The Makeup Box

Quick Review of Eye Charm Lash and Lid Adhesive

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This is going to be a super-quick post for false eyelash wearers. You might have heard of this brand of very strong lash adhesive commonly bought from eBay, called Eye Charm.

• Brand: Marie Beauty
• Name: Eye Charm Adhesive
• Price: Varies from US$2 - 6.99 for a 7ml tube from eBay or Lightinthebox.com (If you can get it for under $7-8 including shipping, go for it)
• Appearance: Pale mint green tube with silver cap and black curvy heart stamped on the length.
• Doubles as: Double-lid glue

Note: There are tons of alternatives bearing the same name and very similar packaging but with a different logo. I have not tried any of the alternatives outside of the main brand, Marie Beauty, but I strongly suspect these are like the 88 and 120 palettes. One or two manufacturers make them, everybody else buys them and stamps on their own labels.

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Pros:

• Easy to apply a paint-on lash-glue, so you don’t need to fiddle with a squeeze tube. This means it is super-convenient if you need to touch up in the middle of the day, and you have much lower risk of wasting product by squeezing too much out.
• No drying time. You don’t need to wait and guess if your glue has dried enough. This is ready to stick on pretty much once it’s applied.
• Super strong. This seriously is stronger than DUO glue, and it will really hang on to your lash bands for a longer period of time than conventional glues.
• Cheap and widely available online.
• Works much better than the paint-on adhesive from Ardell.

(Look above using Eye Charm)

Cons:

• Weird chemical smell (it disappears once it dries, but some people might hate it)
• Might be too strong for some. It’s extremely hard to remove from your lid at the end of the day.

• Very long shipping times mostly. This is manufactured in China and sold mostly either from China or Hong Kong, so expect to wait 2-3 weeks or even longer sometimes.

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My Experience:

I don’t need to apply as much of this glue as I do regular DUO adhesive, which means your lash glue won’t look very obvious and thick. It also lasts for hours without the corners of lashes popping up.

It’s so strong that your lid can feel a little uncomfortable at times, and it is extremely hard to remove even with makeup remover, but the product itself has never caused any sensitive reaction, burning or itching.

If you have very oily lids or your lid glue tends not to work for long, this is a very good option to try as long as you can stand the smell at the start!

This holds paper lashes like nothing else. Paper lashes need to point diagonally upwards so that can be tricky with a glue that isn’t strong. This just makes the whole process so much quicker and easier.

Friday’s Eye of the Day, plus BH Cosmetics Eye and Lip Primer Review!

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Was testing out BH Cosmetics’ eye and lip primer ($7.77) and did a subtle eye with a colored twist, using MAC’s Tan pigment and Sable, with a dark navy Motorhead as liner of sorts. The shadows went on with pretty good intensity and stayed on with minimal fading over a 12 hour day. 

Texture:

This reminds me of Lime Crime’s famous Candy Eye Shadow Primer, but is more pigmented.

I personally think this works better on those who need a primer to prep slightly oily lids and make shadow last, and not so well for those who are looking for a base to intensify shadows. It doesn’t dull your shadow the way some primers can; it just doesn’t really enhance it in particular either.

(Strangely enough, BH does have another primer which is designed to hold on to shadows and neutralize discolorations as well. I’m not sure how that would compare to this, but I would guess this is better for normal/combi lids and the other is better for oilier skins.)

Appearance:

As mentioned, this has quite a lot of pigments - more than any other primer I’ve tried - so it’s like a sheer concealer almost. You will need to blend it out quickly and try not to over-apply or you could end up with slight patchiness. It will cover discolorations and veined lids better than clear primers like Too Faced Shadow Insurance or Coastal Scents Shadow Worx.

Pros:

• Affordable
• Nice, creamy/silky texture that goes on easily
• Sets quickly and doesn’t budget easily
• Holds on to shadow pretty well
• Pigmented, which means you can use it to conceal discolorations on lips and lids
• Portable size.

