Do you wear lip liner? I don't know many who do but I have to with some lip formulas so the color doesn't seep into my lip lines. Don’t you hate that?

This post the other day got me thinking about one of the products I always keep at the ready. It's a clear lip liner. I can't believe I haven't covered this fully before as I discovered these quite a few years ago and I can't even remember the brand that introduced me!

What I like about them is that I don't have to match my lip color to it since they have no color. I really only use colored liner, it’s only for when I'm wearing a red as that shade is not as forgiving and you want a perfect outline of the lips when wearing it, like with any of these.

Since I'm using these colorless ones as a barrier against bleeding, instead of lining lips around the very edge of the lip, I'm lining where my lip line ends and skin starts, so just around the lips themselves. 

So what are these made of? Housed as a pencil, most are mainly a soft wax with some silicones/mineral oil for slip. 

Here are some I recommend that span the price points:

MAYBELLINE Color Sensational Shaping Lip Liner in Clear ($7.99 @ walgreens.com, target.com)

URBAN DECAY 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil in Ozone ($20 @ sephora.com, ulta.com)

MAKE UP FOR EVER Lip Line Perfector ($20 @ sephora.com)

SEPHORA COLLECTION Beauty Amplifier Universal Lip Liner ($12 @ sephora.com)

ELF COSMETICS Lip Lock Pencil ($3 @ elfcosmetics.com)

MIRABELLA Perfecting Lip Definer ($20 @ dermstore.com)

I’ve speculated a lot over the past few years and was just about to add the one to elf to my Holy Grail list when I saw this one had just come out and whoa, are they similar. I had been using the Remover Pencil from Shu Uemura for years until I discovered the ELF one. The Shu stick is kinda greasy and smeared makeup while removing it while the oil-free one from ELF was able to take off makeup mistakes easily and without messing up the rest of my makeup.

So welcome to the ring - MUA MAKEUP ACADEMY Makeup Correcting Pen ($8 @ muapro.com) and ELF COSMETICS Makeup Remover Pen ($3 @ ulta.com) to a showdown and the best one goes into my Holy Grail list!

Each of these has an air-tight cap to keep the removable fiber tip from drying out. Both are oil-free and don’t mess up makeup when removing a mistake. MUA one’s first ingredient is mineral oil (boo!) but it also comes with 3 new tips. No scent to either one.

Overall, these both seem to work really well at removing makeup without messing up your looks. One thing I don’t like about either of these is that the tips actually keep the makeup on them after removing it from your skin. So I keep a paper towel on my makeup table so I can wipe the tip before/after using it. There doesn’t seem to be any other way around that; it’s just part of the way these pens work.

So with all the other traits so close in comparison, the only thing working against the MUA one is the price, but the ELF one doesn’t come with 3 new tips, so I’m going with the one from MUA.

Welcome to my Holy Grail list of products MUA MAKEUP ACADEMY Makeup Correcting Pen!

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.

You can also follow Cybele on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Snapchat

Do you strobe? Have you tried it yet? It’s the opposite of contouring and it’s sure having a moment right now! And it seems easier than contouring too. Simply think of where light naturally hits your face like the top of the cheekbones, down the nose and middle of the forehead and apply the product there. It's such a refreshing touch to add to your look!

Here are some products that can help you get in the strobing mood:

1. WET N' WILD MegaGlo Highlighting Powder - $3.99 @ wetnwildbeauty.com and drugstores nationwide

2. PUR Moonlight Glow | Strobe/Highlight Palette - $34 @ purminerals.com

3. JEFFREE STAR Skin Frost: Ice Cold - $29 @ jeffreestarcosmetics.com

4. ELF Illuminating Palette - $6 @ elfcosmetics.com

5. LAURA MERCIER Matte Radiance Baked Powder in Highlight 01 - $40 @ sephora.com

A few months ago a makeup artist friend of mine asked if I knew where she could pick up one of the Shu Uemura (makeup) Remover Pencils. They don’t make it anymore and mine has about 2” of life left to it. I’m not sure why more brands don’t make a pen like it but I haven’t seen any.

