Bourjois Khol & Contour Eyeliner Pencil 08 Rose Fantaisiste

=== Bourjois - A Love Affair ===
I've made no secret of my love of Bourjois products - for me, Bourjois is a brand that epitomises everything I could look for in a cosmetic brand - innovation, quality, chic-ness...and affordability. Despite being a brand founded in the 19th century, it's bang up-to-date and offers products and colours that other brands simply cannot. Their Khôl and Contour eye-liner pencils are no different...

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...packaging. The great thing about Bourjois packaging is that it is often shade-matched. The colour of packaging is really close to the actual colour you're going to get, but there are testers at most Bourjois stands.

The lid is plastic, so could easily split or break if not taken care of. It fits on snugly and is easy to remove. Another bonus for me is that the lid will fit onto the end of the pencil, you can put it there while you're ... more

Bourjois - A Love Affair

I've made no secret of my love of Bourjois products - for me, Bourjois is a brand that epitomises everything I could look for in a cosmetic brand - innovation, quality, chic-ness...and affordability. Despite being a brand founded in the 19th century, it's bang up-to-date and offers products and colours that other brands simply cannot. Their Khôl and Contour eye-liner pencils are no different...

Packaging

The eye liner comes in a typical eye liner packaging. The great thing about Bourjois packaging is that it is often shade-matched. The colour of packaging is really close to the actual colour you're going to get, but there are testers at most Bourjois stands.

The lid is plastic, so could easily split or break if not taken care of. It fits on snugly and is easy to remove. Another bonus for me is that the lid will fit onto the end of the pencil, you can put it there while you're applying the liner to be sure you don't lose it. When placed on a flat surface, the pencil won't roll around too much, which is also a plus.

Size-wise, I have seen longer eye-liners, such as the Urban Decay ones, but this eye-liner is the typical sort of length. I'm afraid I don't have a ruler to measure, needless to say that it will fit into the inside pocket of most of my handbags.

With regards to information on the packaging, you won't find the ingredients on the eye-liner itself. For this, you'll need to look in the booklet that you'll find at Bourjois make-up stands. Thankfully, I don't need to pay too much attention to ingredients used in my make-up, but for those with allergies, or wishing to avoid certain ingredients, this is a slight inconvenience, particularly as the ingredients don't appear to be listed online.

Application

The first time I used this, I thought it was pretty much impossible to apply. It was only after I saw photos that I realised that I must have been applying it in bad lighting as it really showed up.

Since it's a light colour, it does need a bit more of a firm hand than with a darker shade. I find that I have to really pull the skin taught and go over the area a couple of times to get the colour I want. If you just want to take advantage of the slight shimmer that this shade has, then a lighter touch may suffice.

I tend to use this on the inner corners of my eye as a highlighter, and blend it into other colours.

Wearability

I find this eye-liner really comfortable to wear. It glides on, and though the lighter colours need layering to get good colour, it's very easy to apply. It's soft and so easy to blend. Once it's on, you completely forget it's there. The product is tested under ophthalmological control and although I'm not a contact lens wearer or someone who suffers from particularly sensitive eyes, I find that this product doesn't irritate me at all.

It's worth mentioning that the colour of the pencil is lighter than the one shown in the product photo at the top. I've included a photo to show the colour of the eye-liner. Unfortunately, my photography skills aren't quite up to providing a photo of the eye-liner on my eyes.

When it comes to removing the eye-liner, that's pretty simple too. I find the cleansing wipes that I use to remove my make-up do the job without too much elbow grease required.

Durability

The colour lasts well into the night - I didn't realise how well until I saw photos of me wearing this on a night out. I have a tendency to rub my eyes, and I've found that although the shimmer disappears, the colour stays put.

It doesn't claim to be waterproof, but it does an impressive job of staying put when faced with a bit of water (ie. a bit of rain, the odd tear) providing you don't rub your eyes too much.

As a product, it lasts a very long time. I don't wear it that often, I must admit, but it doesn't need sharpening often.

Of course, all cosmestic products have a shelf life - there comes a point when they are no longer effective. This is particularly important with eye-related make-up, which, if past its 'use-by date' could harbour nasty bacteria and give you an eye infection.

Since this is a pencil eye-liner, it'll last around 2 to 3 years, and if you're in doubt, sharpening it will ensure that it's safe to use.

Depending on how sharp you like your point, you shouldn't need to sharpen this too often either, so you'll definitely get your money's worth out of this pencil.

Price and Availability

Speaking of getting your money's worth...the Bourjois Khôl & Contour eye-liner pencil retails at £4.20 at Boots. However, getting your hand on the Rose Fantaisiste shade could prove tricky, since it's not available on the Boots website. I can't say whether or not it is still available in store, as I haven't had any reason to look out for it since I bought it. I've had mine for over a year now and it's still going strong.

If you're interested in other shades, the Boots website has 7 different shades (albeit it two different black shades and their new, double-ended black and white Khôl Contour pencil). The Bourjois website has some great shades, including a really cool purply-blue colour. It's hard to say definitively how many shades are available, as they seem to change with the fashions.

If you're looking to purchase the Rose Fantaisiste shade, or other shades which may have been readily available but no longer seem to be, there are several websites selling the eye-liner, although I've seen websites selling it for almost double the price in Boots. You can also buy it on eBay for £1.50 (Buy It Now price).

My Overall Opinion

I really like this eye-liner. I have the Khôl & Contour in Gris Ingénieux (a dark grey) so I can vouch for this product's easy-glide application. It also smudges and blends a treat, perfect for creating a smokey eye effect. I was attracted to the pink eye-liner because it's not a colour you see that often, and I really wanted a light colour other than white for highlighting and using in the inner corner of my eye to really open up my eyes.

I really like that the product has a hint of shimmer and although it's not a product that I use often, I was quite impressed by this eye-liner, both in general, and by the range of shades available. Having researched this review, I've already seen about four more shades that I really want to buy!

If you are looking for a light-ish eye-liner to really open up your eyes, then this shade is really worth considering. If you want an eye-liner in a striking colour that is easy to blend and smudge then this is definitely a product worth considering.

I think that's my favourite thing about this eye-liner - you can get a dramatic look or you can soften it by blending and smudging. I think the only negative has to be that they appear to change the shades quite often, so it could prove hard to get your hands on your favourite. However, this is also a positive, proving that Bourjois is an innovative and modern brand.

Definitely a great liner - 4 stars!

 

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