Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen Duo

I haven’t tried that many Pixi products but the ones that I have tried have been excellent. It’s not a brand that’s very readily available on the high-street and I can only actually think of one Boots store that stocks it off the top of my head, which is the large Boots at the Piccadilly Circus end of Shaftesbury Avenue, opposite Ripley’s Believe It or Not.

When I was in the store the other week I was really impressed by the testers of these pencils so I decided to just go ahead and buy them as it’s not a store that I visit that often. This duo cost me £12 but I later discovered on the Pixi website that the individual pencils retail at £12 each, so it’s a bit of a bargain buy-one-get-one-free pack.

Above: I love the cute design on the packaging.

Above: there are some hints and tips on the back of the packaging on how to use the pens to create a smoky eye

Although the product’s name is “Lid Last Shadow Pen” they are actually long lasting cream eyeshadows. This duo contains a light shimmery pink called Shell Sheen and a cool dark brown called Brun Beam.

I have to say that I am already in love with these pencils and they’ve become one of my staples since I bought them because 1) you can create a gorgeous smoky eye look with them in about three minutes and 2) they last and last and last, so you can either wear them alone or as a base underneath powder eyeshadows to hold them in place all day long.

I’ve been wearing these every day for the past week and they last 10 hours on me before starting to fade. They don’t smudge or wander across my face at all once set. After applying the product you have about 30s before they set during which you can smudge them as desired. They are also very smooth and comfortable to apply, unlike some other long lasting eyeshadow sticks (i.e. my MAC shadestick) which can be quite hard and drag across the eye during application – ouch. The barrels of the pencils are plastic but you just sharpen them as normal in a large cosmetic pencil sharpener.

I apply them pretty much as the packaging suggests, only I don’t even bother with a primer as I find they last just fine without one. I apply Shell Sheen over my lid to just above the crease then smudge out to an even thin layer using a flat synthetic brush (a concealer brush is ideal). I then whack some Brun Beam into the outer v of my eyelid and along my upper and lower lashlines then again smudge with a flat synthetic brush to blend all the harsh lines and leave a soft smoky finish. And – that’s it! I don’t even bother with mascara with this look as there’s absolutely no fall out and I have dark eyelashes naturally and the brown pencil along my lashlines adds enough intensity for me. Mascara also always smudges on me by the end of the day as I have quite oily skin, but these pencils don’t, so this look actually fares better without mascara.

It’s not a precise, carefully constructed look, but it does add a nice touch of intensity to the eyes in a kind of cool, laid back way. I really like it!