Ben Nye • Ben Nye Cake Eyeliner • Eyeliner

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moiltoil on 5/20/2013 1:44:00 PM more reviews by moiltoil

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown, Straight, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

This is exactly what I wanted out of eyeliner. I consider the Ben Nye cake eyeliner (used with water) to be quite smudge-proof but NOT water proof. My eyeliner stays put for several hours on my oily and asian eyelids, and I can adjust the smokiness, thickness, or opacity as I see fit by changing the amount of water on my brush. For me, the flexibility of use of cake eyeliner versus liquid eyeliner is worth the added hassle of water+brush. So far, I have not found a pencil eyeliner that does not smudge on me, high or low end, and I have had a very limited but lackluster experience with gel liners.

I like to wear a subtle, smudged out cat-eye for my everyday look. The Ben Nye cake eyeliner (in Dark Brown) is perfect for me. I can see some people becoming frustrated with how much effort it might take to get a thick, pigmented line though--not impossible, but definitely more inconvenient than conventional eyeliners.

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ohnotheydidnt on 3/3/2013 1:46:00 PM more reviews by ohnotheydidnt

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I was under the impression that this would be at least water resistant... but this is the most smeary run-down-your-face eyeliner I've ever used, omg. If you get any sort of moisture near it, it will dissolve and get into your eyes. It's AWFUL! I'm so disappointed, because the reviews were perfect... I even used it with the Kryolan sealer, which has a 5 rating.

I'll be sticking with gels and pencils. Shame :(

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JustEnufEyes on 2/22/2013 10:16:00 AM more reviews by JustEnufEyes

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Other    

I use dark brown in my brows with the liquiset. Love the look it gives, and last all day. Love it.

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msog177 on 11/19/2012 2:25:00 PM more reviews by msog177

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This eyeliner take the proverbial cake (pun intended). I have not used a better liner and I've tried ALL kinds. I have this in black and it is fantastic! Great, deep black color; liner does not budge; I always have a perfect line and it stays on for at least 12-14 hours. Never once have I had this smudge, not even when sleeping. (Yes, I know, I should take off my makeup before bed.)

My trick is to dip the brush into a tiny amount of aloe vera gel and then dip into the liner and voila - perfectly jet black perfect line. Love it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* rydellpink on 10/18/2012 8:22:00 AM more reviews by rydellpink

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Green    

As far as cake liners go, I think this is one of the best. It works well with water. I also sometimes use Paula Dorf Transformer with this. I have it in black.

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*TOP REVIEWER* GlamDiva on 7/14/2012 4:35:00 PM more reviews by GlamDiva

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Other, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I've always preferred a cake eyeliner and after my old ones bit the dust, I decided to try the Ben Nye. Excellent quality, last well, give good control. I just use water, but may try the LiquiSet. I got 3 colors (charcoal, dark brown, and black), and want to get the blue and lighter brown as well. They go on deeper in color than you might expect from the website. The flip top case is difficult for me to open most of the time, the only downside to this product. Overall excellent value for the price. If you favor cake eyeliners, go get Ben Nye.

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xxbetsy on 7/14/2012 6:32:00 AM more reviews by xxbetsy

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I have experimented with pencil, gel and liquid liners. This cake eyeliner blows them all out of the water. I bought the black and eggplant cake liner along with Ben Nye Liquiset. The black is a matte black and the eggplant is a purple with a reddish tint.



Pros:
- Control: You can use this to make everything from delicate to dramatic looks. You can adjust the amount of liquid to change the pigmentation (it is very very pigmented).
- Longevity: With Liquiset, it lasts all day, even with my oily lids. There is absolutely no creasing or smudging through 14+ hour days.
- Ease of use: It takes a minimal amount of practice to work out how to best use water/liquiset to make the line you require with the least amount of mess. After that, it's as easy as can be. There's rarely a need to go over your line again, application is smooth, touching up is simple with a gentle eye makeup remover and Q-tip.
- Value for money: Each pot was about $7 and Liquiset cost $6. Each use makes the smallest of dents, so I envision that this will last me for years of daily use. It's not going to dry out as a liquid or gel liner might.
- No irritation: I have quite sensitive eyes and eyelids and I've yet to experience even the slightest irritation.



