Whilst dodging the weekly shop by loitering down the health and beauty aisles, I thought it might be high time to give the Barbara Daly range another once over after being so impressed by the nail polishes.
I was glad I did, because my eyes alighted on these:
Barbara Daly Easy-on-the-Eye Eye Shadow Pens!
I have to draw the comparison to the Ellis Faas eye pens don’t I? I mean, c’mon… how could I not?
With the Barbara Daly eye shadow pens costing £5.62 in Tesco vs. Ellis Faas’s £22 only stocked at Liberty offering – there’s no prizes for guessing which is gonna win the price/accessibility war but let’s take a look at some of the colours and application shall we?
Let’s face it… these budget versions from Barbara Daly are never gonna win the “which is sexier” battle. Take a look at the wonderful Witoxicity for an indepth view at the new Ellis Faas Eye Lights pens if you’re unfamiliar with the eyeshadow pen concept.
Pulling off the lid reveals a nylon brush…. pliable and soft with plenty of give (perhaps a little too much give). The goal is to draw the creme eyeshadow into the chamber and down the middle of the brush head until it emerges onto the tip of the brush. To do this, you twist the opposite end of the pen which clicks as it rotates and forces the creme up through the bristles… like so…
Out of the four products that I put to the test, each dispensed product accurately and smoothly. None of this sudden gushing of eyeshadow that the Ellis Faas pens have been known to do.
There’s some beautiful shades in the range, all very wearable both as shadows or eye liners. I think I saw another shade while I was on holiday too…. I may have imagined it though, a neutral called Hazel? Anyway… I think you’ll agree, these look pretty pigmented and lovely no?
The cremes glide on (I use the brush pen to apply directly to the eyelid) and blend with my little finger or a separate brush. Don’t even bother trying to blend these with the built-in brush… it’s only good for creating hard lines, you’ll be turning the air blue before you know it!
Here’s a quick FOTD with Otter as the main focus. A great shade for bringing out any green lurking in your eyes! I’m also currently addicted to wearing Airforce as a thick eyeliner (slightly blended along the edge with a smudger brush).
Wear is pretty decent, it sets fully within a couple of minutes and lasts without creasing for about 5 hours when worn with no base. I know they’re not hugely sexy… I mean, for god’s sake – they have the words “make up” printed on them, but they’ve impressed me!
Check them out next time you’re in Tesco!
Have you tried the Barbara Daly Easy-on-the-Eye pens before? Which shades are you liking the look of?
