Review & Comparison: Jordana Liquid Eyeliner Pencil (Aqua Stone)

I have been on an obvious Jordana kick lately and it has been fun discovering and trying out various products from the uber affordable line. The quality of their products has really knocked my socks off in the past few weeks and I'm happy to report that their 12 HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Aqua Stone is no exception.

I was instantly drawn to the greyish metallic blue shade because it jumped out at me in the display, it seemed so unique and pigmented just from the packaging alone. Thankfully, the swatch turned out just as amazing as the packaging! It glides on so smoothly, applies easily and stays on for at least 10 hours (I know the claims are 12 but I took my makeup off before the 12HR mark). There was no budging during the wear time, even though I had rubbed my eyes and my eyes watered some.

Here's what the Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Aqua Stone looked like after 2 hours of wear. Not too shabby, right? It has far exceeded my expectations and partially the opacity might come from the metallic and blue based nature of the shade (I have noticed blue eyeshadows and eye products in general last longer than other colors). Overall, this makes me want to pick up a few more shades from this line! 

The only negative point is that you have to sharpen the pencil yourself since it isn't mechanical (that's not a deal breaker in my opinion). 

I pulled out other blue eyeliners from my collection to compare the quality of them for you. Obviously this isn't so much a shade comparison as it is one of quality, wear and application.

You can tell from the swatches that the sparkle in the Jordana 12 HR Liquid Eyeliner Pencil was similar to that of the Makeon Waterproof Gel Pencil Liner in Aqua Deep Blue. I thought that the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils (in both Flipside and Mainline) applied much more patchy and broken up when layered compares to the Jordana pencil eyeliner. The MAC Softsparkle Eye Pencil (in Peacocked, this shade was Limited Edition) was much harder and less gel-like, making it more difficult to apply - the sparkle is also not recommended for waterline usage.

This Jordana 12 HR Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Aqua Stone is going to become my go-to bright blue shade as it is the perfect bright medium metallic blue, with a consistency that is gel-like and very long lasting power (comparable to the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils).

Have you tried this or similar products out? Let me know your recommendations in the comments below!

Review & Comparison: Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil (Continuous Almond)

The Jordana 12 Hour Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond is a new purchase and I wanted to share with you the uses of this product as well as my opinions on the quality compared to similar products on the market. You get a nice amount of product, and this only cost me $3.99 at my local Duane Reade.

You can see in the swatch that the color is just slightly lighter than my natural skin tone and it has a nice amount of coverage even on the first pass (bottom swatch), but can be built nicely and does not ball up or become separated. The pencil does need to be sharpened, this isn't a twist-up mechanical pencil.

From left to right: L'Oreal Silkissme (Highlighter), Jordana E/S Pencil (Pink Evermore), Milani Shadow Eyez (Sand Dunes), Jordana E/S Pencil (Eternal White), Jordana E/S Pencil (Continuous Almond), Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter, Rimmel Scandaleyes (Nude)

I went through my collection of eyeliners and found the ones that are most comparable to the Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond. The closest dupe I found was the Rimmel Scandaleyes in Nude, but this is a thinner pencil and would be more difficult to apply all over the lid, I also think it has more sheer coverage.

I also wanted to compare Continuous Almond to others in the Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil range, namely Pink Evermore and Eternal White.

Swatch comparisons for the Jordana Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond

You can see from the swatches that Jordana E/S Pencil in Continuous Almond and the Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter are the smoothest, most full coverage of the pencils (Chella's pencil has a more brightening effect, however and seems to have line-filling properties).

The Jordana E/S Pencil in Eternal White is patchy and cannot be layered as nicely as the Continuous Almond shade, I often use this as a base but struggle to get an even application. The Jordana E/S Pencil in Pink Evermore is the same formula but it has shimmer so it gives off a different finish. You can see that the Milani Shadow Eyez in Sand Dunes is a golden glittery version of Continuous Almond.

L'Oreal Silkissime in Highlighter is by far the hardest textured pencil of the bunch, it applies the least creamy but has a long staying power, it literally has to be rubbed off or else residue remains (I experienced this with my swatch).

Overall, I highly recommend the Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond, it has better staying power than the Milani Shadow Eyez, better coverage than the Rimmel Scandaleyes pencil and is a smoother application than all of the other comparisons. This pencil could work well as an all-over nude shade or as a base for eyeshadows (this will probably be my primary use for this shade).

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Terra Crave

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Terra Crave

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, then you'll know that I love the formula of the Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stains. For my money, these are the least expensive and best quality chubby stick balm stains on the market. I think the quality far surpasses that of the NYC or Wet 'N Wild equivalent. These chubby sticks are long-wearing, deeply moisturizing and provide a nice amount of pigmentation without being too overwhelming. These are the perfect combination of color and moisture.

