If you follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you'd probably know that I recently received some goodies from Loothavn and Glow to review.
What an adorable hand-made envelope! I loved it the minute I set eyes upon it. This is what I found inside:
To find out more about these products and read about my experiences with them, continue after the jump!
Solone Gel Like Smoody Pencil 05 Brown
I've never heard of this product before, but it won an award in the CozyCot Women's Choice Awards 2012, was number 1 in the Taiwan Fashion Guide and has been recommended by nu ren wo zui da, a Taiwanese variety show. Those are impressive credentials and I was very excited about trying this out.
This very useful 2-in-1 pencil doubles up as eyeliner and eyeshadow, depending on how you use it. There's an eyeliner pencil on one end (with the black cap):
And a smudger on the other end to allow you to use the Smoody Pencil as an eyeshadow:
I swatched the pencil on my arm: used as eyeliner (on the right); blended out and used as eyeshadow (on the right). As an eyeliner, It's a lovely dark, warm, chocalatey brown with small gold glitter and multi-coloured sparkles. I couldn't quite capture it with my camera, but it's there and sparkles on my lid when I use it as eyeshadow. As an eyeshadow, it's a dusty brown that's good for doing a basic smoky eye or for contouring on the lid.
There is a "How To" section at the back of the packaging that shows you how to use the pencil. I didn't follow instructions as my eye is single lidded, folds inwards, and to add insult to injury, there is a significant amount of fat on my eyelid. As a result, my eyelids only look good with thick black eyeliner (so that it actually shows above the fold), so brown eyeliner isn't for me.
I used the Smoody Pencil as an eyeshadow instead. First, apply with the soft pencil tip. It glides on very smoothly and is easy to apply because of the controlled application with the pencil. Instead of applying it all over the lower part of my lid, I apply it at the edge to contour my eyes.
I then smudge it with the smudger on the other end of the pencil tip, primary at the edges but also a little towards the centre of my eyes. Allow 30 seconds for it to dry and after that, the formula won't budge from your eye as it's water-proof and suitable for oily skin!
Here's how it looks like on my face as a whole:
... I only realised after I took all these photos that I set them to High Res mode on my camera, not Portrait mode. I guess you'll have to settle for seeing my less-than-perfect skin because I don't photoshop (I only adjust brightness and increase definition/sharpness). To see how my skin looks like on Portrait mode (read: airbrushed in a nice, natural way), check out my review of Naruko Narcissus Defense BB Sunscreen SPF50★★★★.
Anyway, back on topic. I felt the the Smoody Pencil was a chic and handy little addition to my make up stash. I loved the simple yet elegant packaging and the cap on the pencil tip was quite snug, avoiding potential make up spillages.
As a whole, the Smoody Pencil is average-sized (about 16cm in length), easy to use and versatile, being able to act as both eye liner and eye shadow. The shade of brown I received was a very nice, warm chocolate coloured shade that's a great neutral shade of eyeshadow/eyeliner to do a wearable daytime smokey eye. The shimmer/glitter did not show up much on the lid, except under sunlight. It's also suitable for use on oily skin, which is good news for those with oily lids like me.
The only thing that I questioned was how much product was available for use in the pencil. The stated weight of 1.5g doesn't tell me how much product there is, and since the pencil tip and smudger are connected, I have no idea how much the pencil tip extends. Also, the price of S$16.50 is a little high considering I don't know how long I can use the pencil until it runs out.
Smoody Pencils are available for purchase on Loothavn, a very innovative site (I'll leave you to find out more about it) with cute animation and a great concept. When you arrive at Loothavn, just scroll until you see the "GLOW" shophouse. You'll see rows of products for sale. Click "shop eyes" to see the whole range of Smoody Pencils for sale.
Stay tuned for my review on the other item - Stella Double Flex Brighten Up Eyelashes - that came in the package!
Let's Break It Down
Product Name: Solone Gel Like Smoody Pencil (05 Brown)
Product type: Eye pencil
Amount of product: 1.5g (with smudger)
Price per product: S$16.50
Comments: Versatile, easy to use, nice colour, blendable
Where to buy: Loothavn
To buy or not to buy: If you're looking for an easy to use and versatile eyeliner/eyeshadow, this is for you.
Product Approved 4/5
Disclaimer: I received this product for review. My opinions are completely honest and 100% my own. No compensation was received for this review.
