Showdown: Diorshow Liner vs Clinique Quickliner Intense

I love my eyeliners but the pencil or soft kohl varieties just leaves a smudging mess on my hooded Asian lids within an hour or so. Worse, some of less smudge-proof ones even migrate from the outer corner of my eyes to my undereye area, truly giving me the panda-eye look.

That’s why for days where I want fail-safe smudge free eyes (read: workdays), I stick with the liquid variety (my holy grail is still the Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner), but you can’t smudge liquid liners and achieve the smokey sultry look, so I still keep a few pencils handy for that purpose.

Two of my latest pencils are from Dior and Clinique. I’ve pitted them against each other in a smudge and budge test and I have to say, the results were surprising indeed.

Diorshow Liner Waterproof in Carbon 098

Being promoted as a waterproof, eyeliner I have high hopes. The packaging of the pencil is exceptional - in a metallic sliver pencil design, it oozes 100 points in class and elegance.

Clinique Quickliner for Eyes Intense in 01 Intense Black*

In the other corner we have Clinique Quickliner Intense which is a dual-ended liner. The pencil end is capped by a plastic lid and other end houses a sponge smudger capped by a clear lid.

Top - Bottom: Diorshow Liner, Clinique Quickliner Intense

Both are automatic pencils meaning that there is no messing around with pencil sharpeners as a twist or two of the pencil would give new kohl lead to line eyes.

The Clinique Quickliner Intense is only one directional twist though, so don’t over twist as you wont’ be able to twist the lead back down and will end up with too long of a lead that will break off when you apply pressure to draw on skin, wasting the product (yes, I learnt about that the hard way).

Pigment wise, both are deep black and very intense in colour which Dior's Carbon showing up to be true black on photos more than Clinique which seemed to give a blue tint. They are easy to smoke out but on actual application, the differences between them become apparent.

Left - Diorshow Liner; Right- Clinique Quickliner for Eyes Intense

The Differences
Clinique glides on skin like butter without any tug or pull and feels almost like applying a liquid liner making it very easy to draw closely along the lines of eyes or do any tight lining (lining along the waterline). Dior feels more waxy and takes several strokes and harder pressing for the product to warm up and get the same colour intensity and is not as pleasant to use on upper lids.

On the back of hand smudge test, Dior stands up against the test and passed with flying colours. In fact Clinique looked more smudged after rubbing it a few times on my fingers. I was impressed with Dior at this point.

Smudge test: Diorshow liner is more true black when drawn with pressure and stands up against rubbing better

Interestingly, on eyes, it was a totally different story. My oily lids seemed to wreck havoc with Dior. The pigment fallout appears quickly  too and because of its harder lead, I don’t draw as intense line as with Clinique.

Within an hour of wear, Dior was giving me panda eyes with more fall out and fading of intensity. For Clinique, there was abit of budge but it was not as widespread and the intensity was still very much intact. In fact, I could wear the almost till 4 hours without constantly checking for fall out and smudging. After that, there is a bit of fade and movement which I clean up with a cotton bud.

Tip: Dip the cotton bud in foundation or concealer first before using it to clean off product fall-out or smudges so you don’t wipe off your base makeup from your under eye area.

Diorshow Liner - 1 hour later with a fair amount of smudge, fading and fallout

Clinique Quickliner - 1 hour later: less fallout and minimal smudging

So from a real life test, Clinique wins hands downs in my book for those with hooded or oily eye lids. It is by far more intense and longer-lasting liner that is less affected by oil; the products don't migrate as much and it just stays put. I can see myself using Clinique Quickliner for daytime wear where I want more crisp lines with minimal fall-out and Diorshow for evenings where I’m going to do a lot of smudging work for the smokey look since I'm bound to get smudges already.

It just goes to shows, for eye makeup, the back-of-hand test is very deceptive if you have oily lids. Even high-end waterproof products fail on me and I really can't see myself buying another Diorshow Liner pencil when the Clinique Quickliner can be used for both day and night and is a lot cheaper too.

Have you bought any products that worked well when tested on your arm/hand but didn’t live up to expectation when put to real use? 

Diorshow Liner RRP A$50 at Dior counters in department stores and selected pharmacies.
Clinique Quickliner for Eyes Intense* RRP A$34 available in 6 shades at Clinque counters and online.
Product marked * was provided for consideration.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipsticks

I’m extremely late to the party with this post because I misplaced these pretty babies during one of my clean up late last year and so have totally forgotten about them. I re-discovered them during a recent sorting through of my body care stash and I’m so glad to finally be able to swatch them.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipsticks

Kate Moss in collaboration with Rimmel London launched her first lipstick range in October last year and featured 9 shades in the Lasting Lipstick range. This new Lasting Finish formula is light, non-drying and has light reflecting properties to add depth and pack a punch of colour to produce intensely coloured lipsticks.