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Terra Crave

Terra Crave is a beautiful terracotta medium red shade with a slight tings of orange. In the entire shade range, this stands out to me as a very autumnal shade which is akin to the color of turning leaves. This is a very multi-purpose terracotta color which can be worn day or night for a "your lips but better" look while adding a little bit of a tint to your natural lip shade.

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Terra Crave  - Lip Swatch

You can tell from the application on my lips that the formula is somewhat glossy, but not sparkly, and this is probably due to the fact that it is an intensely moisturizing formula. The color is build-able so you can intensify it if you feel the need or wear it more muted.

Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stains

I wanted to compare Terra Crave to the other shades of Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stains that I own so you can see the difference.

Swatches of Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stains

Tropical Frenzy is a medium bright pink, Candied Coral is an intense neon coral, Cranberry Crush is a berry purple rose shade, and Terra Crave is a terracotta reddish brown. The moisturizing shiny finish is consistent throughout the range and all of these apply equally smoothly.

Terracotta Lip Crayon/Balm Stain Comparison

I also wanted to show you how the Terra Crave shade compares to other similarly colored products on the market. The L'Oreal Glossy Balm and the Urban Decay Super-Saturated Lip Color have a similar finish to the Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stains.

Terracotta Lip Crayon/Balm Stain Comparison Swatches

The swatches reveal that the Annabelle Twist Up Lipstick Crayon in Romance is by far the most pink-toned of these shades, while the Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick in Brooklyn is the darkest spice brown shade. 

The Urban Decay Super-Saturated Lip Color in Glinda is the most sheer, being closely duped by the L'Oreal Glossy Balm in Lovely Mocha. 

The Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stain in Terra Crave is halfway between the shades of the L'Oreal Glossy Balm and the Tarte Lipsurgence Lip Creme in Thoughtful.

If you're interested in drying spice or terracotta shades for the fall season, I highly recommend the Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stain in Terra Crave... the price commitment is so low (at only $2.99 each) and I'm sure you will be impressed by the overall formula of this product line by Jordana. I have tons of Chubby Balm Stains and I reach for these above all of my others on a regular basis! They even have a sweet, candy scent to them which I find extremely pleasant.

Review & Swatches: Wet n Wild Halloween 2014 Megaslicks Balm Stain - Limited Edition

Wet n Wild has released a whole new Halloween 2014 Collection and it can be found at Walgreens and Duane Reade. I have purchased "2AM Call Time" and "Senorita" and wanted to compare them to two colors from the permanent collection of Megaslicks Balm Stains. I only skipped out on one of these from the Halloween collection, it was a gold color called "You're Golden" but it just wasn't my cup of tea!

Now as you may already know the Megaslicks Balm Stains are a moisturizing formula combining both color and nourishment for your lips. They are an easy alternative to the lipstick and they go on smooth and wear comfortably. They stain the lips, specifically leaving a color if they are darker or brighter-toned (the nudes don't do this as much). The Balm Stains also have a minty refreshing feeling which perks your lips up and even has a slight plumping effect in my experience.

You may be able to tell from the swatch that "Senorita" was by far the most glossy of the Balm Stains, and the new shades ("2AM Call Time" and "Senorita") seemed to apply even more smoothly than "Rico Mauve" and "Pinky Promise" form the permanent collection.

Lip Swatch of Wet n Wild Megaslicks Balm Stain in "Senorita", ambient lighting

"Senorita" is a true red in every sense of the word, it seems to be a mid-tone red that doesn't lean orange or plum. I really love this shade for a night out or a bold lip with a muted eyeshadow look. It made my lips look full, didn't settle into any creases and the shine left a healthy glow.

Lip Swatch of Wet n Wild Megaslicks Balm Stain in "2AM Call Time", with flash

"2AM Call Time" is a bold color, not for the faint of heart! It is a bright purple shade, not cranberry-like in the slightest. It reminds me of more expensive lipsticks such as LimeCrime's which specialize in bold colors. I'm so happy I bought this color, it's truly unique! I can see myself lightly patting this on my lips for a hint of color for daytime.

I was so intrigued by 2AM Call Time and I just had to compare it to other similar colors from the drugstore from my collection. I have the Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in "Shameless" and the Jordana Twist & Shine in "Cranberry Crush" for comparison.

Wet N Wild Megaslicks Balm Stain "2AM Call Time" Comparison

You can see from the swatches above that the Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in "Cranberry Crush" is the most wearable of the bunch, applying more as a cranberry than a purple. The Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in "Shameless" is a more matte, blue-toned purple, slightly deeper in saturation than the Wet N Wild Balm Stain in "2AM Call Time". I actually thought the Revlon Balm in "Shameless" was much patchier (you can even tell in the swatch) and it settles into the fine lines of my lips, something that the Wet N Wild Balm Stain does not. The biggest difference between the Revlon and Wet N Wild products is that the latter has a good amount of moisturizing and shine, while the former can be described as drying on the lips and is best worn with another balm underneath.

Do you own any of the Wet N Wild Megaslicks Balm Stains? Which color is your favorite and why? Let me know in the comments below!