Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black

Ok, so this is the new gel eyeliner that Maybelline New York has come out with. Well, new on this side anyway!

I’m definitely an eyeliner girl and normally use pencil liners because I’m simply more comfortable using them than anything else. Liquid liner and I have never got along!

But I have been wanting to try an eyeliner that comes in a pot form for a while and so took the opportunity when I saw Maybelline’s latest contribution to the makeup world.
And I won’t lie, I liked the picture on the packaging! Guilty!
 

So this shade that I’m reviewing is Blackest Black and in total, the liners come in 4 colours with Brown, Charcoal and Eggplant being the other colours.
The gel liner comes in a little pot along with an eyeliner brush.

I did read up on reviews of this product before I bought it and a lot of people had issues with the brush, that it made the line too thick. Others also said that the liner itself was hard to apply and smudged all over the place and didn’t last.

So here’s how it worked out for me.

To start with, yes, the brush can be hard to work with at first, especially for a first-timer like me. But then after close examination of the brush (which I know I should’ve done in the first place so no one needs to tell me! :D ), I found that while the bristles are slightly stiff and come to a pointy tip, the brush is actually flat. (As you can see in the picture on below left)

 So essentially, I figured out that you can achieve two line sizes with it – one really thin and one thick. (Picture below right)

It’s all in how you apply the brush. With the flat part up, the line is thin, flat part sideways, you get a thicker line.

Figuring that out can be annoying for some so this would definitely not be a product for someone just starting out with eyeliners. I personally think eyeliner pencils are better for beginners because they just give you way more control.

The other option is to use your preferred eyeliner brush with the product and not the brush that comes with it.

As for the liner itself, I had no problems getting the colour on. It went on very intensely. However, it’s how much product you get on the brush that you have to be careful with. You’re better off just lightly touching the tip of the brush to the product and then adding more if you feel you need it. Definitely don’t drag the brush through the product or make a full dip because what will happen is that you’ll get way too much product on the brush and when you apply it, you’re going to get a very thick, smudgy, uneven line. Not nice! I learnt that the hard way!
On the website, they actually show the brush with way too much product loaded onto it. I’m taking it to mean that they’re just demonstrating the consistency of the product and not how to use it because I certainly wouldn’t use that much!

As for smudging, I didn’t experience any as the pictures will show you. (The picture right at the top of the articles is when i first applied the eyeliner before starting the day.) I did apply an eye shadow primer before putting on all my eye makeup so that may have played a part.
And I tend to have oily eyelids with eye shadows creasing and pencil eyeliners vanishing so I was quite happy that this one stayed on. Again, I would say the primer probably helped with this.

As for its lasting power, well, I was pretty happy with it. The product is supposed to be a 24 hour eyeliner. I had it on only for about 10 hours. I had it on when I went shopping throughout the day and took pictures late in the evening so you can see how it lasted. (Below)

I definitely didn’t reapply!

The line itself stayed on pretty well for most of the eye. Only the outer corners where I winged it out a bit lost its intensity.

So, not sure if it lasts 24 hours but certainly did well with the 10 hours I had it on.

So overall, for me, I will be using the product again and if it continues working this way for me, I will definitely be re-purchasing.

I like the intensity of the colour, got the hang of the brush and am quite happy with the staying power.

I would caution beginners against using it because I feel you need to know how to control the brush, not just with the line size but the overall application.

And lastly, I feel that if you’re in a rush, you’re better off using a pencil liner because this gel liner requires attention with the brush and with application.

I’ll definitely be doing a follow-up article to let you know if the product continued to perform or not and will also let you know how long the pot lasted.

Have questions about this product? Have you used it? Let us know by commenting below.