Review: New Revlon ColorStay Crème Gel Eye Liner in Brown

Of all the new 2012 Revlon products I've reported about over the past several weeks, this was probably the one I was most excited to actually purchase and try. I LOVE the ColorStay automatic eyeliners, and I was hoping that the creme gel version would have the same level of staying power. I purchased this liner several weeks ago at CVS and now that I've had some time to test it, I'd love to share my thoughts with you.

 Revlon ColorStay Crème Gel Eyeliner in Brown

(retail: around $9.99, 0.08 oz)

There are four shades in this range (Black, Brown, Plum and Charcoal) and you can read more about them on the Revlon website.

 

There are a few Asian cosmetics companies that make eyeliners in this same style of packaging:

You pull the upper portion off (which houses the brush) and then turn it the other way to place it back into the base:

Once you've placed the brush back into the base, you simply unscrew it from the bottom and that becomes your handle:

I was actually quite impressed with the brush. It's thin and narrow enough to achieve a nice, sharp line, and the bristles are soft, not rough like some other "comes with the product" brushes. The only complaint I have about this brush is that I'm already starting to see it shed after just a few weeks of use. The shedding is not major, but I've noticed about five stray bristles so far.

The thing that surprised me the most was how small the pot of liner actually is. It looked like it was going to be larger, judging from how it appears with the lid screwed on, but here it is next to one of the Physicians Formula gel liner trios (which are quite small in their own right):

It's hard to really tell in the above picture, but the OPENING of this pot is VERY small. Here it is next to a dime, for perspective:

I own several gel and creme liners and I must say that I've never seen a pot with an opening this small before. It took some time to get used to because it's a tiny bit difficult for me to see the surface of the product when I'm dipping the brush into it. 

Another surprise was that this liner actually contains silver sparkle. I wasn't expecting that, but it's certainly not a deal-breaker for me (although I want you to be aware of it, of course).

Here are some lines I drew on my arm before my "smudge test":

As you can see, you're able to draw very fine lines, as well as thicker lines with the accompanying brush. And as you can also see, this liner is not terribly opaque. It is buildable though (see bottom line), but it does require a few trips to the pot to pick up more color before you get an opaque line.

So here are the results of my smudge test (I let the product set for about a minute and then ran my index finger back and forth across all three lines with a good amount of pressure for about 10 seconds):

I was very impressed with the results of my smudge test! The only areas where this product smudged were where there was an excess amount of liner to begin with. Other than that, this product set wonderfully and it truly does not smudge after it sets.

I also want to mention that you have PLENTY of time to work with this product before it sets. And, I can go back and add more color and not see any "bald" spots. That's ALWAYS a plus!

Here's what it looks like on my eyes:

For these photos, I used this product on both my upper lash line and also my lower lashline. I blended out the line on my lower lashline a bit more (I like the keep the line on my upper lash line as sharp as possible). To achieve the level of pigmentation you see in these photos, I had go to back over my lines once after my initial application.

 You can kind of see the sparkle in this product in the photos above, but it's not a "Hey, look at me!" type of sparkle by any means.

Texture: I would say that this liner is drier than the Physicians Formula gel liners, but not as dry as the Maybelline gel liners. On a scale of one to ten (one being extremely dry and 10 being extremely wet) this one's about a 4. But even though it's on the drier side, I don't find it difficult to apply because it's still somewhat creamy and smooth. Since it's not super slick and it's not extremely pigmented, it would be IDEAL for beginners. If you have never used a gel liner before, this one's pretty fool-proof as far as the texture goes. You can easily start with a subtle line and build for more intensity, as opposed to it being slick and dark right out of the gate (which would be kind of intimidating if this was your first time using a gel liner).

Pigmentation: Like I said before, this liner is not big on pigmentation. It IS easily buildable though. However, if you're a gel liner pro and you love intensely pigmented liners that don't require you to go back over your lines, this one's probably not for you.

Staying Power: I can go about 5-6 hours before I start to see light fading and slight creasing near the outside corners of my eyes. After about eight hours, I find that the color of this product has noticably faded on my eyes, but I do have extremely oily lids. Your results may vary but, honestly, the ColorStay automatic liners have better staying power for my particular skin and chemistry.

FINAL VERDICT: The Revlon ColorStay Crème Gel Eye Liner in Brown would be an ideal product for someone who has never used a gel liner before. I think it's extremely user-friendly and unlike some drugstore gel liners that come with an unusable brush, I find the brush that comes with this product to be very easy to use and of decent quality. So if you're new to the world of gel liners, you wouldn't even have to purchase a separate brush. Given its lighter pigmentation, you literally cannot overdo it with this product, which again makes it excellent for beginners. For those of you who are already well-skilled at applying gel liners, this might be nice if you're looking for a color that gives you more of a natural look, but if you like your gel liners deep, dark and intense on the first swipe, this one's not for you. As for the staying power, I'm disappointed that this does not have the long-wear properties that I've come to expect from the ColorStay brand, but please keep in mind that the other shades in the range could be different. Also, as always, your results may vary depending on your skin type, etc.

Have you spotted these new liners at your local drugstores yet? If you already own one, I'd love to hear how it's working for you!