Packaged in a matte black case with a Vermillion red Kate signature, it is edgy and iconic but very practical as well. The formula of these Lasting Finish lipsticks is very agreeing with my lips. They are quite lightweight with a satin sheen finish and don’t dry my lips out. This is handy for winter lips as it doesn’t get accentuated flakiness as much as with creamier lipsticks can.

I can wear these for 4 hours without any colour fade and still have fairly conditioned lips if I don’t drink or eat which is a great feat but the longevity does drops dramatically when food is involved and reapplication afterwards is needed to get a fresh coat of colour again.

Coverage wise, they are very buildable and the deep shades are potent – one swipe you have you intense colour and a second coat will ensure all full coverage on the entire lip. The lighter colours may require an extra coat but its light formula means it doesn’t feel thick or tacky on lips.

Now lets get to the shades I have to share.

#15 is a frosty metallic aubergine/mauve colour with that doesn’t do much to flatter my skin. It is quite sheer and takes a few more coats for the shade to show as per my swatch below. I can only see myself using this to layer over deep shades rather than on its own as it just doesn’t seem to work for me.

#10 is the true classic red with no blue or brown base whatsoever. This intense and opaque red is something I’d rock if I feel very blah and want to draw attention away from my tired eyes onto something more alluring. It can be quite intimidating to wear unless you are used to wearing brights but if you are looking for a true red lip colour, this is the one.

# 11 is a deep vixen red. It reminds me of the Valentine roses and looks broodingly good for anyone who wants to make a statement lips Twilight style. And when this shade fades, its leaves a luscious berry stain that can carry you through a through another couple of hours with just a slick of glosss on top to give it extra shine.

#14 is a warm nude beige with a brown/pink base. If you’ve been having problems finding a good nude lip colour, you must check this one out. I’ve been searching high and low for a nude colour that doesn’t look too ghastly or concealer-like on my lips and I think I’ve finally found it here. It is neutral enough but has enough colour to not make like I’ve lost all my blood and matches perfectly with medium skintones.

#05 is a dusty pink shade that is neutrally balanced and works on both cool and warm complexions. It works equally well for morning, evening or a casual day out on the weekend, making it one of the most versatile shades in the collection.

As you can see, the Kate Moss collection range from bright reds to soft pinks and nudes and has a colour to suit every mood and occasion. Even beetter is that there are 6 new shades released this month to complement the existing 9 shades in the range, so there's no excuse that you won't find your perfect shade.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick RRP A$11.95 at Priceline, Kmart, Big Wid, David Jones, Coles, Woolworths and selected pharmacies. 
These products were provided for consideration.

Kio Kio Natural Body Care

For most of us, even if we love experimenting with new products, we tend to stick to products from brands we have used before. After all, nothing is more powerful than the trust that we have built up for a brand through extensive use and familiarity.

Luckily for me as a beauty blogger, I have the privilege of trying out new products from new and established brands and letting you know whether a new brand or product is worth embracing and making it into your loved and trusted list.

And let me tell you, readers, I don’t take this responsibility lightly. I know the power of advocacy and the trust you bestow on me, and for that I’m very grateful and humbled. I always avoid using my influence to paint a positive picture for a product unless it is deserving of it.

So today, I want to showcase a brand that desrerves to make it to that list. Let me give you a little introduction to it.

Kio Kio is a natural bodycare range conceived in the pure lands of New Zealand and uses organic filtered spring waters and oils and native bioactive botanical extracts to give it a unique scent, luxurious texture and feel. There is nothing synthetic in its ingredients and no chemicals that you wouldn’t want absorbed into your skin. There are four unique fragrance range from Kio Kio and each fragrance range features a body lotion, body cream, body mist, shower wash, body soap and hand cream.

With Names such as Citrus petal and Tarata, Pacific Tiare & Ti Kauka,  Rainforest & Koromiko, Frangipani & Puriri, they are sure to tempt any exotic scent lover.

I was able to road test a couple of products from their various fragrance range to get a nose of their scent and see how well the products performed.

