I first met Blinc when I used their original tubing mascara years ago. To know them is to love them. Their original mascara makes getting long lashes easy and makes them even easier to remove completely.
They took their lash concept and turned it into an eyeliner. According to their website, Blinc's eyeliner was invented to form a water-resistant "layer of color" that contours your eyes. Since Blinc is not a cosmetic paint like conventional eyeliners, it cannot fade, smudge, run or flake, even if you cry or rub your eyes.
It's great for those with sensitive eyes, contact wearers or ladies who want to change their look without disrupting their entire face.
It's available in black, brown, gray and blue and sells for $25, shipping included. But how un-smudgeable is it? I And while I'm at it, what about their tubing mascara? I decided to put them to the test, Gouldylox style.
Here are my scientific testing methods:
Crying:
Lately songs by Sinead O'Connor and Billy Joel have been making me cry on cue. If that fails, the end of Rocky ("Adrienne, where's your hat?") or the end of Apollo 13, when they lose radio contact upon reentry, makes me cry every time. It's kind of my sad little party trick. Making myself cry is a piece of cake.
Swimming:
I don't do this. So I am simulating it by sticking my head partially underwater, like that old Huey Lewis video, sans ice cubes.
(If you are curious, I don't swim for obvious reasons - sharks. Ever since I was a wee lass, I have been terrified of water and the sharks lurking within all water and avoid it. Except the ocean, where I frolic from time to time, briefly, and without care. I didn't say it makes sense, but when I close my eyes and am submerged in water, all I see is a shark swimming towards me, a la the original book cover. Then the shark jumps up and bites at me, like the "we're gonna need a bigger boat" scene. There is no getting over it.)
Shopping:
Ok, this isn't the most difficult test to pass, but if you aren't dunking yourself or crying every day, it should give you a truer sense of how the liner and mascara actually wear.
The results are in!
(Me, prior to crying.) Let's discuss crying first. Here is what my mascara and liner looked like, prior to turning on the water works. I love how shiny they both look (which for some reason, isn't showing up). In person, it looked like patent leather lashes and liner.
To force tears, I opted to watch the video for Billy Joel's Goodnight Saigon, which includes a chorus of men whom I assume are Vietnam Vets. Crying ensues when they show the muddy boots before we even get to the chorus. When I cry, I naturally wipe the tears away, sometimes touching my upper lash line. So on one eye, I wiped normally, and on the other, I dabbed without touching my upper lash area.
(This is the untouched, dabbed eye.)
(This is the regular crying/wiped eye when wiped once.)
(This is the wiped eye, when wiped for a second time. The liner is completely gone!)It didn't make a mess (score!), but the liner didn't stay on. The mascara stayed put, for the most part. So if you are going to cry, you can know that at the very least, you won't make a mess and that nothing will run in your eyes. It's not perfect, but I'll take it over messy, streaky, stinging mascara and liner bits any day.
(If this underwater shot doesn't look like a shark is lurking my sink, waiting to eat my face, I don't know what does.)
(My hair and ear, underwater. I think a deeper sink is needed for my photography to work. At least the camera stayed perfectly dry.)The first thing he pointed out is that I that can not hold my breath underwater for more than two seconds before freaking out. I swear I can, but apparently, something about only sticking your head in the sink, underwater, made me forget how to hold my breath.
(This does look a little like what you expect to see when either passing over or being born, according to the movies.) Secondly, Loxy said that the underwater pictures he helped me take didn't quite convey that the products held up or failed under water. Instead, he noted that they photos conveyed more of a sense of, well, struggle.
(Loxy thinks this is the only shot that proves I actually stuck my head in the water. Yup. That is a super close up of my nose.)
(This is my eye underwater. Eyes certainly get wrinkly when they need to keep out water!)Hmm. Turns out that water and these products don't really get along when they fully meet. So sticking your head in the sink or swimming (I presume), won't really work while wearing this mascara and liner.
(This is the after shot of me coming up for air. It didn't go well for the products.)However, just a slight bit of sweating, as if you were laying out by a pool, would be just fine. So I suppose it depends on what you are planning for the day. If face-only swimming is out, this might be perfect. Hence my third test.
Finally, shopping. Not only did I wear this mascara and liner whilst battling holiday shoppers, I (unfortunately) was wearing this when one of my super nasty headaches suddenly set in. So the test took a slight turn. When I get a major headache, here is how it goes:I start squirming, squeezing my eyes shut and rubbing my head ferociously. This is usually accompanied by whining and sounds of pain, while Loxy tries to get me home as fast as possible. Then I rush home, shed my clothes and jump in the shower. I set the temperature to tepid, pull out the box fan kept in the bathroom just for days like this and try to make myself shiver; all while drinking a Diet Mt. Dew in the shower, a la Leaving Las Vegas. Then a deep sleep occurs with pillows over my face. Ok, water, pain and pillows over the face. After battling shoppers. Can this possibly go ok for Blinc?
I am happy to report that the liner and mascara made it through the final test with flying colors! The shadow has clearly head for zee hills, but the liner and lashes remained!After all of that, the bottom line is this:
Blinc Liner and Mascara will stay on as long as you don't submerge yourself in the sink or cry while watching music videos. So in daily wear, this stuff is a home run. On days where you may get wet or have a good cry, this isn't for you. However, on days (or nights) where you need to make a quick change or suddenly appear fresh-faced, this mascara and liner comes off cleaner than anything I have seen!
Blinc does not test on animals. This product was sent for review.
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