February 9, 2011

Tarte emphasEYES Inner Rim Brightener Nude: Yay or Nay?

I think the first nude, flesh colored eye pencil I ever owned was the MAC Chromagraphic Pencil. It was supposed to be my ticket to wider, brighter, more awake eyes!

But…

Every time I used it I looked like Living Dead Girl!

“Who is this irresistible creature who has an insatiable love for the dead?” Why that would be the Muse sporting MAC Chromagraphic Pencil on her lower waterline!

Needless to say I’m unable to pull off the fleshy nude eyeliner look for some reason!

Tarte has a brand new emphasEYES Inner Rim Brightener Nude that I wanna try maybe it won’t give me that undead look nearly as badly as MAC’s version did!?

Tarte totes it as the ultimate wake up makeup! Line the lower inner rim and instantly brighten your eyes up and give them that wide awake look!

Considering I had little success with Chromagraphic I’m torn between saying Yay and Nay.

What are your thoughts and feelings about lining your waterline with a nude shade?

Does it successfully wake your eyes up?

Or

Does it give you that Living Dead Girl look?

Disclaimer: Rob Zombie was not harmed, molested, or licked during the making of this post. If you heard any different, well, that’s a mere rumor.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Eve

    I usually use white. It looks good on me. (Or at least I think so XD) But I am interested in trying a nude…hmmm…

    By the way, excellent song, Rob Zombie/White Zombie FTW!!!

    • the Muse

      eve I never tried white but always been curious to do so ;-D \M/ hells yes! Rock on!

  • Mary the Muse Militant

    I’ve never tried those nude Chromagraphic pencils so have no input here really.
    Am not too pushed to try them either as there is always something else at MAC I want before one of those.
    But, about Rob, well, I’m sure I spotted you in that crowd hmmm, slithering up over the side of the stage – so can you seriously claim he was not molested?
    🙂 🙂

    • the Muse

      LOL Mary! don’t laugh too hard, could have happened haha ;-D I went to a concert a few years ago, surprised they didn’t carry me out on a stretcher, just adore him ;-D SWOON!

  • katrosado5

    LOL on your disclaimer! I have lined the inner lower rim with nude eye shadow (never purchased a nude liner) and then line the edge of the lower eyelash line as close as possible and smoked it out a bit. It does look nice but I don’t see that it looked nice enough to do that every day. At my age I pretty much look tired most of the time and it’s age not really tiredness. Others may have had better luck though.

    • the Muse

      lol katro the licking happens in my dreams ;-D lol! I dunno if it’s my age or just my skin tone or what but using this totally makes me looking dead-like! Curious if I have better success with tarte’s version as it has a bit more peach to it looks like!

  • Andrea

    I’ve tried doing white on the waterline a few times before, and it always makes me look bug-eyed, a la Lady Gaga in Bad Romance. The nude shade sounds like it might be more natural looking… must try it!

  • Cj

    I used to use Anastasia’s matte highlighter pencil on my waterline and inner corner but now I’m thinking about trying a regular white eyeliner instead… maybe Mac’s eye kohl in ‘fascinating’ ;D? Tell me, is it bad to put in another Mac order before you even receive the last haul you ordered?

      • Cj

        Speaking of Mac I just got my order! ;D I ran into the bathroom, washed my face off, and started trying everything lol 😛 I am literally loving everything lol expecially the dainty blush 🙂 such a pretty color!

        Time to put in another order! Lmao 😛

        • the Muse

          LOL Cj! OMG you’re going to be a cheeky one when the new LE collections come out ;D! ha! welcome to my world :D!

  • Alli

    Muse – I haven’t tried the chromographic pencil (though i wanted to when it was released with the recent MAC collection, but it was sold out…) but I did purchase the MAC I Get No Kick pencil fromt he champale collection and I LOVE it! It is more of a nude-y champagne color, not a straight nude, so maybe it would work for ya? I love the way it looks – I use it to line my waterline and for a little inner corner action to brighten me up. Maybe you’d want to take a little look-see? I’m a big fan!

