When I first saw the Maybelline gel eyeliner, I was reminded strongly of the Kate gel eyeliner. It must have been the packaging and the brush that is included in the set. So, I was rather worried at first because you see, the Kate gel eyeliner I have has a very strong chemical scent I truly dislike. It also did not last long and was just basically one failure after another. The only thing I liked was the brush. I think I’ve tossed the liner.
I’m happy to report that the Maybelline gel eyeliner is anything but a failure! The first thing I did when I opened the tub was to take a healthy sniff. No scent = good! The second thing I did was to test the included brush. Tapered, dense and fairly stiff synthetic bristles make for a good liner brush. I was already fairly impressed. The next test came how it applied. The Maybelline gel eyeliner is a nice creamy gel so it applied very smoothly. It was easy to pick up colour and to apply it. Here are my tips for applying gel eyeliner.
It was easy to get a nice line near to my lashes and a nice winged flick at the outer edge of the lid. I have Black which is a dark dark black – just how I like my liners. Upon applying, it can take a couple of seconds to dry, so don’t blink too much or it might transfer.
Once applied, it lasted on me the whole day without smudging so I’m giving this the thumbs up! The Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner retails at RM39.90 at all Maybelline counters. It comes in Black, Brown and Blue (Limited Edition).
You know, since gel eyeliners dry out eventually I might just switch over to the Maybelline gel liner once my Bobbi Brown gel liners dry out for good. It performs just as well for me, and costs much less! Now Maybelline, pretty please make some nice metallic colours and I’m a convert! 🙂
Pros: Inexpensive, Longlasting, No Smudge, Good dark colour, Useful brush, No scent
Cons: The metal cover looks strange, Takes a few seconds to dry
Have you tried the Maybelline gel liner? Do you have any thoughts on this? I’m rather taken by the thought of having a blue liner 😀
Stay beautiful,
Paris B
Ohhh…. You make me wanna try too….. Heh heh heh….
Hi Ms. Blacklace
At these prices… why not? 😉
I like it! I was searching for this in most Watson’s but the black colour seemed to run out of stocks, so this eyeliner must be quite popular! I still like the Kate’s brush so I am using it for this. Kate’s and Bobbi’s eyeliners tend to dry faster and if you forget about the cap after using it then most of it will be dried out in the pot. Whereas Maybelline’s will stay moist….yay!
Hi Reese
Oh yeah Kate dried up on me in a flash. The Maybelline one is still lovely and creamy… well for now anyway 😛
Wow thanks for your review, I have a feeling it’s going to be a failure too! Guess we’re all wrong! 🙂
Hi Nikki
Yep! I love being wrong! 😀 But I do wish they’d made the cap black – it’d look smarter.
love it too! ! the blue one is awesome, will get the black one when mine runs out. surprisingly, maybelline didnt smudge on me, even bobbi brown gel liner refused to stay on me!
Hey prettybeautiful
Aiyoyo… Now you make me want the blue!!
hi, yes, I am currently using this eyeliner. It’s really good. Very lasting, and I like the winged tip that I can do with this. After using this, no more pencil liners every again. And I don’t feel I need to try any other brands as well!
Hey Jyoan
At this price, no need to try others too. But they should come up with more metallic colours or maybe more colours 😀
That would be real good! I am always very tempted by those metallic colours that unknown Japanese brands offer. Watsons over here has a few of them, not sure about M’sia though.
Hi Jyoan
We do get some strange brands too. I’m a little fussy so I stick to brands I know. 🙂
I have both the black and brown. LOOOOVE..
Hi Ayu
Ooh… no blue?! 😀
i’m not into fancy color eyeliner like blue/green/puplr. but both balck and brown works wonderful on me. I put aside my MAC fluidline now
Hi Ayu
Black and Brown make the best liners. The rest are for fun 😉 I prefer these to fluidliners too
oh it looks good! i must get this the next time there’s a sale.
Hi Aichaku
Yep! Its worth it especially during a sale 😉
Hi Paris B, I usually use pencil eyeliner, since it’s the easiest to apply for me. I notice I got smudgy eyeliner by the end of the day, which I blame on my oily lids.
So, is gel liner works well for oily lid? I always thought, because it’s in gel form, it’ll melt away with the oil…
hmmm, I think it should work. This maybelline gel stays real well, and it’s the hardest to remove of all my makeup. Conversely, I thought pencil eyeliners are the poorest in staying power??? I don’t think I have oily lids, but pencil liners dropped and dropped when I was using it.
