Hunting Season

"Strut on a line it's discord and rhyme
I'm on the hunt I'm after you"

Okay, so maybe that's a little melodramatic, but ever since I started my search for the perfect eyeliner, I've had Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf stuck in my head. Why should I suffer alone?

Photo Credit: Sephora

It all started with my Smashbox Limitless Liquid Liner Pen ($22, Sephora). I loved it. It was amazing. It dried up. Fabulous as it may have been, it was also a little on the expensive side, so I didn't replace it. Then Smashbox sent me a sample of their Limitless Liner ($19, Sephora) pencil. It was pretty good, and I liked it okay, but not as much as the liquid. Considering it was about the same price as the liquid, I decided to keep looking.

Enter today's contender: Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Big & Bright Eyeliner in Intense Black. This came as part of a "Bright Stars" sample set from Bare Escentuals and Buxom, which also included a mini Buxom lipgloss in Dolly (dusty mauve), and an exclusive B.E. eyecolor in Starlight (light champagne rose). For $10 at Sephora, I couldn't resist.

I'll get to the rest of the set in a bit, but for now, let's focus on the task at hand and test out this liner ($14, Sephora), shall we? First of all, for a sample, the packaging is primo. You get a thick, black, easy to handle pencil with a black snap-on cap, all made of heavy duty plastic. The pencil also employs a self-sharpening twist mechanism, so you never have to worry about a dull tip. Unfortunately, I think mines twists a little too well. It managed to twist itself into the cap, breaking a piece off the pencil off in the process.

The makeup itself is very soft and creamy, which would make you think that it'll glide on easily. Not so. In fact, it more skips than glides. There's no tugging, but the line is not even at all. It does smudge nicely, but the trade-off is that it also transfers to your lid, even with a primer. While the color is that true black I wanted, I think I'll keep looking. Final Verdict: 4 out of 10. Bottom line, I'm not a fan and can't recommend this.

Next on the chopping block, Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Eyecolor in Starlight ($13, Sephora). Um...it's glitter. It's really pretty, finely-milled, not-even-slightly-teeny-boppery glitter, but it's glitter. Now, that's not a bad thing, if you like glitter (and I do), but I was expecting a pink champagne eyeshadow. There's almost zero color to this, much less anything you could call "rosy". Instead, I have a pot full of what can best be described as loose Urban Decay Stardust ($20, Sephora), but without the pigmentation. I happen to like Stardust, and UD doesn't have a transparent version (they have a nude and a white), so I can brush this over whatever shadow I want and make my own custom "Stardust" shadows. Beware, though, the fallout is strong with this one, so wear a good primer. Final Verdict: 7 out of 10. If you like glitter, you'll like this. Just don't expect any color.

Last in the package is Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish in Dolly ($18, Sephora). Now, I won't bore you with a review of this one. I took a look at this lipgloss back when the magic bag o' samples still existed. The gloss is, in a word, gorgeous, and I highly recommend it. However, the packaging for this mini-version is so tiny that the first time I used it, I lost the darn thing in my couch cushions. Final Verdict: 9 out of 10. The gloss is a knockout, but the eensy-weensy bottle is a joke.

As a package, Bare Escentuals Bright Stars seems like a good deal. For $10, you get to sample a liner, shadow, and gloss. Unfortunately, the only thing really worth having (unless you love glitter for glitter's sake) is the gloss. Final Verdict: 6.7 out of 10. Not a horrid deal, but I suggest skipping it. Grab a full-sized lipgloss for $8 more and call it a day.