  • Larie

    interesting! i may have to try it, although i don’t really like these pencils from Tarte…they are melty. Is that a word? Haha. They feel lovely going on, but they smush so easily!

    • the Muse

      larie these ones are ok it’s the other emphasis eyes that are SUPER melty and smushy ;D!

  • paige

    I am older and I have inherited red eyes from my mother. I HAVE to use one of these or I look like a little bunny rabbit with red rimmed eyes without one of these….however, the Stila one I use ain’t that great…I will definitely try this.

  • slick

    Yes, the Chromagraphic Pencil looks strange on me too! I tried the white Fascinating Eye Kohl and that also looked weird. However, I agree with the above poster – the I Get No Kick Eye pencil is a completely different story! I think its because its a SHIMMERY nude. It looks much more natural because our waterlines are not a flat color and they are wet a lot of the time 🙂 Sephora has a shimmery golden nude beige pencil that I also love, and I will probably get the MUFE 23L once my I Get No Kick runs out. Totally love the shimmery nude pencils – they really brighten up my eyes!

    • Mary the Muse Militant

      I never thought to try the shimmery nudes rather than the flat matt ones.
      Thanks for the tip !

  • Bianca

    I HATE when people line their waterline with white or nude! It looks gross. They say it brightens them, but i don’t think it looks good on anybody.

  • annie

    there’s also Pixi Beauty Eye Bright Liner… you can get that at target or on zappos.com (suprisingly). i’ve had my eye on this for so long!!

  • Stephanie L.

    Pixi has one of these at Target. I just picked it up recently, and I like it so far. Also, it comes in that cute green Pixi packaging, and it’s a couple of dollars cheaper.

  • Christina

    LOL to living dead girl. it’s me with white, nude, peach, light pink, light yellow pencil on the waterline. maybe i should give it up when the mirror tells me its no good. 🙁

    • the Muse

      christina it’s the worst right? I always look deadly with it in place 🙁

  • jac-kie

    i hate lining my waterline as i don’t have the confidence the product will stay put & i heard it clogs the ducts or something & irritates your eyes? but i have tried lining with white khol before & it was really streaky & looked like i had sleep all on the lower rim of my eyes =(

    maybe i’ll try with a nudish eyeshadow [stila stardust? or is it moondust that i have… hmmm].

    • the Muse

      aw jackie sorry to hear. I line my waterline with black and don’t have issues. It really depends though. I know folks with oily skin find it slips around alot!

  • Jane

    Hi Muse! I’m Malay with a bit of Spanish and a quarter Chinese mix – I use UD’s Yeyo to get that awake look I think it works well for someone of my skintone (NC20ish). Maybe because Yeyo isn’t stark white on me – more of like a soft white on me. I haven’t tried a peach or nude color for my waterline although I’ve tried Stila’s kitten powder (and other shadows of the same color range) and it works well too – doesn’t last as long as yeyo but I get the same awake effect 🙂

  • S

    I’ve got MAC’s Chromagraphic pencil in NC15 abd I really like it. I tried white eyeliner but it was too stark and fake looking. I like how MAC’s does make me look more fresh and rested, but I don’t get all day wear from it. That’s my only complaint. I would be interested in hearing how Tarte’s version stacks up against MAC.

  • Christine

    I really hate the tarte Inner Rim pencil I have in black, it’s crumbly and actually hurt to apply…so I’ll be skipping this ^^;;

  • crissy k

    Lol, I love reading your blog especially for the funny extras like your disclaimer. Brightens my day. I have to agree with you, this waterlining wi white/nude looks very ghoulish.

  • Karolyn

    I’m going with YAY. This pencil is creamy and glides on nice and smooth. I was considering trying UD’s Yeyo and then this product was released. I think the peachy-nude color looks more natural and gives my eyes a little pop. On me it doesn’t look deadly (medium blond with green eyes), but everyone is different, right?

    • the Muse

      I really have to try karolyn I’m leaning towards a possible yay as the shade is peachier compared to the mac version I have which is more beige-y cream!