Review: NYC High Definition Liquid Eyeliner

Confession: The 1st time I EVER wore eyeliner was last summer.

I seriously wore makeup for years and never even touched eyeliner! After "mastering" the art of pencil eyeliner (I will review some of the pencil eyeliners I've tried in another post), I decided it was time for me to try liquid eyeliner. 

I wanted to start with a felt tip eyeliner and I wanted it to be pretty cheap because I was learning. Alli (MakeupByAlli) mentioned that one of her favorite liquid eyeliners was from NYC, which I knew was an affordable brand & I loved all of their products I'd tried, so I decided to go check it out. When I went to purchase the liquid eyeliner Alli talked about (which wasn't felt tip), I saw that NYC also sold a felt tip liquid liner, so I purchased that instead.

It's such a great eyeliner! For me, a beginner, it's super quick & easy to use! I can do it faster and make it look better than I ever could with any of my pencil liners. The tip is great and I can get a thin line or a thick line with it. It has never smudged for me and lasts all day--even when I have naps. If I mess up while applying it, it is easy to fix. It also works great when it is set with a shadow (I do this to make it matte). 

After reading some other reviews on this product I found out that a lot of people do not like this eyeliner, so this eyeliner is not for everyone. I do not have oily eyelids or anything like that, so I don't know if it will work for people who do.

I would mainly recommend this for anyone else who's learning how to use eyeliner. It's not too dark, so it won't look super harsh, and it's easy to use.

For under $4, this is a great product to try because it's not a huge waste of money if you don't like it. It's very affordable, possibly one of the cheapest liquid liners sold. 

PS- I decided not to do my Favorite YouTubers of February. I was way too behind to choose my favorites and it's already the middle of March.

How Much Does My Face Cost?

Hey ladies! Sorry I haven't posted anything for a while. Since I've been such a slacker lately, I'm going to load this week with a lot of posts. & just a heads up--I won't be blogging at all the week of Thanksgiving either.

Anyway, let's get to it! I do try to do my makeup differently everyday, but for the sake of the post I based it off of what I wear most often.

1. Foundation: Covergirl Clean Oil Control Foundation- $5.94
2. Powder: Covergirl Smoothers Pressed Powder- $6.24
3. Eyelid Primer: e.l.f. Eyelid Primer- $1.00
4. Lid Color: Sephora Collection Primal Instincts Eyeshadow Palette- $28.00
5. Crease Color: Sephora Collection Moonshadow Baked Palette In the Nude- $27.00
6. Highlight Color: Sephora Collection Makeup Made Simple Palette- $34.00
7. Eyeliner: Ulta Gel Eyeliner Pencil- $8.00
8. Mascara: Benefit's They're Real- $23.00
9. Highlighter: Benefit's Watt's Up- $30.00
10. Blush: NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder- $4.99
11. Lippie: Maybelline Color Elixir- $7.99

TOTAL: $176.16

Makeup Starter Kit

A new school year has just started, which means a lot of girls are starting to wear makeup for the first time. I decided to do a post about what I recommend for a makeup starter kit. All products mentioned will be drugstore products (with one exception). :)

Let's start with foundation. When I started wearing makeup, I didn't wear foundation- & I don't feel like this is necessary for a beginner. However, some girls might want to wear foundation to even out their skin tone. If you are new to makeup, liquid foundation might be a little tricky, so I recommend starting with a powder foundation. It may not have the coverage of a liquid foundation, but it is definitely easier and faster to apply. My favorite powder foundation is the freshMinerals Mineral Powder Foundation. It's a light coverage foundation, which is perfect for a beginner! I apply it with the puff it comes with & it works great! It retails at $24.64 and I get mine on Amazon.

Now for powder. Powder is also one of those products that a beginner does not need (in most cases). If you want to reduce shininess or have a little more oil control, a little powder won't hurt. I personally only use powder to set my foundation (including powder foundation). My favorite powder is the CoverGirl Smoothers Pressed Powder. It retails around $5 and I get mine at Walmart.

Blush. Blush is a great piece for a starter kit. I recommend starting out with a pretty natural blush. My favorite blush is the NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder in Rose Glow. It retails at $4.99 and I get mine at Target.

Eyelid primer is another one of those optional products. It will help your eyeshadow stay on longer and help it stay in place. My favorite eyelid primer (believe it or not) is the E.L.F. eyelid primer! I get mine at Target and it retails at $1.00!