Hi Muta
Pencil liner tends to smudge more than most liners. The only one I’ve used that had minimal smudge was the Guerlain pencil Kohl. Gel liners usually stick on the lid more but if you have very oily lids, it can still fade or smudge a little. It won’t melt 🙂
I bought the limited edition Blue. Hesitated for a few weeks before I put my hands on the gel liner. The reason I bought Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner is because I’m loving KATE gel liner and local drugstore never bringing in colors other than black, metallic silver, gold and brown. My KATE gel liners never have any scent but a little bit dries up on Matte Black. I’m quite liking the Maybelline Lasting Drame Gel Liner as it’s comparable with KATE. It’s smooth and long lasting. I’m still using the brush from KATE liner thus I have no idea how’s the performance of Maybelline’s.
Hi Synaesthesia
Hmm… maybe mine was a 1st generation Kate liner so they were still chemical hehe… I’d say the Maybelline brush works about the same as Kates which is awesome because I now have 2 good liner brushes!
now you’ve got me intrigued! Thanks for the review 😀 and I really like your eye makeup
but I shall resist. way way way way too many gel/cream/liquid liners. hah! 😡
Hi Connie
*bows to the maestro* Thank you! Maybe wait for a sale 😉
arrgh, you make me want to go and get this!
How it is compared to the Stila smudgepot?
Hi Aiyu
I’ve never tried Stila smudgepots sorry! I will say they are about as good or even better than Bobbi Brown which is famous for their gel liners 😀
I love this gel liner – it’s never failed me, no matter how thin/thick I want my line to be. Beautiful consistency too. The brush, as you said – is well-tapered and just nice when it comes to density. It’s really easy to use, too. My only issue is that the gel liner and gel don’t come “packed” together – so its harder to keep the brush clean as it’s always somewhere deep in my make-up bag!
Hi Yani
Hmm you are right about the brush having to be kept clean. I kept the plastic cover it came with but I do find the gel liner goops up the brush after use. Once cleaned its perfect though. Thanks for coming by!
Hey! I’m glad you like the liner- its one of my favourites fr MBL this year. And u’ve paired it so nicely w the Diamond Eye Glow shadow too 🙂
Hi Azura
Thanks! And I must agree that the new eyestudio palettes and the gel liner are the 2 best things from Maybelline so far.
It still smudges on me! Maybe I applied too much of it? But I can’t resist – the application was a dream. It goes on the eye really well. The only eyeliner that does not smudge on me is the liquid type.
Hi Miks
Hmm… I do find a little transferance if I don’t let it dry properly before blinking but otherwise it doesn’t smudge. Its a dream to apply thats for sure!
Is it selling for RM39.90 now, Paris? I thought Watson’s selling the gel liner for RM20+ each. Hmmm..must be something wrong with my eyesight. Shall check it out again tomorrow!
Hi Laura
RM39.90 is its retail price. Our pharmacies usually have them for cheaper 🙂
Surprising how the packaging of the Gel Liner in Sg and in M’sia differs! In Sg it’s called Maybelline Eyestudio Creamy Gel Liner and we only have black and brown. It has Jap wordings on it as well, so I suppose ours come from the Jpn Maybelline line. The reviews do not differ much from yours though. Pretty good! Here’s a review on the product: http://kimoko.livejournal.com/299566.html
Hi KS
I reckon its the same thing – maybe just different stocks taken from different locations or maybe they are repackaging? Either way, its still good! 😀 I’m still thinking of the blue 😛
Hi KS, I’ve been reliably informed (by a Maybelline insider, no less) that it is the exact same one from Japan. It’s just been repackaged and renamed for the local market 🙂
nice eyes…woot!
The texture’s creamy alright but i still love my Coastal Scents gel liner…love th colours n its cheaper too! 🙂
Hi Jessica
Thanks. I’ve never tried Coastal Scents so can’t compare but I”ll take your word for it.
*ouch*…ok, add yet another item to the long list of “I want!!” but I’m hanging on for dear life to my Bloop gel eyeliner and Stage liquid liner…I….shall….resist…dammit! 😀
Hey Beetrice
Oops! I like this even better than the Bloop one! :O
Hi, I have this too. I bought it when I was in SG and it was 20% off. 🙂 The formula is the same as the gel eyeliner used in Japan I was told. I like it too, the product is very easy to apply on my lids. 🙂
Hi Apple
Glad you are liking this too! It looks like the Maybelline gel liner has a lot of fans 🙂
Hi, I managed to get my paws on the blue (limited edition) and I love it! Kudos to Maybelline for coming up with something cheap and cheerful in these trying economic times!
Hi JackieA
Eeps! I think i’ll need the blue one soon! So many people like it! And yes, Maybelline has been stunning me lately. Love!