Kohl...

zorba · 05-01-2007, 11:25 AM

I've been using "Sally Hansen Professional Kohl" for ages - but it seems to be gone from the market, and I'm out! Apparently Physician's Formula had a similar product, but it too seems to be unavailable.

I'm a bit skeptical of kohlqueen.com's claim of being "lead free" after doing a bit of research into them. And I certainly know better than buying something unknown from overseas...

What to do?

I love the traditional powder form, it goes on easy and fast - even for a clumsy male like me! But if I can't have that, what can/should I use? I wear contacts and want to line the inner eyelids, between the lashes and the eyeball, just like traditional Kohl. I bought a soft "pencil" from Mac which works really well elsewhere, but doesn't really want to apply/stick to the inner lids. Would one of the liquid eyeliners work? Is there another brand of a "safe, ingredients listed, made by reputable manufacturer" powder available that I'm not familiar with?

Help!

badriya_al_ahmar · 05-01-2007, 03:17 PM

I have never tried it, but I heard about this lead-free Egyptian kohl from a friend: http://www.nefertaribodycare.com/

I have however tried MAC's Fluidline eyeliners, and that stuff is amazing. It has a consistency somewhat like shoe polish, goes on with a brush and will definitely stick to the inner rims of your eyelids.

shahravar · 05-01-2007, 04:29 PM

You may like Physicians Formula...Liquid, liner & powder too. plus Hypo Allergenic. I think it's the Retro Glow Line.
http://www.physiciansformula.com

zorba · 05-01-2007, 06:21 PM

Retro Glow appears to be a liquid eyeliner - which they state specifically NOT to put it on the inner lids! There is also a Retro Glow mascara.

I know Physician's USED TO have a kohl, but I'm not finding it now.

I've also emailed MAC about their Fluidline to see if they're OK with using it as Kohl...

zumarrad · 05-04-2007, 03:23 AM

If it's any consolation, I suspect some form of kohl is bound to come back soon, because there's quite a bit of lining of the inside lid in fashion magazines these days, it seems.

Back in the day, I used any old eyeliner pencil. Actually - I lie. I used eyebrow pencil. Nothing bad happened...

zorba · 05-04-2007, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zumarrad

Back in the day, I used any old eyeliner pencil. Actually - I lie. I used eyebrow pencil. Nothing bad happened...

Ok. Now tell this "clumsy male" how in tarnation you get a pencil of ANY kind to work in that location. MAC wrote back and told me NOT to use the fluidline, but to use their kohl pencil - which I have. It does NOT want to leave any marking when I try to use it on my inner eyelids - just slides without leaving any pigment behind. Even if I could get it to work - it sure seems like a lot of trouble to apply. Kohl is easy and fast - just what a male needs!

I did find another brand of "safe" kohl, which looks exactly like what I'm looking for - but it is EXPENSIVE - like $32 for a small (but pretty) container of it no larger than the Sally Hansen was. OUCH! I'll probably break down and buy it though - the price we pay for our beauty...

zumarrad · 05-04-2007, 11:17 PM

Yeah, I had that trouble too. You just had to do it hard, which isn't very nice and makes your eyes water. I don't like putting things in my eyes anyway - I didn't line the inner lid for very long, and I can't believe I actually did it given my aversion to putting things in there.

I might have, um, moistened the pencil in my mouth first. They seem to work better when they're warmed up.

Thank goodness you found some kohl! Put it this way, Zorba, you save so much on shaving that you can afford the pricier kohl.

vilia · 05-05-2007, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zorba

I did find another brand of "safe" kohl, which looks exactly like what I'm looking for - but it is EXPENSIVE - like $32 for a small (but pretty) container of it no larger than the Sally Hansen was. OUCH! I'll probably break down and buy it though - the price we pay for our beauty...

What is the kohl that you found, Zorba? I might be interested in buying some myself.

kahaz · 05-06-2007, 04:31 PM

I picked up "Jane" magazine at the gym to read on the trainer last week, and it had an article on looking for Kohl in Egypt. It's not on the web version, but the article referenced a number of US cosmetics firms that were trying a Kohl line-I think L'Oreal (yeh, I know, French) was one of them.

Look for the mag, and I'll see if it's still there.

Kitty

zorba · 05-07-2007, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zumarrad

Thank goodness you found some kohl! Put it this way, Zorba, you save so much on shaving that you can afford the pricier kohl.

Please excuse me while I wipe the Coca-Cola off my keyboard and monitor...

zorba · 05-07-2007, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vilia

What is the kohl that you found, Zorba? I might be interested in buying some myself.