Kio Kio Rainforest & Koromiko Body Cream 200g – NZ $49 

This light and indulgence cream is like a whipped gel and is instantly cooling on skin. It has a delicate clean and fresh scent with a hint of green tea that reminds me of a running stream in a rainforest. It also contains the Koromiko flower which is a native plant and has skin healing properties.
As a moisturiser, it is hydrating and softening on skin and suitable for those who have normal to dry skin. Very dry skin types will need something more heavy duty than this jar of whipped goodness. There is no sticky residue and you get a nice sheen on skin afterwards. I like applying this after shower and allowing it to quickly absorb into the skin before wearing clothes.

Ingredients listing: Aqua (organic water)*, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil*, Glycerin (sugar alcohol), Cetearyl Glucoside (coconut wax), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Cetyl Esters (coconut wax), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Cetearyl Alcohol (coconut alcohol), Glyceryl Stearate (coconut oil emulsifier), Phenoxyethanol (aromatic ether), Vitamin E, Perfume, essential oils & botanical native NZ extract, Potassium Sorbate. *denotes organic ingredient. Not tested on animals.

Kio Kio Citrus petal & Tarata Body Wash 240ml – NZ $29

By far my favourite of the bunch I’ve tried, this shower gel is soft and unlike other citrus shower gel is can be strong and over powering, it has more of a floral and powdery base which must the Tarata flower’s influence. It is both relaxing and soothing to use and leaves my skin incredibly soft without dry it out. It’s the perfect shower prep for application of the body cream. Of course it cleanses too and does a good job of degreasing my skin, especially my back which can get quite oily during the day.

Ingredients listing: Aqua (organic)*Cocamidopropyl Betaine (coconut oil source), Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate, Decyl Glucoside (coconut oil source), Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine (coconut oil source), Cocamide MIPA (coconut acid)Disodium Laureth Sulphosuccinate, Coco-Glucoside (coconut source), Glycerol Oleate (vegetable oil extract), Glycerin (sugar alcohol), Polysorbate 20 (coconut oil source), Phenoxyethanol (aromatic ether), Perfume, essential oils & botanical native NZ extract, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate. *denotes organic ingredient. Not tested on animals.

Kio Kio Pacific Tiare & Ti Kauka Hand Cream 50g – NZ $29

This has to be my favourite scent of the range. It is sparkling, floral and powdery soft orange blossom scent– much like the lighter version of the Daphne flower in the evening that immediately captivates me.

The hand cream itself comes in a pump container and my problem is that it squirts a such tiny amounts that I need quite a few pumps to get enough product to use (it’s far too fiddly for an impatient person like me - I’m used to hand creams in tubes that dispenses more product at a given time).

The product itself is light and quickly absorbed. It is a good hand cream but I personally feel I need something more intensive for my dry and roughened fingers, a by-product of not wearing gloves when doing chores. Because of this I usually use this hand cream at work when I’m at my desk and don’t want my hands too greasy but still hydrated enough. Given the divine scent ,I’m definitely keen to try out more from the Pacific Taire & Ti Kauka range.

Ingredients listing: AQUA (organic water)*, PRUNUS AMYGDALUS DULCIS (Sweet Almond) Oil, GLYCERIN (sugar alcohol), CETEARYL GLUCOSIDE (coconut wax), CETEARYL ALCOHOL (coconut alcohol), COCO-CAPRYLATE (coconut oil), SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (Jojoba) Seed Oil, CETYL ESTERS (coconut wax), PERSEA AMERICANA (avocado) oil*, ORGANIC CYATHEA MEDULARIS, (Mamaku) water, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (Shea) Butter*, GLYCERYL STEARATE (coconut oil), TOCOPHEROL (Vitamin E), FRAGRANCE/PARFUM, CORDYLINE AUSTRALIS (Ti Kauka) extract, CITRUS LEMONUM (lemon) oil, CITRUS RETICULATA (mandarin) oil, PHENOXYETHANOL (aromatic ether), POTASSIUM SORBATE.
*denotes organic ingredient. Not tested on animals.

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to have discover Kio Kio. It’s definitely a brand with unique and amazing delicate scent and natural quality ingredients found only in a unique region of the world. Kio Kio products that is not only indulgent, uplifting and pampering in its everyday use but also gives peace of mind that its ingredients are organic and natural based are sustainably sourced. It definitely is deserving to be added to the list of brands that everyone should try and no doubt love.

Kio Kio products can be purchased online (with worldwide delivery) or at selected boutiques in Australia and New Zealand. Selected Kio Kio products can also be purchased at Amazon.
These featured products were provided for consideration.