MAKE UP FOR EVER is one of those brands that never hesitates to push the boundaries of conventional beauty, and so it comes as no surprise to hear that they teamed up with music’s Charli XCX (who has collaborated with Iggy Azalea and Icona Pop, to name but a few) in creating Aqua XL Eye Pencils (CAN $25.00/each), a range of boldly colourful eye pencils, available in 20 shades and in a variety of textures: matte, diamond, satin, iridescent and metallic. The best part? They also come in a waterproof finish that once set, won’t move even if you begged.
After having played with these pencils for a few weeks now, I must say that the results are quite impressive. For starters, the staying power of each is phenomenal and you will need an oil-based (or dual-phase) eye makeup remover to take off all traces. You can also smudge them in for a diffused effect, but you must work in small increments (as in: one eye at a time) and quickly at that. The colour stays true and vibrant throughout the wearing, even at the waterline — although I haven’t worn any with sparkles in that area, as I don’t personally feel comfortable applying anything with sparkle/glitter upon my waterline. One thing I did notice, is that the more shimmery shades tend to have a softer texture and you should therefore be more gentle pressure-wise to avoid potential breakage. For review purposes, I’ve broken them down into several colour groups below.
MAKE UP FOR EVER | Aqua XL Colorfestival
MAKE UP FOR EVER | Aqua XL Colorfestival
MAKE UP FOR EVER | Aqua XL Colorfestival
MAKE UP FOR EVER | Aqua XL Colorfestival
MAKE UP FOR EVER | Aqua XL Colorfestival swatches
The Blacks:
- M-10 Matte Black – deepest black (although not the blackest I’ve seen, but close)
- M-14 Matte Charcoal Grey – blue-based sooty grey
- D-12 Diamond Black – black with ultra fine sparkle
MAKE UP FOR EVER | Aqua XL Colorfestival
The Browns & Bronzes:
- M-60 Matte Dark Brown -rich & deep chocolatey brown
- D-62 Diamond Brown – warm brown with ultra fine sparkle
- S-50 Satiny Taupe – grey-leaning true taupe
- I-36 Iridescent Khaki – olive green based khaki with refined shimmer
- ME-42 Metallic Bronze – luxe bronze with complex shimmer
MAKE UP FOR EVER | Aqua XL Colorfestival
The Blues & Greens:
- S-20 Satiny Navy Blue – deep (but not blackened) blue with a refined shimmer
- I-24 Iridescent Blue – teal-leaning blue with a shimmer shift
- M-26 Matte Pastel Blue – matte baby blue
- I-32 Iridescent Lagoon Green – aqua green with a shimmer shift
- I-34 Iridescent Pop Green – vivid lime green with refined shimmer
- M-30 Matte Pastel Green – matte soft green
MAKE UP FOR EVER | Aqua XL Colorfestival
The Purples:
- M-80 Matte Plum – matte deep raisin
- I-90 Iridescent Pop Purple – lavender leaning purple with a shimmer shift
- M-92 Matte Pastel Purple – matte soft lilac
- M-22 Matte Majorelle Blue – matte indigo
MAKE UP FOR EVER | Aqua XL Colorfestival
- M-16 Matte White – matte ultra white, soft texture
- M-40 Matte Pastel Yellow – matte lemon yellow
MAKE UP FOR EVER | Aqua XL Colorfestival
What makes eye pencils a must-have in anyone’s makeup bag, are their portability and relative ease of use. That being said, not all are created equal and not all provide the results you may have been expecting. Enter MAKE UP FOR EVER’s Aqua XL Eye Pencils, and their game-changing ways. Colour-fast with pigments that stay put until removed, flexible resins for consistent colour payoff, copolymer gels to help boost vibrancy, emollient oils and microspherical silica for an ultra-creamy & gliding application, and mango butter to prevent skin dryness, there is a colour here to suit all tastes and skin tones. Like having your own personal rainbow connection.
Available now at Sephora stores and Sephora.ca
This beautiful riot of colour was kindly provided/As always, all opinions are my own