"Guerlain Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl" - about $32

for a tiny container! Contrast to the Sally Hansen that was about 1/10th the price.

I'll go take a look at L'Oreal's website - see if they have any news...

badriya_al_ahmar · 05-07-2007, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kahaz

I picked up "Jane" magazine at the gym to read on the trainer last week, and it had an article on looking for Kohl in Egypt. It's not on the web version, but the article referenced a number of US cosmetics firms that were trying a Kohl line-I think L'Oreal (yeh, I know, French) was one of them.

Look for the mag, and I'll see if it's still there.

Kitty

The link I provided above is the Egyptian company discussed in that article

ashadanzatrice · 05-07-2007, 07:25 PM

i'm sure powder would be far easier to work with, but i have successfully used soft black pencils on the inner rim thingy. ones that are marketed on the basis that you can easily smudge them, that kind of thing. anyway - i am not much for that look, either. even if it only makes your eyes look a little smaller, i don't want my eyes looking any smaller! just give me a nice smudgy raccoony look under my lower lashes and i'm a happy girl. heheh.

Nisima · 05-08-2007, 06:20 PM

Wow, this is interesting because I use an Mac eyeliner pencil in dark brown and it gets on inner lower eyelid so much when I run it just beneath lashes for my usual smudgy look, that I have to blot it from inner lower eyelid to avoid too much of a "Theda Bara" look for my ultra conservative corporate job. This eye pencil is very soft and I know it has kohl in it, nothing fancy, no sharpener, etc. or smudging edge just a pencil with a cap. I had to use one of the sharpeners I already had - it's a standard size. $15 for this pencil and I've been using it for six months every day and hardly made a dent in it. I actually put it on more dramatically for performances and then use my Lancome black liquid eyeliner to darken it more - makes it easier to draw on liquid eyeliner if there is already a penciled line to follow.

I say try the Mac eyeliner pencil for $15 - not the one that is retractable, it breaks, but the other simpler one.

zorba · 05-09-2007, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nisima

I say try the Mac eyeliner pencil for $15 - not the one that is retractable, it breaks, but the other simpler one.

Ahhhhh!!

I have the one that is retractable - and it breaks! Thanx for the tip!

Lauren_ · 05-09-2007, 03:17 PM

I haven't lined the insides of my lids since the 70s, when we all used bright pale blue in there -- it went great with our blue eyeshadow & roll on lip gloss!

We used plain ole eye pencils. I just tried it with a Prestige pencil, worked just fine. It just has to be a soft pencil.

Back in the day, we would sometime soften our eye pencils by holding them over a flame for a few seconds. I think today's products are softer, though.

jawahir · 05-10-2007, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I haven't lined the insides of my lids since the 70s, when we all used bright pale blue in there -- it went great with our blue eyeshadow & roll on lip gloss!

We used plain ole eye pencils. I just tried it with a Prestige pencil, worked just fine. It just has to be a soft pencil.

Back in the day, we would sometime soften our eye pencils by holding them over a flame for a few seconds. I think today's products are softer, though.

lol, i forgot about that! the flame! we did that in the 80s too!

afra14 · 05-11-2007, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zorba

"Guerlain Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl" - about $32

for a tiny container! Contrast to the Sally Hansen that was about 1/10th the price.

I'll go take a look at L'Oreal's website - see if they have any news...

I love the Guerlain product and it comes in several different colours. One pot lasts me more than two years of almost constant use so when you average out the cost I feel it's worth the extra money.

A friend bought me back a beautiful kohl pot and some amazing neon pink kohl from a holiday in Morocco. She told me that the shop selling them had 100's of colours and they claimed it all had no harmful ingredients - not entirely trusting of that but the colour is wonderfully intense, so it gets used very sparingly and rarely.

I love kohl!

zorba · 05-11-2007, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afra14

I love the Guerlain product and it comes in several different colours. One pot lasts me more than two years of almost constant use so when you average out the cost I feel it's worth the extra money.

I love kohl!

I love it too. It does what its supposed to do, and does it quick, easy, and fast - a prime consideration for a guy!

I'm probably going to order the Guerlain, and pick up one of the solid MAC pencils next time I'm around a MAC counter.

afra14 · 05-11-2007, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zorba

I love it too. It does what its supposed to do, and does it quick, easy, and fast - a prime consideration for a guy!

I'm probably going to order the Guerlain, and pick up one of the solid MAC pencils next time I'm around a MAC counter.

I'm going to be in New York in the summer and top of my shopping list is a loong visit to a MAC counter in one of the big stores! Out here in the boondocks the nearest store is over 100 miles away! So I'm going to be laying in lots of supplies!

zorba · 05-11-2007, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afra14