More and more drugstore brands are coming up with eyeliners that possess quality that can challenge those of high-end brands, but at a fraction of the price. Avon, Prestige, Total Intensity, and now L’Oreal! These brands have had their eyeliners compared to the likes of MUFE Aqua Eyes and Urban Decay 25/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils.
The L’Oreal HiP Chrome Eyeliners are compared most to the UD 24/7 Liners as they look similar in packaging – sleek and professional exterior – and quality – creamy and pigmented.
Here’s a review on two of the four L'Oreal HiP Chrome Eyeliners - Violet Volt & Silver Lightning which I got together with the L’Oreal HiP Eyeshadow Duos.
Glide On Like Butter
The L’Oreal HiP Chrome Eyeliners glide on like butter. There is no need to pull your eyelid to ensure the lashline and waterline are well-covered with eyeliner - zero tugging! Which means reducing the rate of fine lines formation! One less pull a day keeps the fine lines away! However, it being so creamy and soft, the likelihood of breaking is high. I was just gonna swatch Silver Lightning when it…
BROKE!
It just broke! And there wasn't any *snap* sound, just silent. Like biting into cheese.
Gotta Get 'em Sharpened
Precisely because they're so creamy that if I wanted to achieve a very fine line for a winged eyeliner, I would have to dish out the sharpener almost after every use. I have a really cheap and functional eyeliner sharpener from SASA, but sharpening is really a pain in the ass. There is the whole set of additional steps from bringing the sharpener out, to sharpening it, to clearing the debris, to putting the tool back. One step too many! This is one reason why my two L’Oreal eyeliners haven’t been used much.
Lasting Power
These L’Oreal Chrome Eyeliners are truly amazing. They’re pigmented, super creamy and stay pretty darn long on the lids! With the well-loved Urban Decay Primer Potion applied prior to eye makeup, the eyeliners stay on well into the hours. For someone with oily eyelids, these eyeliners are not absolutely smudge-proof though. If the UD eyeliners smudge on you, then there’s no escaping for these as well.
These eyeliners do not come off easily when in contact with water, so do use a proper makeup remover to thoroughly remove eye makeup, like these:
Biore Eye & Lip Makeup Remover << My favorite makeup remover!
They Sting!
Unfortunately, the L’Oreal HiP liners make me teary-eyed the minute I put them on. On my upper lashline they work fine, but on the waterline, they irritate the hell out of my eyes. Could never use these to tightline my waterlines. What a waste!
I’ve never had problem with the UD 24/7 eyeliners, but I only have them in Zero (matte black) and Whiskey (matte brown), so I wonder… Is it the shimmer in these L'Oreal pencils?
Silver Lightning
In the picture above I used Silver Lightning for the lower lashline. I got the Chrome Eyeliner in Silver in the hope that it would be a good waterline pencil. Just like the silver in Platinum from the L’Oreal HiP Eyeshadow Duo range, Silver Lightning is a metallic silver that shines like aluminium foil. Because it stung my eyes real bad, I now use it only on the inner corner of the eye.
I created an eye makeup look using all four products from the L’Oreal HiP range here.
Violet Volt
This purple with metallic sheen often looks black due to grey undertones, but under bright light, it is actually very noticeable purple. Violet Volt is not as harsh as black, it is more like a dark eggplant color, and is very wearable. This is lovely for those days when you don’t have time or can’t be bothered to create a sophisticated eye makeup look. It brightens up a neutral eye look instantly.
I was feeling particularly vain that day so I applied falsies. I bought a few boxes of them from Taiwan and I think they are of really LOUSY quality. The lashbones are too rigid and don't curve to the contour of the eye. They're awfully cheap though - TWD180 for 10 pairs. Almost every Taiwanese girl I saw on the street had falsies on. How troublesome to wear them everyday!
(Ahem, yes, I was wearing something~)
Overall, for their intense pigmentation and smoothness, these L’Oreal HIP Color Chrome Eyeliners do give higher end eyeliners a run for their money. Just don’t apply them on the waterline or lower lash line if they cause irritation to your eyes. Oh, and you'll love 'em if you don't mind sharpening.
Get L'Oreal HiP Chrome Eyeliners HERE
Bun Bun thinks of the L'Oreal HiP Chrome Eyeliners as:
Have you tried the L'Oreal HiP Chrome Eyeliners?
Do they sting your eyes?
