Intense Pigment Liners are, for me, the stars of Bobbi Brown’s upcoming Greige Collection (more on that soon, sneak peak on my Instagram). They look like traditional cake eyeliners, but are actually highly intense powder liners that can be used to create soft, subtle definition, a smokey eye or an intense crisp line. If like me, you like to use eye shadow as liner for a softer look, I think you’ll love these.
I love the rich tones, stripes and dinky mirrored compacts, available in three shades including Midnight (deep blue), Black Plum and Forest. The three colours in each trio can be worn individually or together, on the upper and lower lash line, in an ombre effect, or as an accent colour. I assumed that they should be used wet or mixed with some kind of liquid to create the intensity of a liner, so was shocked at the depth of pigment on my finger after one gentle sweep of the pan.
Here I’ve swatched Forest (left) and Black Plum using Bobbi Brown’s eye liner brush for the thicker lines. NB this brush is great for lining the lower lash line, though a new dual-ended one launches with this collection - similar to this with a smudger brush on one end. (PS that’s a puppy scratch next to the swatches in my top pic! )
I used one or two passes of the brush for these swatches (two required mainly to address my wobbly lines). If you’ve ever used eye shadow to line your eyes, you’ll know that this is a whole lot more pigment than you’d normally get. They can of course be applied with a lighter hand and smudged for a more subtle effect, or smoked out with a fluffy brush. The colour is so intense that it can transfer a little on my hooded lids if I apply too much, which is why I prefer to use it on my lower lash line with the following method on my upper lash line.
While these do work smoked out - alone or over gel liner/cream shadow - my favourite way to wear them on the upper lash line is in a slick line of colour applied with a slanted brush, dampened with Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water for added longevity. This is how I did the thinner lines below each trio of swatches, using the central shade of each palette; colour can be applied in this way to create fine lines, or built up into a dramatic cat eye flick. I use a MAC 266 Small Angle Brush (mine is ancient and still going strong). While you can create a crisp line without the Primer Water, this method means that the product sets - and does not budge until I choose to remove it.
Bobbi Brown Intense Pigment Liners in Black Plum, Midnight and Forest, RRP £26.50 will be on counters as part of the Greige Collection in September 2015 or online at johnlewis.com and houseoffraser.co.uk
