New from Barry M... Matte Super Soft Eye Crayons

Barry M's chunky super soft eye crayons have long been a staple multipurpose product in my collection - I own a couple of the shimmering eye and lip crayons, shade 1, a creamy base with slight golden glimmers, and shade 7, which is a golden shade.

I use Shade 1 as a liner for the lower waterline, (brightening, but more subtle than a pure white pencil, which can look harsh...), and also as a lazy highlighter for the brow bone at times.... It also works well on the inner corner of the eye.

As for the Gold shade, I use that as a simple eyeliner, or on the inner corner.

Both shades also work well as an eyeshadow base. They really are very creamy formula wise, and do not pull the eyelids or delicate skin below the eyes nearly as much as some other liners I have tried. They can then be blended with fingers to create a tacky base which I find works well as an eyeshadow base. These pencils seem to be the British alternative to the NYX Jumbo pencils. Whilst I must point out that in my opinion, the pencils used as bases do feel "heavier" than say a paintpot or UDPP, and do not remain crease free for as long (the heavier you apply them, the more they crease I have found..) they definitely make a passable drugstore eyeshadow base. Especially when you consider that they cost a mere £4.50 each.

The most recent addition to the range was that of five matte shades - Green, Blue, Turquoise, Pink and Purple. I was sent the green and blue shades (numbers six and seven) to have a play with. The matte and plain versions of the pencils retail at £3.95 each

Pigment wise, these pencils are very good, and they have the same super creamy formula to work with as the Shimmer crayons, and are therefore suitable for the same purposes, ie bases, liners, adding little "pops" of colour etc...

The size of the pencils is similar to benefits BadGal pencil (but shorter) - I don't own this, so I can't compare them texture wise etc, however The texture of the pencils makes for an easily smudged line - so the black one (Which I also own but is MIA...) makes for an easy smudgy liner.

Above - a very very quick look using the Matte Green pencil as a base, Shimmering crayon 1 as a highlight and Illamasqua powder shadows in Slut, Dare and Yearn. Please ignore the brows - they are due a threading session!

Longevity wise, if you wanted to wear these as liners for the whole day, you would probably need to reapply every once in a while, due to their creamy texture, which does make them more prone to wear-off.

Overall, I'd say these are affordable multipurpose products, which perform reasonably well for their price. They are also great for travel, when taking pots of cream bases might not be so practical. Their low cost means it is affordable to have a few different coloured bases to use to create different effects with your shadows. As eyeliners, they do need re-applying, however I have been spoilt by the Urban Decay 24/7 liners which I really like, and stay put on the waterline very well.

Hope this Helps.
Mizzworthy