First Impressions: Benefit They're Real! Push up liner

One of the most talked about make-up items of the season, the Benefit They're Real! Push up liner was something I really wanted to test and try out for myself!

This "push up liner" is the first of it's kind, taking inspiration from the classic liquid liner felt tip pens, but presenting us with a gel formula instead. Now I am one that struggles in the gel liner department. I've tried and failed many times and for some reason, I just can't get the use of a thin brush and potted liner quite right. Luckily for me, I've managed to get decent at creating a "cat-eye" with a liquid liner- I've been using the Stila stay all day waterproof liquid liner in the shade 'dark brown' for the past few years. 

The very first time I used this push up liner it didn't go very well. I had really thick, uneven lines and I found the pen grabbed and pulled on my skin which was very irritating. It was also difficult to hold and the gel wouldn't come out of the nib of the pen in a steady flow, it was more or less big blobs that I had to try and smooth out. Needless to say I quickly washed that mess off and decided to skip the eyeliner for that day.

The second time I used the push up liner things started out pretty successfully. My 'wings' were still really thick but I managed to make it work for me and the pen was a lot easier to use- I think it's just a matter of getting used to the shape of it and I've found that it's very similar to a calligraphy pen. On this particularly sunny day I was braving the cold to go out for lunch with my sister and a friend and all seemed well with my eyeliner despite my leaky, irritated eyes (gotta love that hay-fever huh?) until I noticed that my eyeliner was cracking. Let me tell you, that was not something I ever expected this eyeliner to do because it promises to be long lasting and budge proof. But there I was with little crumbly bits of black eyeliner falling down the sides of my face. Luckily, it wasn't that noticeable until the wings of my eyeliner looked very splotchy and uneven. I still have no idea why this happened so I think it may have had something to do with the heat, because despite the freezing winter air we're having here in Australia right now, it was very, very sunny.

Today is the third time using this push up liner and it's been a lot easier to use. This is definitely a product that needs a little practice and patience but I'm sure it will get a lot easier with time. I've experienced no cracking (so far) and my liner is a lot thinner and much more suitable for my heavy-lidded eyes. All in all, I think this push up liner is fantastic if you want to take the time to use gel liner. It is definitely a much more pleasant experience for me when it comes to gel liner but it's still taking a lot longer to master than my liquid liner. If you've wanted to venture into the world of gel liner for a while now, this is definitely for you!

I'm sure I'll keep you updated on how I go with this! Thank you for reading,
Love, Maddie xo