THE UPS MAN, FLUIDLINES AND THE FREAK SHOW...MAC FLUIDLINES
Written: Mar 22 '05 (Updated Nov 22 '05)
Product Rating:
Pros: no allergic reaction, bright colors, stays on well, looks great, doubles as shadow or base
Cons: will come off with oily lids or runny eyes, some colors translucent.
The Bottom Line: If you really love eye liner that does not move and comes in fun vibrant colors, FLUIDLINE could be the answer to the perfect liner! FABULOUS SHADOW TOO!
I love to experiment with art whether it be on my face or a canvas face that I paint.
My daughter loves to paint.
She sees me paint my face.
My daughter wants to paint me....
...Constantly.
Okay, you might ask, what is the problem with that?
Well, it is the UPS man. You see, I have a history with the UPS man. A long and sordid history.
First it was the time that I fell asleep on the couch, and my daughter painted my entire face in black and navy blue eyeshadow. There was a ring of the doorbell, and I woke up, scuffed over to the door to see the UPS man handing me a package with a calculated attempt at a straight face.
I shook my head, wondering what the strange expression was for and then I went to wash my hands. I did not remember playing in dirt that day. I looked up in the mirror and gasped.
The next time was the time I bought a gold leather halter dress and shoes in the mail. I tried them on after my daughter had applied some more dark powder to my face, and could not get them off. I was literally stuck in the dress, doomed to be so until my husband returned from work in 4 hours.
The UPS man came to the door with a package and I had to sign for it- this time his expression was not quite so controlled. He was on the verge of laughter.
The following week my husband had complained that he needed something to punch when he got mad. I was led to
believe that it was somehow my fault that he did not have something to punch, so I dutifully purchased a punching bag system on clearance, which arrived the week after the gold dress incident. My daughter had just put my hair up into a myriad of tiny barretted ponytails- nothing too horrible.
The UPS man was at the door again. At least my face was normal and I was not in evening clothes. He really looked at me weird and then shook his head as he walked away. What could be the problem NOW? I looked at the box and then looked again my eyes really big. In big letters it said on the box , "Inflatible Sock and Rock"
Oh, dear, I can only imagine what that guy was thinking!!!!!!!!!!
SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH FLUIDLINES?
It had been some time since I had purchased anything through UPS. The weather was not too great, and MAC really did not have any new color campaigns that particularly thrilled me for quite some time. I have noticed that the quality of some of the MAC products has gone down a bit, so I am quite picky at what I order. I have no MAC store near by me so I have to rely on my network of fellow makeup artists to tell me what is worth purchasing or not.
One of the new things that I was particularly interested in was the MAC FLUIDLINES. I had heard a lot of raving about them for quite some time before they actually were released. They were supposed to be the quintessential perfect gel eyeliner. Wears like iron, looks amazing, etc.
Would they hold up like they said?
I was not sure what to expect, so I decided to order just a few when they came out.
MAC has a tendency to not have anything that I want in stock a few days after a new product is released, so I prepared my list.
WHAT IS FLUIDLINE LIKE?
MAC FLUIDLINE is a gel liner in a small clear glass jar with a black screw on lid. Although it looks small, and .1 fl. oz.(3g) of product seems like a tiny bit, The product inside is quite concentrated and I am told that a jar will last a very long time.
Depending on what color you purchase, MAC FLUIDLINE varies in application quality. Some of the colors go on with one swipe, others take two or as many as four coats to appear completely opaque. This is not necessarily a problem. Some of the colors work well more translucent for certain looks.
FLUIDLINE does not come with a brush- you need to use a liner brush with this product. I have tried it with several brushes, and my favorites are the MAC #209 liner brush, and the MAC #311 lip liner brush- which makes even thinner more precise lines.
FLUIDLINE is a very versatile product. Not only can you use it as a liner, but you can use it as an eyeshadow base. Many people claim that it is better than MAC paints, but my only comparison is that the paints cause me severe burning reactions to my skin, and FLUIDLINES do not. That alone is enough reason for me to use the FLUIDLINES over paint for an eyeshadow base.
HOW DO FLUIDLINES PERFORM?
When I first got these liners, I was shocked at how amazing the application was and how they wore for many hours and did not budge. They were sometimes hard to remove- although just a little working at it with remover and they came off fine with soap and water that I use for all makeup removal.
As time has gone on, however, I have found some interesting situations with this liner product.
First of all, when you use a makeup remover, like LANCOME BI-FACILS which has an oiliness too it, the FLUIDLINE will not stay on well the next day- even if you wash your skin thoroughly and dry it before applying.
Secondly, I have noticed that the use of eyecreams will do the same thing- application the night before will cause the FLUIDLINES to wear off quickly the next day,even when the skin is washed and dried thoroughly first.
