Welcome back, Beauty ’Cats! I hope you all had a wonderful summer, as I definitely did.
Welcome back, Beauty ’Cats! I hope you all had a wonderful summer, as I definitely did. One of the things that made my summer so great was my internship, which not only served as an excellent source of experience, it also gave me some extra cash to spend on — you guessed it — makeup.
I have a lot of new items that I’m excited about reviewing for this column but, first and foremost, let’s talk about Benefit’s new eyeliner. This summer, Benefit rocked the beauty world with its first-ever gel liner pen: the They’re Real! Push-Up Liner. Everything about this eyeliner is different than anything I have ever used and, while that can be a good thing, it had some downsides as well. I have so much to say about this product, so I’m going to break it down:
The product is packaged in a sleek tube that mimics the styling of its parent product, the They’re Real! Mascara, but when you unscrew the cap (which I learned after spending way too long trying to pull it off before I tried twisting it), it’s a whole different ball game. The liner is outfitted with what Benefit has coined the “AccuFlex tip,” which is a rubber tip with a super-slim, angled point that the gel liner comes out of. This super-slim point is where their “innovative lash-hugging technology” comes in, according to Benefit's website.
After twisting the base of the liner, the gel emerges from the tip. The instructions suggest to stop as soon as you see the gel emerge because you only need a tiny amount to do the trick. In my experience with this, using too much gel causes the liner to break off on your lid and get clumpy. To make sure I have just enough, I run the AccuFlex tip on the back of my hand so if it does break off, it’s not on my eye.
Getting the perfect amount of product really plays into how well this liner works. This does take practice. The women at the Sephora store warned me of this when I bought it, and they were totally right. Once you’ve mastered that, though, you’re free to place the AccuFlex tip snug against your lashes and guide the pen from the inner to outer corners of your eyes. This takes some practice, too. As a long-time user of the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner, I am used to a soft felt tip that I can angle any which way and see results.
But, the They’re Real! Push-Up Liner only has product coming out of the sleek opening on the angled tip, and you have to be sure that you keep the tip steady against your lid, otherwise it can cause skips and smudges.
Some words of wisdom: When attempting to master this product, don’t do your eye shadow. In my case, I spent a lot of time taking the liner off and trying again until I drew a line I was satisfied with. I do have to admit, though, if I’m in a hurry I still go straight for my Stila liner because I have years of practice under my belt with it and I know I can draw a perfect line in no time at all. When I have time, though, I spend a few extra minutes perfectly applying the Benefit liner — it’s worth it!
A lot of the negative reviews I’ve read have been related to the particular things I’ve mentioned above. Benefit has received a fair mix of feedback, but I believe that those who were unimpressed didn’t put in the necessary time and patience to master the product. I am extremely satisfied with this product and I believe the time I spent playing around with it was worth it. Not to mention that it literally does NOT budge, and it’s actually a (figurative) pain to remove. That’s probably why Benefit came out with the They’re Real! Remover to take off the product with ease. But, that’s a whole different column! I can’t complain, though, because there’s nothing worse than coming home from a night Uptown with raccoon eyes, and if you use the They’re Real! Push-Up liner, that isn’t even a possibility. If you’re looking for a liner that will last all day, won’t smudge and will give you the perfect cat eye or tight line, try Benefit’s new liner; it’s definitely worth the patience.
Taylor LaPuma is a senior studying journalism and a slot editor at The Post. What do you think of Benefit’s new liner? Email her at tl674710@ohio.edu