Cons: These really aren't cons to me, but they may influence some people
- Portability: It's less convenient to carry around than a pencil, but if you're happy to use water instead of a sealant, then it's reasonable.
- Availability in Australia: As far as I know, it's significantly cheaper to buy from a website and pay for shipping than to buy it here.
- Colours available: There's only a few colours, unfortunately.



How I use it: I shake my Liquiset jar and open it up. I dip my clean ELF Studio Smudge/Precision brush or Ecotools Angled brush into the small amount of liquid stuck to the lid. I then apply as desired and clean off the lid with a Q-tip before closing it. I touch up if needed with some oil-free gentle eye makeup remover.

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t00zday on 12/19/2011 11:40:00 PM more reviews by t00zday

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Red, Straight   Eyes: Green    

HG Eyeliner. No doubt. I have oily lids. Extremely sensitive skin. I work in hot electrical closets doing physical work. I sweat at the drop of a hat. I'm a tomboy, but I enjoy *trying* to look feminine. This stuff makes my eyes pop. (Instead of the freckled 'mole' look I sport rolling out of bed)

Ben Nye stuff is incredible quality. (Remember the sensitive skin?)
People think "theatrical" makeup quality is crappy. That is so wrong. I'll take Ben Nye over MAC every day of the week.
I have 3 of BN's cake eye liners: Black, Dark Brown & Brown. I got them from a Theatrical Supply place in Dallas. I had to call around before I found a place that had it in stock - but it was worth the time I spent looking.

To use: I have a small shot glass I half fill w/ water and pump in two squirts of Ben Nye's 'LiquiSet' (helps set), then wet very fine eye-liner brush (MAC 210) and drag the wet brush in the dry (feels somewhat hard) Ben Nye cake makeup. You will see the color getting on the brush - then apply!
You can control the amount you get on the brush, & on your eyelid.

It stays on me all day & into my evening. If I go to sleep with it on, quite a bit will still be there when I wake.

I use the Brown daily, & the Dark Brown and Black for special events.
I've been using the Brown for over a year & have not had to purchase a second pot yet.

I bought my 68 year old Mother the BN black cake eye liner. She had been using the Laura Mercier version of this. She loves this, especially after I told her what I paid for it. She tends to apply eye makeup like Tammy Faye Baker did...so now it will at least stay in place for her all day and repurchasing for her will be inexpensive.

I would definitely purchase this product again.

[ BTW - other Ben Nye products stay on quite long as well. They are supposed to! They were created to be used on actors for film & stage. Think a primadonna actress or news anchor will put up with something that breaks her out? Or looks less than flawless on an HD broadcast?

I probably sound like an ad for them, but I have spent SOO much money on Bobbi Brown, MAC, Clinique, Laura Mercier & Shiseido over the years, & now I not only find a line that looks good and stays on - but it's SOO inexpensive! The only downside I can see is that it is difficult to find them to buy in person. ]

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MissRivett on 5/22/2011 2:39:00 PM more reviews by MissRivett

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Other, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

Got this from my local theatre store since I've never used a cake liner before. Ben Nye has never really let me down before, but I really didn't like this. It's not a terrible product, but I feel it takes me forever to apply it. It dries out too quickly and I'm constantly reapplying a sealer. Not to mention it's not a very opaque liner, it's go on a little clear in some areas and then dark in others. Great liner for those willing to spend 20 minute applying it.

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tonaboomacias on 2/22/2011 2:31:00 AM more reviews by tonaboomacias

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

love this product i use ben nye final seal to set it and it last all day and no raccoon eyes ..

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SuzieBoozie on 11/12/2010 6:14:00 PM more reviews by SuzieBoozie

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

It's my favourite eyeliner right now. I've been applying it daily for about 6 months now. It's soo dark and it comes on and off nicely. It doesn't cake and I usually wear it from around 10 a.m. till like 10 p.m. at night. It's really black and really easy to put on in my opinion, kinda like liquid eyeliner but way nicer. The only downside is that it comes off in water like if I was crying it'll leave a black tear streak on my face and I can't apply it to my waterline :c but overall it's soo great, I probably just need to buy the BenNye LiquiSet to go with it. So far I've been using the Medusa Eyeliner Seal.

