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).

Product Review: L'Oreal Silkissime Eyeliner (in Highlighter)

L'Oreal Silkissime Waterproof Eyeliner (Shade: Highlighter)

Recently, I picked up a L'Oreal Paris Silkissime Waterproof Eyeliner in Highlighter from my local Walgreens since I have seen so many rave reviews for this product. I am happy to get to put this to the test myself, and after using it for a couple of days I have formulated my final thoughts on this. Now, this review cannot be for all of the different shades, as I have not tried them, but it will be for the shade Highlighter. I think the name is fitting because as I was purchasing this, I specifically wanted to use it to give my eyes a more "awaken" and refreshed look.

The shade is a neutral pink when swatched, you can see the opacity of the shade with just one swipe and above that, what it looks like when it is layered. These are not the type of liners to use for smudging because they set quickly. The formula of these eyeliners doesn't claim to be creamy, and I find that they are fairly middle-of-the-road in terms of how easily they apply. There doesn't seem to be much tugging when laying the color down, but it doesn't feel overly smooth or soft, either (this might be because the formula is waterproof).

This eyeliner is not a twist-up pencil, it is a traditional pencil and will require conventional sharpening (a sharpener is not included).

When applied, I had to layer the shade on about 5-6x in order to get a good amount of pigmentation on my lower lash line, and even though the formula is waterproof, it is not completely smudge-proof. If your eyes water, the liner may not have a chance to set in your waterline after application if it does not "cure" while your eyes are dry - this is what happened to me. I did apply the liner in the waterline AND lashline, and you can see here after about 30 minutes of wear, it had entirely disappeared from my waterline, but was holding up well on my lower lashline.

Overall, I don't think that this eyeliner is far superior to the Rimmel Scandaleyes in Nude, specifically in the shade Highlighter, but I do recommend it if you like the color. I have tried gel-formula eyeliners by Makeon which are much more long-wearing in a similar rose color (shade name is Falling in Love), if you want a gentle, softer-applying formula. I would wait to pick up the L'Oreal Silkissime eyeliners on sale, as I do think that the retail price can be a little steep for the quality (regularly $8.99).

Mariposa - Glinda Eyes of the Day

My eyes of the day were inspired by the butterflies in the Mariposa palette and the ethereal look of the Glinda the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz (and Urban Decay palette infamy). I'm excited that spring is here and the weather is finally starting to warm up, so bright colors and pastels will be the norm!

Here are the products I used for this look (as always I'll let you know exactly how to achieve this on your own):

I really wanted to do something with purples and pinks, but rather than sticking with just the violet color family, I wanted to incorporate the end of frost on my lower lash line. I did this by creating an icy blue on the inner corner that gently melds into the purple. I kept the eyeliner absolutely minimal because I didn't want it to overpower these beautiful colors, as a bold cat-eye can usually make an overwhelming statement and clash with very multicolored eyeshadow.

Primarily I used the Urban Decay Mariposa Palette, which is not part of their permanent collection, but you can still purchase it on eBay or Amazon. I also used some accent colors from the Glinda eyeshadow palette (these pop out of the palette and are full sized shadows, they are very convenient to work with). I finished the look with some bold colored purple and icy blue eyeliners, which I set with powder foundation for long-lasting wear.

1. Skimp (from the UD Mariposa Palette) all over the brow-bone up to eyebrows
2. Limelight (from the UD Mariposa Palette) on the inner 1/3rd of the lid
3. Money (from the UD Mariposa Palette) on the middle 1/3rd of the lid, blend with Limelight at border
4. Rockstar (from the UD Mariposa Palette) on the outer 1/3rd of the lid, blend with Money at border and apply all over crease generously, making sure the color is as deep as you want it
5. Infamous (from the UD Mariposa Palette) used to blend out top border of Rockstar into the brow-bone
6. Apply a creamy black eyeliner to the upper lash line (I used Sumita Beauty's Kala Black Color Intense Pencil)
7. Line the outer 2/3rds of the lower waterline and lash line with a deep purple (I used Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Ransom)
1. "Set" this eyeliner with Rockstar, same eyeshadow used in step 4 above
8. Line the inner 1/3rd of the lower waterline and lash line with an icy blue (I used Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal 008 Light Blue)
1. "Set" this eyeliner with a light blue eyeshadow (I used the blue half of the shade Aura from the UD Glinda Palette)
9. Feather out any parts of the makeup that are too harsh, for me this was the inner corner transition, so I went in with a very light peach to fade the pink eyeshadow I used into my browbone color (UD Glinda Palette "Illusion")
10. To finish off the look, I used the black mascara Jordana Best Lash Extreme!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!