A very gentle astringent (I only use natural based products) will help some, but still, it is hard to use them on the eyes often.
EYESHADOW APPLICATION
As an eyeshadow base, the FLUIDLINES go on pretty sheer, depending on which color is used. FROSTLITE is a wonderful base as an ivory white appearance which is really white with gold shimmer in it.
If you apply it with a MAC #242 brush, the application is much more even than with any other brush I have used. It stays on well if the lids are not oily. Some people claim that even with oily lids, it stays on very well, so experimentation is the only way you will know for your lids.
You can wear it alone for a sheer eyeshadow, or apply powder shadow over it. Powder will help it set if you are planning on wearing it alone and are concerned with oily lids.
WHAT COLORS DOES FLUIDLINE COME IN?
Because I have every single color of FLUIDLINE now, I am describing them to you from sight in front of me and not from the MAC web site. Sometimes their color descriptions do not seem accurate from my perspective.
Opaque is usually good with one careful swipe, medium coverage means usually two coats, and translucent can take up to four coats for good solid color.
BLUE PEEP- matte teal blue (opaque)
IRIS EYES-shimmery lilac(translucent)
FROSTLITE-white with gold shimmer(translucent)
MACROVIOLET-high shimmer plum violet (medium coverage)
BLACKTRACK-matte black (opaque)
SWEET SAGE- olive green with gold shimmer(medium coverage)
ROYAL WINK- matte bright royal blue (medium coverage)
DIPDOWN- matte milk chocolate(opaque)
RICH GROUND- metallic copper brown(opaque)
WAVELINE-eggplant/navy copper microglitter (medium coverage)
SILVERSTROKE-silver pewter metallic (medium coverage)
BRASSY- metallic brassy gold (opaque)
NON-CONFORMIST- royal purple
SHADE- dark forest green
IS MAC FLUIDLINE WORTH THE INVESTMENT?
For this tiny jar of FLUIDLINE, the price is $13.50 retail. Is it worth it? I would have to say ABSOLUTELY.
Although I have to work with this product when I have used eye cream now and then, I still think that it is one of the best liners that I have worked with.
It is proported to be waterproof, and if you do put water on it after it dries on your hand, you will see the water bead up on it and run off.
Salty tears will burn it away slightly, but enough product remains on so that the color is still there. A
real boon for runny allergy season that leaves most people unable to wear liners in summer if they have allergies.
These liners will remove with simple soap and water- I use Lamas Beauty Orange Face and Body cleaner- very gentle on my eyes and always removes makeup well.
Waterproof makeup remover will leave the lids more prone to the liners coming off, so I avoid them unless it is an emergency. Maybelline's Waterproof remover is a bit better than Lancome's BiFacils, however.
INGREDIENTS
Because each color of the FLUIDLINES has different ingredients, I am not going to print them here. I can tell you that the primary ingredient is isododecane and there are a lot of long words that I can not pronounce with a touch of vitamin E and A and lecithin in all of them.
WHERE CAN YOU GET THESE?
MAC has quite a few counters and stores around the US and other countries, however, you can order their products from their web site at
www.maccosmetics.com
You can also see photos and ideas of how to use the different MAC products, which makes it worth putting the MAC site on your favorites list.
You can also get some MAC products on Ebay, if you want to take the chance on ordering through a third party for almost the same price much of the time.
WHAT ABOUT THE UPS MAN?
So, I got my first shipment of MAC FLUIDLINES and my daughter answered the door- thankfully. Whew. Another crazy story from the UPS man to his fellow workers diverted!
Every day that week, I was taking photos of the different fluidlines to show others online who wanted to see what they looked like. I only put them on one eye, since that is all I was taking photos of.
One day, I did this when my hair was a mess, oily mangy, and I was wearing old gym clothes. I quickly applied the BLUE PEEP color which is my favorite. I added bright lime, yellow, purple- I went to town having fun- on ONE EYE. I had on no other makeup at all.
I forgot all about it.
I had just worked out and was sweaty, and I quickly answered the door when I came up the stairs and there stood the UPS man.
I wonder if I purposely try to look like a freak, if that means that the UPS man will bring me a package?.....
Hmmmmmm....
UPDATE: After using for almost a year, I have fallen more in love with this product. It is fabulous. I use these as eyeshadows more often than I used to. If I use them as a tacky eyeshadow base, they are fabulous as well.
There is almost no end to what I can do with Fluidlines and I have to say that I have become more thrilled than ever with them and I hope to get more in the future. I use them daily as liner and or eyeshadows. I can not rave enough about these.
Ultra-smooth, Fluidline's gel formula provides the precision of a liquid liner with a silkier, softer finish. Goes on 'foolproof' with a brush in an e...More at Nordstrom
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