applying the liner. I was so excited about this product for two reasons: the convenience of not having to bring a brush around to apply gel liner and the longer shelf life. I find that applying the liner makes a huge mess and I especially hate how I have to tug on my extremely delicate lids to even come close to a “perfect” line. It also takes a good 5-10 minutes before I get to create a look I’m satisfied with. I barely have enough time to get ready for school and I just don’t have the patience to work with this product. Finally, trying to edit out mistakes with a cotton bud soaked in makeup remover also proved to be a struggle.

I can see how this product can work for a lot of other people but I just really don’t have the time and patience to work with it enough to fall in love with it.

Being a HUGE fan of benefit products, I was extremely surprised at how disappointed I was with this product. All of my Benefit products have turned out to be favorites of mine and I hope that they can release another formula that’s more user-friendly.

Recommendations

Given that it creates very thick lines, the eyeliner is perfect for those who have a lot of lid space. Unfortunately, I have typical Asian eyes and barely any lid space which is why I find that this liner really does not suit me.

However, I think this liner is perfect for those who have a lot of lid space and those who like to wear thick lines on a daily basis.

Tips: (for those who want to try this product out anyway)

• DO NOT THROW OUT THE ORANGE STOPPER IT COMES WITH, in order to make your liner last longer
• work quickly as the product dries faster than you can blink you eye (I’m just kidding, but it really dries quickly)
• do not try to draw on your existing lines as it will only cause flaking and will make your line even more uneven

That’s all for now, guys! Do you have this product too? I’m dying to know your experience with the product so LET ME KNOW in the comments below. :)

xoxo,