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*TOP REVIEWER* loverofmineralmakeup on 3/9/2010 11:44:00 PM more reviews by loverofmineralmakeup

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Warm   Hair: Black, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

All I can say is W.O.W.!!! After wearing eyeliner for 22 years, I have finally found my HG eyeliner, Ben Nye Cake Eyeliner in Black. Over the last 2 decades, I have used pencil, kohl, liquid, gel, cream, mousse and other cake eyeliners but none of them, none of them, come close to the results I get from Ben Nye’s Cake Eyeliner.


This eyeliner is quick drying, long wearing, is easy to control & apply, and after wearing this eye liner for a few months, I have never experienced any smudging, flaking, creasing or fading. I would swear this cake liner is made of powdered coal (although it isn’t) for it is the blackest black eyeliner that I have ever seen and used. The durability of this cake eyeliner is to die for because I can apply it on my un-primed oily (think, oil slick) eye lids and once this eyeliner dries it does not budge till I remove it and I love the dramatic look that I get once I apply this eyeliner. This cake eyeliner is a bargain for $6 for a 2 gram jar from eBay, however, I purchased the professional size 5.5 gram jar from eBay for $9 and with regular use this eyeliner will probably last me a couple of years since you only need a few swipes to line both eyes. I love this eyeliner!


As with all cake eyeliners, you have to get used to the application of the product and how wet to get the brush – by the way, IMO you should use an eyeliner sealer with all cake eyeliner products to get the full benefits of the liner. Also, if you have any experience using liquid liners, then the application of a cake eyeliner will be old hat once you apply it a couple of times – the same technique but a better product IMHO.


I can not sing the praises of this eyeliner loud enough, but suffice it to say, if you haven’t already tried this product, please do so immediately and you can thank me later for the referral.

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janedebauche on 10/22/2009 11:50:00 AM more reviews by janedebauche

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

Seriously, this is the best eyeliner out there. I like eyeliner, and I didn't discover this eyeliner until I was looking into doing makeup for other people for photo shoots. I'd always bought the expensive stuff, and usually liquid or cream eyeliners. Then I bought this, because the cake form makes it possible to keep things hygienic. I wasn't expecting much because it's so cheap (and lasts forever), but wow.... seriously. Wow. So good. So easy to apply. Beautifully pigmented. Cheap as hell.

It isn't waterproof if you just use it with water, but if you use it with a sealing liquid, it lasts forever. Amazing stuff. I wish I could get my money back from the years of overpaying for other eyeliners, from Loreal and MAC to Shu Uemura and Shiseido. This is all you need.

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SKITTLES33 on 4/29/2009 7:00:00 PM more reviews by SKITTLES33

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS PRODUCT I AM A TOTAL MAKEUP JUNKIE BUT FINDING THE PERFECT EYELINER HAS ALWAY BEEN A PROBLEM I DON'T USE PENCIL LINERS BECAUSE I HAVE SMALL EYE LIDS AND I WOULD ALWAYS WIND UP WITH A BLACK/BROWN LINE UNDER MY EYE BROW FROM MY PENCIL LINERS I READ SOME REVIEWS PURCHASE BEN NYES CAKE LINER AND I FELL IN LOOOOOOOOVE I MIX IT WITH MEDUSAS WATER RESISTANT EYELINER SEALANT AND USE THE BEN NYE EYELINER BRUSH AND WOW GREAT RESULTS!!!

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Butterflylover on 3/28/2009 11:07:00 AM more reviews by Butterflylover

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

When mixed with Ben Nye LiquiSet Mixing Liquid this eyeliner becomes water resistant and will remain as applied even if hot weather until you're ready to remove it.

Awesome value for money, goes on easily, precisely with MAC 210.

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Beautyandmind on 3/26/2009 5:20:00 PM more reviews by Beautyandmind

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I uploaded 2 pics - the first one is in "brown" the second one is in "black".

