On The Shelf

Overview: Benefit They’re Real! Push-up Eyeliner

Purchase Price $24 (price from Benefit)

Retailer Multiple

Check out www.benefitcosmetics.com for more product info

Product Review:

This liner made its way to me courtesy of Benefit/Birchbox promoting Wing Women Weekend, last year. Allure magazine dubbed this liner “Best of Beauty” and “Breakthrough” for 2014. The exterior of the pen is sleek black and attractive with pops of color. It is easy to hold and the amount held inside appears to be a good amount.

By twisting the bottom of the liner, with the cap off of course, the black gel creeps its way out of the angled tip. Now this is where some may run into trouble. If too much product is twisted out the application will result in a sloppy look, and not enough will need a second application and may still result in a very amateur look. Best part about this liner is this way of storing product within the pen applicator until it is ready for use, making it fresh all the time. Worst part about this is making sure to clean the tip as the gel will dry out and block any new gel from coming out. The previous step IS a necessity and needs to be done every time you use this liner.

The angled tip is mean to “hug” your lash line, which I agree it definitely gives you that close edge but, somehow does not apply as smoothly as I would like. I like to do a winged/cat-eye look on occasion and never had a problem until using this liner. I mean EVERY time I use this gel liner I can never achieve the desired look. Another fact Benefit claims it is quick-drying and smudge-free, perhaps too quick-drying and smudge-free as you cannot simply fix little mistakes without using makeup remover.

I feel They’re Real is a definite breakthrough for the gel liner market. However, the angled tip simply rubs me the wrong way in addition to not being able to get a desirable look from what is a wonderful product, in theory. Also if you are not comfortable with liquid or other gels this is not going to work for you either. Once I finish this tube I highly doubt I will ever repurchase this liner, unless it goes through a major change in formula.