Stila Got Inked Cushion Eye Liner in Copper Ink

There some seriously interesting cosmetic advancements going on these days, mainly thanks to some super innovative product designs in the Korean market - like cushion technology (product dispersed through an airy sponge like cushion). A few brands have jumped on the bandwagon on this side of the pond, and when I saw the Stila Got Inked Cushion Eye Liners, I knew I was going to have to try one. You know, in the name of blogging...

I'll be honest and say it was the colour that sold me - a rich metallic coppered brown that I previously hadn't been able to find in a liquid or gel form, and had been searching for something like this for some time. Think Mac Teddy Eye Kohl amped up and in liquid form. I hadn't planned on purchasing anything the day I saw this in my local Sephora, and promptly pulled a, "yeah I need this" and swiftly walked to the registers before I changed my mind.  The packaging gave me doubts. I'm not one for gadgety beauty or trendy dispensing packaging unless it is integral to the functionality of the product. Having seen the whole 'cushion makeup' trend take off in recent months, I was weary of Stila falling prey to trends with this one.  I'm thrilled to say that my low expectations were totally blown out of the water - this really is a quality, unique product! The air sponge makes it impossible for you to overload your brush with product, essentially giving you an even application each time. Kind of genius really! The formula is liquid, and super pigmented. It disperses through the air bubble riddled sponge that houses the liquid inside the jar. I had worried this would make the formula thin, and not opaque, but it glides on full colour in a single flick of the brush! Unlike many liquid formulas, this sets lightening fast which will be great for those like me who have watery eyes, have very little lid space, or generally can't help but blink within seconds of doing a feline flick. So I applied it with my usual winged liner favourite, the Make Up For Ever 250 Extra Fine Liner Brush and then went on with my day. Glorious coppery brown winged liner and all. Then I waited... for flaking, for smudging, for peeling, for fading; All my bog standard complaints about eye liner in general. I'm thrilled to say I've worn this liner several times now for 12+ hours and not experienced any of these issues! Considering I have some of these issues with Stila's cult classic Stay All Day Liquid Liner (which actually claims to be waterproof, unlike the Got Inked), I am beyond impressed.  There are six shades in this range, one of which is a black which I am now very curious about, but I think Smokey Quartz Ink will have to be my next purchase - a stunning looking bronze. Stila also recently released a new line of blushes called the Stila Aqua Glow Watercolour Blush, using the same cushion technology that I am very intrigued by. I'm sure I'll picking on of those up soon... you know... for the sake of blogging...

When was the last time a performance blew your low expectations out of the water? Follow