Then recently while browsing around the Target beauty section I came across the ELF Makeup Remover Pen from the e.l.f. Studio line. Ok, I’ll try it.

Click here to read more

The secret to getting your makeup look done and out the door in 5 minutes is to use multi-taskers like ones that are tinted. Since you don’t have to be as precise with tinted versions, time is on your side. Here are some in each category you should cover in order to at least look polished.  

First up is a Tinted Moisturizer or tinted BB Cream. They can be applied with your fingers or a sponge and not only are they usually available in quite a few shades but they give just a hint of tint so you don’t have to worry about overdoing it. And some even come with a built-in SPF, so you’re saving a few extra seconds on your routine right there! Here are some I recommend:  

1. PIXI BEAUTY H2O Skintint $24/1.18oz @ target.com

2. BEAUTY ADDICTS Mineral SheerTINT $32/1.25oz @ beautyaddicts.com

3. MAYBELLINE Dream Pure BB 8-IN-1 Beauty Balm Skin Clearing Perfector $8.99/1oz @ maybelline.com and walgreens.com <--- this is a good one too if you are prone to acne.

4. TOO FACED Tinted Beauty Balm SPF 20 $34/1.5oz @ toofaced.com

Just remember that if you do choose one that doesn’t contain sunscreen, make sure you apply some before one of these. 

Click here to read more

After running this feature on Smashbox’s new eye liners and seeing all the makeup sharpeners I owned, it got me thinking. What makes for a good one? As in, what makes for a good makeup pencil sharpener or what makes for a good anything really? After trying and playing with products for the past 12+ years, I think I have a bit of expertise when it comes to specific topics and what makes for a good something.

So I decided to start a new on-going feature called …

and in these features I will discuss what I think makes for a good product or way of doing something beauty-related.

This first one will investigate what I think makes for a good makeup sharpener, so let’s get to it!!

What Makes for a Good Makeup Sharpener?

Like the ones shown in this picture I took of the ones I own, they all fill a purpose. Since there is no set size for any pencil for lips or eyes, you will probably find yourself having to own quite a few different ones.

If you are just going to invest in one or two of them, here is what you should look for in a good one. I like a duo sharpener like this one from Pixi Beauty I recently featured. Also, since I don’t have a trashcan next to my makeup table, a case that surrounds the sharpener to catch the shavings is also convenient. And with all the ones I’ve tried, that small pokey thing to poke color and shavings away from the blade is totally underrated. Believe it or not, only some include this pokey thing.

Here are some good ones that can get you by.

Clockwise:

• URBAN DECAY Grindhouse Double Barrel Sharpener ($10 @ ulta.com)
• JAPONESQUE Dual Sharpener ($10.99 @ amazon.com)
• SEPHORA COLLECTION Colorful Dual Antibacterial Sharpener ($4 @ sephora.com)
• ULTA Cosmetic Pencil Sharpener ($2.50 @ ulta.com) 

But if you really want the best of the best, I’ve tried a bunch and these ones below are the best as they meet the key criteria:

1. Should be able to sharpen two different sizes; so make it a duo, please.
2. Should have a blade-cleaning pick with it. This is so useful!
3. Should be encased to catch the pencil shavings.

Clockwise:

• KEVYN AUCOIN The Precision Pencil Sharpener ($8 @ barneys.com)
• TWEEZERMAN Deluxe Cosmetic Pencil Sharpener ($4 @ amazon.com)
• MALLY BEAUTY Dual Sharpener ($12.50 @ ulta.com)
• ELF Dual Pencil Sharpener ($1 @ eyeslipsface.com)
• DuWOP Beauty Blade, Antibacterial Dual Eye and Lip Pencil Sharpener ($11 @ dermstore.com)

So do you have a favorite makeup pencil sharpener? Let me know in the comments!