(how did that elf colour stick get in there?!…)

MAC Violet eyeliner (the top swatch) is nothing to write home about, which is why it doesn’t get its own review. I tried to smudge just half the swatch and leave the top half intact… however, this wasn’t the best depiction, so I went back and smudged the top halves of the Laura Geller duo too ^^ (not the liner, though!)

Violet smudges off easily, as you can see. The colour in the swatch is incredibly accurate, and nothing absolutely to-die-for. It doesn’t sit on the waterline at all (it’s not even that it smudges off – I can’t get it there to begin with!) and doesn’t line well on the top.

The only part about this that isn’t terrible is that it doesn’t bleed like some liners do, so at the very least you don’t end up with scary purple panda eyes!

Verdict? Leave it. This doesn’t look like it’s part of the permanent MAC collection (at least not any more!) and that decision was made for a reason. Laura Geller Eye Stay Duo in Lilac/Orchid is composed of, well, “lilac” and “orchid”. I’m not sure which end is which, though… (I assume lilac is the lighter!)

The staying power for these is amazing – I like to line my inner waterline with the lighter shade, and it stays all day until I remove it with makeup remover! The cool-toned purple is shimmery and very light (as you can see!) so it really perks up the eye area. Lilac (we’re assuming here!) is definitely HG material.

The end presumed to be Orchid is another story – this gorgeous plummy purple turned out to be, quite frankly, not so gorgeous once blended! It’s muddy and brown – so not flattering, no matter what skintone you have or what colour your eyes are.

Verdict: Hm, I’m not sure! The light lilac end is HG material, but the darker end is BLB (black list beauty) It‘s hard to decide here, because one end is so great and the other is horrifyingly ugly! I guess I would have to say don’t buy this… one day, I’ll find another inner eye hilighter as great as Lilac, and I’ll be sure to let you know!