Happy 2012 y'all! Goddess Granny wishing everyone at Megsmakeup.com an amazing year ahead FULL of love, laughter, beauty and health: I for one am glad to kick 2011 to the curb and some invisible force has been prompting me to edit, purge,and delete since the clock struck midnight! I ONLY want "good" people and things and yes of course life will continue to hand us all things to cope with but as for that which I have control over and can makes choices about? They're going to be FABULOUS only! I've finally come to respect the old adage that says,"The more you know,the less you need..." and that by having less "stuff" to manage and and personalities to contend with you really can and do free up yourself to more wonderful options for growth! No resolutions for me, only results!

I spent a couple of hours yesterday cleaning and tossing items from my vanity drawers: it's a good sign you need to do this when you cannot open or close the drawers? I am NOT going to stop buying, sampling, testing,and indulging in beauty-products in this lifetime but I've realized that I will also not be wearing that deep grey lipstick that seemed so "fashion forward" when I bought it! It's really true that SO many of the "keepers" were our favorites here as well: Tarte Cheek Stains, Urban Decay just about anything, Lorac glosses and highlighters, and I can say with pride that a slew of pencils went into the bin because they didn't perform well and because I'm SO in love with cake eyeliners currently: new to me and a step up from the liquids I also love ONLY because you can control cake-application to the moon once you get it down and my beloved "cat's eye" is STILL front and center for Spring 2012!!!! MANY of the retro, rockabilly, pinup looks are going to be "all that" so I'm making sure my  perfect black eye lines are firmly in my repertoire!  

I am a girl who puts on makeup in the rear view mirror: there I said it! I live a solid 45 minutes one way from "civilization" in any form so at times, it's my best option and I keep a cute little kit in my truck with basics.Also the "weird" me always thinks," What if I was kidnapped or something,I'd want to be able to look nice,right?" My husband assures me that any would-be captors would GLADLY be paying HIM to come get me asap but I like to live in my beauty-bubble of possibilities.

I needed to find an eye pencil that REALLY worked as an eyeliner because only one-hand would be used and it HAD to be very black, not need a sharpener, and above all,it needed incredible staying-power because hey, those kidnappers keep long hours,right?  I have tried SO many pencils with inferior results that when I read about Maybelline's  "Eye Studio Master Drama Cream Pencil" I had my doubts...again, it's a "mass-market" product but I have been VERY impressed with what this venerable brand has been creating recently so I figured I'd give it a try! Lotsa luck...I went to four stores and yes, they HAD a new "Master Studio" display but there was not a single pencil in black to be had,they were all sold out! I bought it in deep grey and purple and headed to the rear-view to try it out! It goes on almost like a liquid,VERY creamy and moist with a self-sharpening/retractable tip and I was literally in AWE of the pigmentation and color-payoff! One swipe went exactly where I wanted it to with no "drag" or need to go over the lines again and it set within seconds looking for all the world LIKE a beautifully applied liquid or cream! It did NOT budge until I removed it later that evening and I even lined the "waterline" as well as into the inner upper corners of the eye, always tough spots for long wear! This is one AMAZING eye liner pencil and I ordered several in black immediately! The colors are true and rich and the black is SO dark and luscious,I can have a pencil in every nook and cranny at Maybelline's delicious price-points although I've handed over two to friends who admired the look! It's going to prompt me to try the shadows in this new "Master Studio" line as well...

You might have to go on a bit of a hunt locally to find the black because obviously the word is out that this pencil is a MUST have!!! I also like applying a smudge of colored shadow over the pencil and again,it does not move, smudge, or flake and is so ridiculously effortless to use that you'll be a cat's eye queen in no time! It's such a pretty and feminine makeup look that I hope it stays around for a long time,everyone looks great with a swoop!

Lucky for us,you can  buy the "black" here on the very chic Maybelline website (and yes, you really can get the effect their model shows with this pencil!)and all of the  colors it's offered in are equally as amazing, I need "Sapphire" for Spring!

So it's been firmly established that eyeliner is here to stay for a while! Which form do you prefer and don't you also want a perfect eyeliner pencil for those on the run glam looks? This one IS the best pencil I have found at any price!