Boots Natural Collection Eye Liners > Reviews (18)

I have tried out many items in the "Natural Collection" range of make-up and cosmetics from Boots. I find that there are often promotional deals running in the range, for example the option allowing for any three products in the range to be purchased for only £5 which I think is a great price. I took advantage of this deal recently and stocked up on some make-up essentials.

One of the items that I purchased was the "Natural Collection Eye Lines" eyeliner pencil. The pencil is available in a choice of only two shades which are brown or black, and I bought the black coloured pencil for myself as I prefer to outline my eyes in a dark liner. The normal price for the eyeliner pencil is only £1.99 which I think offers a great value price even when the product is not on a special offer.

The packaging is fairly simplistic and minimal it has to be said, although this is not something that I find off-putting or particularly negative. The packaging consists of a thin black coloured pencil (or brown, in the case of the brown coloured liner) which has a see-through plastic lid on top. The pencil is sealed with plastic when purchased, which I quite liked, as it gives the impression that the product is completely hygienic.

Using the pencil was very easy to use. I found that the little point at the end of the pencil was really quite sharp - sharpened to a point in fact - when I first used it, and this allowed me to control the eyeliner perfectly. I found that the Natural Collection eyeliner actually felt quite 'soft' when I was using it, and is similar to a kohl-type pencil, the consistency being similar to a soft crayon or something similar.

I found that the soft texture of the pencil allowed for a slightly more 'smudged' effect which allowed me to create some smoky-looking lines. This was an attractive look and I liked the effect created, but I did feel that the softly-textured quality of the product made it slightly less versatile than other - albeit more expensive - eyeliner products that I have purchased in the past, as more 'immaculate' lines were difficult to achieve. If you are looking to achieve only immaculately straight lines, or thinly-drawn edges, then this product is probably not for you. For myself however, I liked the fact that the pencil gave a sort of smudged effect to the line I had drawn, particularly towards the outer corners of my eyelids.

The Natural Collection pencil appeared to be quite easy to control. I didn't find that it created an overwhelming mess or was difficult to use. Be warned though - due to the 'smudging' effect that can easily be achieved with the product, I find that I must keep the pencil sharpened to a point most of the time. If the nib or point of the pencil is allowed to become overly 'thick' or too blunt, then the smudging effect becomes far too much for my own taste, and I find that the line drawn can appear unkempt and rather messy-looking.

All in all though, for the value price of the product, and for the attractive look I can achieve with the soft pencil I am pleased with the purchase and will buy it again.

It is not the sort of pencil that I would use everyday as I do find it is overly soft to achieve a more subtle look. For a slightly more intense "smoky-eyes" look however, I find that this is a great value product and it actually performs much better than a lot of more expensive alternatives I have used before!

The Boots Natural Collection range is not tested on animals. I have found the eyeliner is easy enough to remove, with either a make-up remover product and some cotton wool, or with a make-up removing moist facial wipe, and have experienced no difficulty or irritation when using the liner.

Items from the Boots Natural Collection can be purchased in store in larger branches of Boots nationwide, or you can purchase online at www.boots.com.