I made a trip to Kam Man Food Products Inc this past weekend because I was dying to check out some of the beuty items they had to offer. Not only is this a playground if you're looking for teas, sweets, or anything Hello Kitty, but nearly every inch of the upstairs is loaded with fun foreign beauty products to explore. The one thing I knew I wanted when I arrived was a new black liquid eyeliner. The brand I was really there to look into was Koji's Dolly Wink liquid liner but unfortunately they only had the pencil liners in stock at the time. This meant I could wander around Chinatown looking for another store, or I could take a chance on something new.
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| Sana Extra Heavy Eyeliner in Black |
My gamble on something new has totally paid off. There are very few things I can find lacking in this eyeliner. Before I start talking about what I didn't like I'll talk about what I did like. First the applicator is not the firm but flexible foam I was expecting, but a genuine bristle brush tip that you might find on a traditional dippable liquid eyeliner.
It's a bit difficult to tell here but it is in fact a brush applicator. I was initially dissapointed to see this because I thought it was going to make it more difficult to control the line I was creating. I was wrong. Not only is it a brush but it is a flat brush design. With the face if the brush you can create a thick dramatic line and with the profile of the brush you can do far more precise work. The product also seems to flow more easily through the fibers of the brush than it would through a more commonplace felt tip.
My next favorite thing is that this stuff lasts! I wore this on what had to be the hottest day of the summer to an outdoor barbeque. Even in the very outside corner of my eye where every liner I've ever used has smuged and run this stayed put. In addition to the lasting power this product dries almost on contact with the skin. When you get the product where you want it you can bet that it will stay where you want it. Now on to some of the drawbacks.
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| L: Four Passes R: One Pass |
It is not opaque in one coat. You can see in the photo above that one swipe of this baby is not going to give you a nice dark black line. That said, becaue this liner dries so quickly, it diminishes the annoyance of having to do multiple layers to create opacity. I would say it takes 2-3 layers to get a nice dense black color. In my opinion, with this formula, its gives you the option of a softer black color for days when you want to wear a more subtly defined eye. The product doesn't go on patchy at all but flows over the skin fluidly.
I would say the only real thing I disliked about this was that it stains the skin. When I swatched it both in store and for the photos above it took about 24 hours for the color to fade completely. I thought I would avoid this on they eye by layering primers underneath but unfortunately it still left a faint grey stain behind after the initial removal with the Vichy Micellar Solution. By the time my cleansing and moisturizing was finished all that was left was a slight grey smudge up against my lashes. For me this wasn't a deal breaker but if you are skeeved out by the thought of any remenant of your day left behind then this liner isn't for you. I would also worn against it if you wear your wings (or just liquid liner) like 363 days a year because I fear the staining might build if you're not careful about removal. As I only currently opt fot liquid liner about 1-2 times a week this isn't going to become a mounting issue for me.
Overall I'm pleased with my first foray into Asian beauty brands and I have a couple more products to show and tell. I'm also really thrilled with the prospect of something really new to me. It's easy when you spend a good deal of your time browsing products to get bored with the constant repitition.
Have you guys tried this liner? What did you think? Do you have any other foreign beauty suggestions?
xoxo
Molly