This is honestly the very best eyeliner out there - forget fluidline and L'oreal HIP as long as you don't go swimming. It's a pitty the cake eyeliners are not waterproof but for every day work and school they are the best products out there because they are so extremely easy to apply and cover 100% in one application.

I just dipp my eyeliner brust into some water and then dry it a little on a paper towel - pick up some colour and I am ready to apply. Good things about this product - highly pigmented, can't dry out because its already pressed powder pigment :) therefore much much longer useable compared to fluid eyeliners that dry out quickly sometimes.

The black eyeliner applies similar to the NYX black eyeshadow that I used before as an eyeliner but the staying power of the cake eyeliners is much better especially in the inner eye corner area.

The brown colour is perfect for the natural more nude look - if you just want to intensify your eyes but not overdo them - that's the right colour for you girls. I used it with toast E/S and golden apricot E/S and it really is amazing nice and natural. You can really experiment with brown cake eyeliner - maybe just put on vanilla E/S and this eyeliner and some brown mascara and get a really nude nude beautiful look.

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*TOP REVIEWER* mochaholic on 3/16/2009 1:29:00 PM more reviews by mochaholic

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This is my first cake liner and it is the best eyeliner I've ever used. I applied w/ a wet (just water) Sonia Kashuk bent liner brush and application was much easier then liquid or gel. It goes on a beautiful matte black and it lasts! I have super oily lids with a tiny Asian crease, so almost all liners smudge and leave ugly smudge marks on my upper crease. I tested this w/o primer or sealer and this lasted all day with only a tiny barely noticable smudge...LOVE IT!
*UPDATE* Tested it again on my bare lids applied with just water, but this time in warmer weather and it did melt on me a lil, but it wasn't terrible. Still love it.
*UPDATE2* It's been a couple months now and this has become my HG eyeliner! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

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*TOP REVIEWER* askr on 1/8/2009 3:58:00 AM more reviews by askr

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This is the first time I've used a cake eyeliner, and I can tell you, it's far easier than cream, gel, liquid or pencil liners! I've used this water and with La Femme's Eye Sealant and both work great. It's extremely easy to control the thickness of the liner and perfect it without messing it up, because it's creamy and smooth. I use SK's bent eyeliner brush which gives me the greatest control. No points for not being WP as that was not my intention in buying this product. Lasts all day, no stinging, no crumbling, no flaking, no dullness to its finish.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Teacakeanyone on 6/19/2008 11:07:00 PM more reviews by Teacakeanyone

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

Wow. Can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet! Thought I had....

Anyway, this is an aMAZing eyeliner. I can never do liquid liners quite right, but with a thin artist's brush (from a craft store!) and a drop of water, this stuff cannot be beat.

However, I use it every day with a small, tiny-tiny clinique brush I accidentally kept from something else by rubbing the brush back and forth DRY in the cake liner and then on my lids. It's a much softer look, which I need being super fair and blonde. The black liquid version of this is great, but not for daily wear. I love both options, though. I love this product so much, in fact, I just ordered the Eggplant version of this and will review it soon. Note - you can buy the Professional size of the black and brown cake liners for like 8 bucks and I feel confident it will truly last you years.

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thrpschr on 11/15/2007 5:48:00 PM more reviews by thrpschr

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Blue    

Great basic eyeliner. I wear liquid eyeliner pretty much daily, I have tried several brands and this is hands down the best of the ones that are available to me. I like my liner very liquid, so cake liners are practical to me, but other cake liners I've tried dry very matte, or a greyish off-black. This one, when used with Ben Nye LiquiSet, produces a true black line with a slight sheen to the surface that I like, and it stands up to long days (12+ hours) without smudging, running, crumbling or disappearing, and unlike a few liners I've tried, this one doesn't irritate my eyes in the least.

The price is hard to beat. I payed about 16$ for the cake eyeliner and LiquiSet, and both will last me for well over a year with daily use.

Excellent product, overall - money well invested. The only reason it doesn't get a 5 is that it isn't waterproof; but it doesn't claim to be, anyway.

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