Is It Hype? Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Mad Max Brown

I think everyone who loves makeup has heard all the praises sung about Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner ($19 USD) in Trooper. So when I was on the hunt for a new liquid eyeliner, I decided to give this a shot rather than repurchase my beloved Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner. I have to say, I am quite impressed.

Instead of purchasing Trooper (which was sold out anyway) I decided to get her newest addition to the Tattoo Liner line, Mad Max Brown. On the Sephora website this color is described as a "rich chocolate brown." Now I love me a nice black liner, but sometimes I do like to change things up a bit so the brown definitely intrigued me.

When I first got the liner, the product did not dispense from the brush as easily as I thought it should. I had started to fear it was a dud. So I wiped the brush back and forth on a clean paper towel to see if the liner would still skip, but after a few strokes it seems the brush absorbed product and evenly dispensed it. So if this is happening to you, just try wiping the brush on the back of your hand or paper towel to wet the brush. That has been my only mishap with this product thus far.

KVD on the top and Stila on the bottom. KVD has an edge when it comes to the preciseness of their brush tips.

Besides the stunning packaging that I come to expect from KVD, the product is stellar. The brush tip is not felt like the Stila or other company versions so it won't fray or do any other sort of funny nonsense. This brush is also very precise and allows you to make the cleanest lines, making this an ideal liner for those who love their winged eyeliner. The color itself is deep and rich which allows you to add definition to your eyes without the drama of a black liner.

And let me tell you about the staying power of this liner. Regardless of what eyeliner I wear, I will get some fading because of the way my lids are. So of course this did fade slightly but it was by far the best at being the most resistant out of any of the liners I have tried. Also, you are not going to get this liner off without any sort of makeup remover. It's that good.

So is the Tattoo Liner worth the hype? For me, yes. I had pretty high expectations and this did not disappoint whatsoever. If you are in the hunt for a new liner, give this one a shot!

You can find Kat Von D products exclusively at Sephora!

Review: Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner

So I jumped on the Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner wagon and decided to get it about a week or so after it was officially released. I was originally on the fence about the product but was eventually sold when I saw a few gurus talk about it on YouTube. Now that being said, I'm going to tell you flat out I don't love it. I don't hate it either but it's nothing mind-blowing or holy grail material.  

According to Benefit, the They're Real! Push-Up Liner is an innovative liner that is "the first foolproof and budge-proof gel liner in a pen. This eyeliner’s soft AccuFlex™ tip is custom-angled to draw an easy line. Its flat, wide guard gently pushes lashes aside to get close to lash line. A gorgeous way to open up eyes, this matte black gel formula won’t dry out, and its cutting-edge tip ensures a precise line every time."

Sounds great right? While the tip of the pen is pretty unique and nifty, there is something off. It sits perfectly on my lid but when the actual gel liner is dispensed, something goes wrong. The gel product itself is very nice but it begins to pill and ball up while you are trying to line your eyes. Now some people may think that it's because that's old liner I need to wipe off. I tried it and still have the same results. I even tried to draw some on the back of my hand before applying it to my lid and I found that to be the most successful method. Even then the liner still balls up. 

Another gripe I have about the Benefit Push-Up liner is that it skips over itself if you try to reline an area. The gel starts to pull on my lid and I sometimes end up with patches. There have been a few times where I've gotten so frustrated that I've used my Stila Waterproof pen liner to go over the patches. Now for a liner that boasts ease and quickness, doing all these extra steps goes against these statements.

The last vice of this product is trying to get a cat eye with this. According to Benefit, you can "stamp" a line and then easily draw a cat eye perfectly every time. Now, maybe I'm inept but I my cat eye lines never come out even on each eye and I end up over drawing and will usually have this super thick, dramatic look. Not that I mind it, but I don't want to look so made up all the time.

Now there are some things I do enjoy about the liner. The first this is the staying power. This liner does not budge from my lids until I remove it which is great for people with oily or hooded lids. Another thing I enjoy about the liner is how black it is. The black is supremely matte and well black. As I stated, I do enjoy the tip and how flexible and comfortable it feels I just wish the after gel product would work more cohesively with it to create that smooth and beautiful line we are all looking for.

Benefit's They're Real! Push-Up Liner 

All-in-all Benefit's They're Real! Push-Up liner failed to really impress me. I understand that there may be a learning curve for new products and I really gave this a chance. I think multiple uses for over two months would suffice as enough time to learn how to use a product efficiently. It's highly unlikely I would repurchase this product. Did this product work out for you? Please let me know your thoughts!