Thursday, February 07, 2013

Hourglass Film Noir Kohl Eye Pencil





Black kohl pencils have been part of my makeup wardrobe since my teens. I consider it the most basic of basics and always have several of them around. Constant purchases include Lancome Le Crayon Khol, LMdB Dualistic Eye Pencil, Urban Decay 24/7 and probably a couple of others. Now there's another one that joins this group: Hourglass Film Noir Kohl Eye Pencil.

Everything Hourglass names " Film Noir" is always a rich and glossy black. This kohl pencil is the same-- an intense true black. The texture is very soft, glides effortlessly and doesn't tug at the lids. Hourglass formulas as a rule are gentle and non irritating; this eye pencil is no exception. Tightlining, used on the waterline-- smudged across the lids- it's all good. However, the incredible softness does have its problem- like most true kohl products this pencil can run and smear all over if you're not careful, resulting in some major raccoon eyes. It's also not weather or sweat resistant, so you need to take that into account.

What I've found over a couple of months of testing this Hourglass pencil is that the best way to go is to only tightline an/or line the upper inner rim because the Film Noir Kohl will transfer enough product to the lower waterline. A primer is essential, and setting the under-eye are with a light dusting of powder is recommended, so the kohl and your concealer/corrector don't intermingle. Using a powder eye shadow over the liner is also a good move that will keep everything firmly in place. These are all normal steps for soft kohl-type eye pencils (as opposed to the waterproof no-budge ones), so I doubt I'm telling you anything new.

The pencil itself is long and elegant. Do take note that the tapered tail is not usable so you don't actually get the massive amount of product it appears at first glance. A slim and practical sharpener with a protective cap is included (though you can use any good quality pencil sharpener you have).

Bottom Line: Nice.

Hourglass Film Noir Kohl Eye Pencil ($28) are available at Bergdorf, Barneys, Neiman Marcus and Sephora. The product for this review was sent for my consideration by the company.

3 comments:

  1. As someone who relies on pencils for eyeliner (have given up on mastering gel & liquids), I am interested in this one. Rich and glossy black? I am there! However, I'm a little wary of the smudge factor. Here's my question: If one needs to use powder over the pencil, how much does it matter that the product is glossy? For that matter--a true black? Doesn't the powder dull the texture of the penciled line?

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  2. I spotted this in a recent newsletter and it piqued my interest. I'm very pleased to hear from your review that it's a good as their other Film Noir offerings.

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  3. Thanks for this review! I've had my eye on the brown version of this pencil as a softer kohl option, and it sounds just about right.

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