Cult of MAC, Part 2: You Are My Constant

Electro Flash @ Nordstrom, early July

Color Forms @Nordstrom, late July

Cult of Cherry @ MAC Ala Moana, August

At first the last picture from the Cult of Cherry stands out for all sorts of reasons, - not just because I had somebody else (the lovely Chantell from MAC) do the makeup, and that the lighting in this particular bathroom is harsher than the ones at Nordie's. There's still that sultry ManCatcher edge - especially since the "O" lipstick is a lovely stand-in for the Lustre Twins - but it's a lot less in-your-face.

But then... the eyes. And in particular, the eyeliner.

Make no mistake about it: That Fluidline gel eyeliner in Blacktrack looks fantastic on me. Love love love it. Love how it stays on for hours, even when I've sweated the rest of my makeup away. Love how it's so versatile for a simple cat eye as well as a full-on smoky mod/goth look. Love how makeup artists use it to give my eyes so much definition, especially since they can apply it straight to my eyes without diluting in water. Love how it stays on and never runs, EVER.

So why have I not bought this stuff?

If I had a whole hour or two for makeup, as I did during these makeovers, I would totally use the stuff as regularly as possible. Unfortunately - with my life being what it is, now that I'm working two jobs (none of which require black eyeliner as part of the dress code) - working with a gel eyeliner and a separate brush in the mornings (or between functions) would be unwieldy at best, impractical at worst. And, c'mon - for the MSRP of $15 a pop, I do expect to be able to wear it every single day, right?

Sigh.

Anyway, this may be a good time for me to start talking pencil eyeliners. The long-running gold standard at Casa de Mei - heartily endorsed by the makeup-wearers in my family - is Revlon's ColorStay, for its tenacious staying power; their black is suitably dark and intense, while the Black Brown is work-friendly and versatile with just about any color. I've also had some luck with Jordana's EasyLiner (aka the dirtiest, best-kept secret of fashionista wannabes everywhere), but right now I've decided to road-test their regular 7-inch pencil liner instead... yes, the 99-cent one from Walgreens that they're also promoting just in time for Halloween. (Oy, tell that to the emo kids!) I'm not expecting this to last as long as the MAC or Revlon, but I am expecting richness and intensity, and an ability to at least play nice with everything else that I wear with it.

But until then... we shall wait, and see, and find out soon.