Guest Blogger: blackbeltoma

on Clinique’s Water-Resistant Eyeliner

About blackbeltoma: First, I climbed the ladder rungs of the architecture world and saw the
view.  Hard work, that climbing.  After pairs of pantyhose and high
heels and many power suits, I decided I’d get a kid and hang
low, which I do outside of the Philly area with my wonderful husband.
I started as a teen with Revlon and Clinque and then moved to
Lancome, periodically getting distracted by Clarins, Shiseido and
others.  I am not a product junky; I just like products that work on
me.  What I really seek, though, is the inner beauty that comes only
from my Savior.

I
just had carpal release surgery on my right (dominant) hand.
Umm… so??  Well, you don’t really appreciate your
eyeliner until you have to do it with your left hand!

I realized yet
another reason to love Clinique’s Water-Resistant Eyeliner.

It’s got a really short brush that allows me to put a finger on
my cheek to draw a steady line.  I can control how dark or light,
thick or thin the line is, so I don’t end up with a
really black, crooked line.

I really need eyeliner.  Lacking the fold in the lid that y’all
have, my eyes look like they close in on themselves, even though
technically, my eyes are not small. 

I have tried drugstore brands
and expensive French brands.  I’ve tried felt tip, brushes and
pencils.  I’ve tried waterproof and smudge proof. 
Only one product has been my tried and true: Clinque’s cake eyeliner.

Wait – cake!? 

I believe there was a time when cake was
all there was – for Natalie Wood, Marilyn Monroe, Edith Piaf.  A
brush and a drop of water on a dark block of pigment, like brush work
for Chinese calligraphy.  Helpful analogy, huh? 

The first time you
use it, the block must be “primed” by repeated
application of a wet brush.   After that, you’re ready to go.
Once it dries on you, it has a dry, almost powdery texture.  Go as
thin and light as you want, or thick and dark.  (Just a tip: after
use, make sure you close the case.  Leaving it open to dry can draw
bacteria.) 

It rarely smudges.  If you cry, just dab at it and it
will fade or wipe off.  But guess what?  You can re-apply it without
stickiness or flaking.  Most liquid liners I’ve used are more
like oil paint.  They give you a great, solid line, but tend to feel
sticky to me.  With a heavy lid like mine, (and other East Asians)
the liner would smudge onto my upper lid.

There
are many brands of cake liner, but I’m staying with what has
worked for me for decades.  It’s fragrance-free,
inexpensive, and readily available.

~ blackbeltoma

Eye
brow pencil by Maybelline, contour shadow by Lancome.