Now for eyeshadow. Eyeshadow is my favorite! I like a lot of different eyeshadows & palettes, but if I had to choose one eyeshadow product to be the only eyeshadow I used for the rest of my life (dead serious), it would hands down be the Bonne Bell Eyeshadow Box  in Cafe Classics. It was my first eyeshadow & I have used it almost everyday since I started wearing makeup. It has 4 beautiful colors that are great for a beginner (tip: if you are new to makeup, try to stay away from brightly colored eyeshadow & stick with the more neutral colors). They are amazing quality- very creamy, pigmented, and easy to apply. I have completely hit pan multiple times- & 1 will easily last me a year if I use it everyday, so that's saying a lot. I actually prefer them over any of my high end eyeshadows. Buying this product can be tricky. I used to buy mine at Walmart, but the drugstores in my area have recently stopped carrying them. :( I currently purchase mine online at drugstore.com. They retail at $3.37 in stores and around $10 online (including shipping).

Lastly, mascara. I love mascara almost as much as I love eyeshadow. I'm really picky when it comes to mascara & I will not wear waterproof mascara. I understand that mascara is a personal thing, so not everyone is going to like the mascaras I recommend. I like my lashes to look like falsies and have length and volume. I naturally have very full eyelashes, and I really like to make them pop. That being said, I am not going to recommend the cliche Maybelline Great Lash mascara because I'm not a huge fan of it. If you want to try it, go ahead. I have 4 other mascaras I will recommend to beginners because I love them!

1. My holy grail mascara is The Colossal by Maybelline. At first, it is a very wet mascara and it's a little hard to work with. After a couple uses, it dries up a bit & works like a gem. I get the 9x in any color. I'm not too picky about color. Seriously though- try it!! & it's great for beginners because it will come off easily if they mess up, but it won't smudge throughout the day. Retails at $5.94 and I get mine at Walmart.
2. Maybelline MegaPlush mascara. This is probably the easiest, quickest mascara to apply. I use it on days where I wear a small amount of makeup. It makes my lashes look very natural & it adds a good amount of volume and a lot of length. You don't have to build this mascara up a ton, which is nice. The only con to this mascara is it is a pain to get off if you mess up (& I'm talking about the non-waterproof formula!), so beginners might find it difficult to work with. Retails at $5.54 and I get mine at Walmart.
3. CoverGirl LashBlash Volume. This mascara is your typical mascara. Easy to apply, great brush, etc. Great for beginners! Retails at $5.06 and I get mine at Target.
4. CoverGirl LashBlast Length. This is very similar to the LashBlast Volume, except it adds length except volume. They both do a great job at separating my lashes and doing what they say they do. Nothing too special, but great for beginners. Retails at $6.94 and I get mine at Target.

*Target and Walmart will sometimes sell the mascaras I mentioned in 2 packs for like $7 or something like that. It's a great deal, so look for it the next time you're at Target or Walmart :)*

Finish your look off with your favorite lip balm or Lip Smacker & you're done!!

Let me know if you'd like a tutorial for beginners using the products I mentioned in this post!


***This is not a sponsored post.***

Current Blush Favorites

Ulta Cheek Color: Ulta's blushes are great! They are very pigmented and they're a convenient size and nice for traveling. They're a little difficult to blend, so just be careful not to apply too much. If you purchase them online, keep in mind that they look a lot darker than they actually are. They retail for $7.00 & you can get them at Ulta :)

NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder in Rose Glow: This is by far my favorite blush. It gives my cheeks a beautiful rose glow (hence the name) and looks very natural. This blush isn't super pigmented, so I don't recommend it for those of you with darker skin tones. I apply mine with a less-dense blush brush & I love how it looks! Definitely go check this one out. It retails for $4.99 and I get mine at Target.

Nyx Cosmetics Powder Blushes: Nyx is my favorite brand when it comes to blush. They offer a wide variety of colors. They are the perfect size and shape for traveling. They blend easily and are very pigmented. All around great blush! They retail for $5.99 & I get mine at Ulta. I believe Target also sells Nyx now, but I could be wrong.

BareMinerals Ready Blush in The Aphrodisiac: This is my favorite high end blush. I apply it with the BareMinerals Angled Face Brush & it looks beautiful. It's very pigmented and looks natural. Gorgeous blush all around. Similar to the NYC mosaic blush. Retails at $22.00 and I get mine at Ulta. 

So those are my favorite blushes at the moment. If you have any great blushes I should try, let me know in the comments!!

***This is not a sponsored post.***