Liner Love: Sephora Contour Eye Pencils 12HR Wear in Flirting Game and Surfer Babe

Recently, I'd started feeling very spleeny towards my eyeliner pencil collection; yes, I had more than enough in number, but the formulas seemed lacking, the colors uninspiring. I just felt a little update was in order, and in the back of my mind I had this nagging nugget (see what I did here?) of information that Sephora eyeliners might be worth checking out; even after my fiasco with their Nano formula, reviewed here. And nothing like the VIB sale to give you a little push, ya know?

It's funny how I often pick products in pairs; like one is not quite enough to satisfy a lemming, and two is not as indulgent as buying a trio. Do you guys purchase two products at a time too? Anyway, the product in question is Sephora Collection Contour Eye Pencils 12HR Wear in Flirting Game no. 15 and Surfer Babe no. 24 ($9 each for 0.04 oz). The pencils are slim and sturdy with color-coded ends and they require sharpening, which I don't mind, really.

 An obligatory rave about the formula: both eyeliners are soft, smooth and glide on easily with the least amount of pressure (all characteristics that are also present in some other eyeliner formulas I enjoy, like the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencils or the NYX Slide-On Eyeliners). They're also very long-wearing once they set, and can be smudged immediately after application. Where the Sephora formula differs from (and is superior to) my Urban Decay and NYX eyeliners, is the pigmentation; both Flirting Game and Surfer Babe pack a lot of punch in one swipe and have a more opaque and vibrant base than the other two formulas - you can see it quite well in the swatches. It's also noteworthy that the Sephora Contour Eye Pencil shade range is wide and interesting, with a variety of finishes (matte/shimmer/glitter); this is also true for Urban Decay shades; however, Urban Decay Glide-Ons retail for $19, while Sephora is less than half the price.

Flirting Game no. 15 is a darker neutral taupe with very refined silver, pink and orange shimmer, visible only in direct sunlight, but giving the shade a lot of dimension. I actually don't own any other taupe eyeliner pencils, but wanted to show you how it compares to a light grey taupe shadow stick like Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Grey Pearl, an eggplant shade like Urban Decay Rockstar, and a basic medium warm brown like Urban Decay Whiskey. Both Urban Decay pencils required more layering to show comparable opacity next to Sephora Flirting Game, and especially with Rockstar, you can see how the darker base shade seems almost greyed and faded.

Surfer Babe no. 24 is a dark teal with fine tonal shimmer/ pearl finish. Again, I previously had no teal eyeliners in my collection, so the comparison is simply to show you where to place the color in the blue/green spectrum, and to show differences in formula and finish. Compared to Surfer Babe, the Urban Decay Binge shade (navy blue) again seems less vibrant and pigmented, and you can also see the slight patchiness of the NYX Pretty Violet's formula. I would say that formula-wise, the TIGI Perfect Eyeliner in Green stands its ground next to the Sephora pencil, but the price and very limited shade range cannot rival that of Sephora.

 Here's a quick and simple look showcasing both pencils: I blended some MAC Patina eyeshadow on the lid and out in the crease, highlighted the inner corners with Rouge Bunny Rouge Unforgettable Oriole, and then applied Sephora Surfer Babe pencil on the upper lashline, flicking it out at the end. I used Flirting Game on the lower waterline and smudged into the lower lashline. I'm happy to say even on the waterline, the pencil lasted through a whole windy day. On my lips, I'm wearing Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in Warm Me Up.

I'm very happy with this liner purchase and I can definitely see myself picking up more shades in the future; especially after finishing some other less satisfactory formulas. So far, I haven't found a more affordable, easily accessible, and overall great quality eyeliner option than these Sephora Contour Eye Pencils, and I would definitely recommend you check them out next time you casually pop into a Sephora store for a little swatching session. Have you tried these Sephora eye pencils? Are there any other products from the Sephora Collection range that are worth looking into?