Cons:

• Very tiny. This comes in a 3g jar (which on the flip-side makes it portable). That said, I’ve found often with pot primers like Lime Crime’s as well as BH’s, a teeny tiny bit goes a very long way, so a small jar like this can last for months. You’re NOT supposed to over-apply.
• Dries and sets quite quickly, so make sure you apply a minimal amount or it can look patchy on the lids.
• If you have darker skin, this might look ashy on you. It might work ok on the lids, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a lip primer if you have tanned or deep skin.

Verdict: 

Overall, a good primer that is definitely worth the price tag! It isn’t quite as bullet-proof as the Lime Crime Shadow Helper, but it does very well at a fraction of the cost. 

On the other hand, I do prefer it to Too Faced Shadow Insurance (surprise!); I like the slight creaminess of this primer more. If you work fast, this will bring out your shadows better than the Too Faced, which tends to be too slippery/silicone-y.

This WILL work better on fair to medium skins, but might be too deep for the porcelain-skinned. For darker skins, lighter shades like these do tend to bring out bright colors better so it would work on the eyes, but I’d definitely avoid this as a lip primer.

3 Raves and 3 Rants

This is a quick run-down of products I’ve loved and loathed recently, for various reasons.

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Raves

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1. Lierac Huile Sensorielle Aux 3 Fleurs - Collection Blanch

This is such a splurge, but I like to spread a small pump of this luxurious plant-derived oil (argan, hazelnut, sweet almond, and grape seed) over dry parts of my face, under the eyes, and on my lips. Not only does it sooth and condition dry skin, but it also contains a large amount of white flower oils (jasmine, camellia, gardenia) and smells divine and soothes my mind as well.

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2. Rachel K CC Cream

I’ve mentioned this before, and I love how it gives coverage while being matte, natural-looking and lightweight. I’ve got so many new foundations but I keep finding myself reaching for this in the morning. 

The main problem is that it’s so hard to get outside of Singapore. I tried to contact the company for more information but nobody ever responded to my email, which is always a bit of a bummer. 

Customer relations minus-one.

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3. MAC Full of Joy Blush

This is a permanent shade released with the Tres Cheek collection. It’s an odd shade to buy because it’s a soft satin lavender which may look odd on those with deeper skin tones. 

I specifically wanted a shade like that because it’s a perfect base for a cool-toned blush. Most cool-toned blushes will end up looking warmer over the skin, so layering them over a lavender helps to make the color stay true.

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Rants

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1. Megaholic Rubber Extension Mascara

Before you moan about not being able to access this “rubber” mascara in your country, read further down.

This gum-containing mascara promised to deliver dramatic length, and looked SOOO promising. But while it DOES really lengthen and add on to the ends of your lashes, it also dries so fast that it’s almost impossible to build up properly. Going over any coated lash with the comb will give you clumpy, twig-like lashes, which I hate. Once it sets, it’s also amost impossible to comb out properly.

You are also not going to get much natural-looking volume or feathery lashes with this. 

If you like big spiky lashes from a distance, this would work, but if you want to look nice up close, there are easier ways to achieve that than this product.

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2. Maybelline Clear Smooth 8-in-1 High Protection BB Cream SPF50

This BB Cream comes in 2 shades, one of which is deep enough for medium skins that it does not give you an ashy or pink cast like some Korean BB Creams would. But that’s about the only thing I like about it.

In terms of feel, coverage, texture etc, it loses out completely. Next time, just avoid gimmicky mass-market cosmetic giant copies because while it’s half the price of many BB Creams, I’d rather just have spent no money on it at all.

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3. Bourjois Stick Anticernes Correcteur #72 Beige Rose

I bought this because it was specifically designed to correct discolorations under the eyes. This is a bit more pink than my skin naturally is, so I thought “all the better to neutralize dark circles!”

What a mistake. I’ve tried to work with this several times but if you have any dryness, lines, or uneven texture under your eyes, this is not going to go on smoothly or spread easily for the most part.

For normal to oily skin, it might perform slightly better in terms of application, but the staying power is really a bit of a miss as well.