My Quest to the Perfect Gel Liner, Part 2: Coastal Scents

Hello my dear lovely ladies (and gents),

How are you doing? I hope you are having a wonderful day so far! It's Thursday and we're just one day away from the weekend, so push a bit harder, shall we? Ever since last Thanksgiving, I was enthralled into the quest of finding the perfect gel liner. The first one I've ever used is Jane Be Pure Mineral Gel Liner that I enjoy but am not impressed. Since it is mineral-based, this gel liner is proned to smudging. Also, I have oily lid and deep set eyes which make almost every gel liner smudge very easily. The problem can be solved with me purchasing MAC fluidlines but I refuse to succumb to peer pressure and decided to roam around for something else, something not MAC but performs as well as MAC or even cheaper!

Boy, those are hard criterias to knock down, aren't they? I've tried three products since then and let me tell you: it's hard out there for a beauty blogger! Let's see what I've purchased so far:

1. Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner in Black Ink ($21 USD, ouch!): I went to a graduation, I cried, it smudged, end of story! When I bought it, the SA claimed that it is waterproof, by the way.
2. Victoria's Secret Very Sexy gel eyeliner duo ($12 USD): also smudged like mad, currently used as eyeshadow bases.
3. Coastal Scents gel liner ($6.95 USD): see review below. Seriously, keep on reading! It only gets better from here!

Coastal Scents gel liner in Indigo Blue
When I purchased it, the one in True Black was sold out.

The fact that these gel liners are sold faster than hot cakes does not surprise me at all. Coastal Scents seem to have a steady stream of loyal and energetic customers. Also, black is a very popular eyeliner color and I was a little bit disappointed not to have it. However, Indigo Blue is an interesting color as it is very dark and almost look like black.

The gel liner has 3 grams of materials housed in a frosted glass jar. It has the same amount of gel liner as Bobbi Brown one but the jar is slightly bigger. The quarter is for comparison.


View from the top :)


Indigo Blue in action (L-R): lined with CS angle liner brush, smudged, and the pot itself.

Overall, I am very happy with Indigo Blue: it is a very dark inky color, so dark that I thought CS sent me a black liner by mistake. However, it is indeed blue but the blue is very subtle which makes this color suitable for everyday wear. Also, it is very soft and easy to blend. You can wear it as a cream eyeshadow if you wish as well.

Lovely eyeliner for my eye
I used it before in this post (clicky)

With CS taklon angle liner brush, this liner is easy to maneuver than the other liners I've tried. The lasting power is unbelievable: after 6-8 hours, it still holds up really well. Moreover, it does not smudge at all despite the friction and oiliness of my eyelids.

The two things that I don't like about it are: (1) no label on the jar, I got confused of what the name is and had to look up online, and (2) it is matte, matte, matte! I was vying for something glossier but the BB SA (that's the code for "Bobbi Brown sales associate") told me that glossy gel liners are runny and smudge very easily. I have to agree with her on that one because this matte gel liner does not move an inch!

Ingredients (from CS website):

Isododecane, Polyethylene, Trimethylsilocysilicate, Cyclomethicone, Ozokerite, Ploymethylsilsesquioxane, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Quaternium-18 Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lecithin, Propylparaben, BHT. May contain: Mica and Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide, Ultramarine Blue, D&C Red No.7 Ca Lake, FD&C Blue No.1 Al Lake, D&C Black No.2.

It is available in 13 colors at Coastal Scents website. Minus shipping, two of these liners are cheaper than one MAC fluidline and three of them are 15 cents cheaper than a BB gel eyeliner...for the same amount of material! Whenever CS has a sale, you should nab some of them because they are really good gel liners.

That's all for today. Stay gorgeous!
Your Makeup Blogger

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