Tarte Skinny SmolderEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Eye Liner Review

I had been wanting to get my hands on a dark grey eye liner for a while.  Usually I wear black eye liner.  And for a softer look, I wore Black-Brown.  No, not Brown…. Black-Brown.  Espresso.  So dark brown it’s nearly black.

Anyway, I thought grey or charcoal would be a really pretty change of pace, without going too far outside my comfort zone.

So while perusing the Tarte website a while back, I stumbled upon the Skinny SmolderEYES Amazonian Clay waterproof eye liner.  (These pencils are a slimmed down version of their original -and chunkier- SmolderEYES waterproof liner).  And it just so happened to come in a lovely dark grey color called Slate.

Bingo!

 

I absolutely love the color.  It’s nice and dark (intensely pigmented), but not nearly as harsh as black. Also, it has a very subtle, near unnoticeable, shimmer.  It works beautifully to just catch the light around your eyes.

Now as far as the pencil formula is concerned, it’s super SUPER soft.  As in, be really careful when applying.  Just the tiniest bit too much of applied pressure will completely smush the tip.  I know this from experience.    I personally think these pencils are even softer than gel pencils.

The formula is definitely waterproof.  Soap and water is not enough to remove this eye liner.

Also, once the formula dries and sets, it really stays in place.  That being said, I did notice that at the end of a 10 hour day, it had sort of worn away in some areas.  It wasn’t smeared or smudged, but I think in the areas that my lids are oiliest, it wore away at parts of the line.

 

The swatch on the left is a blunt line drawn directly from the pencil.  On the right is a softer line created by using the smudging tool.  I had made just a small mark and the smudging tool thickened and elongated it to create a hazy, soft line.

 

This pencil is very easy to blend.  I put a small mark along just the center of my lash line and then used the smudging tool on the opposite end of the pencil to smudge and shape the mark into a soft and completed line.  You do have to work fairly quickly.  Once the formula sets, it will not longer smudge.

  

 

I think there is a lot of versatility in these pencils.  I could have smudged the color a little higher onto the lid to create a smokey effect.   Also putting little dots along the lower lash line and smoke and smudge it out.  Instant smokey eye.

The Skinny SmolderEYES waterproof liners retail for $19.00 each and are currently offered in eight gorgeous shades.

I’m really happy I got a chance to try a new eye liner from a higher end brand that I love, but I’m also interested in seeing some grey shades in my drugstore brands.

Have you tried any of the Tarte SmolderEYES liners?  What did you think?

Have you experimented with grey or charcoal colored eye liner?  If you haven’t, I highly recommend trying it out!