Hard not yielding: Clarins Crayon Khol in Carbon Black & True Violet

True Violet

True Violet

Playing in the richly pigmented, blendably smudgy eyeliner market is a big bet - Urban Decay pretty much own it with their very comprehensive 24/7 liner range, with GOSH offering more reasonably priced versions.  Clarins are doing just that with their Crayon Khol, particularly given the addition of a rich jewel tone in True Violet, which has a slight purple shimmer to it as well as a pigmented blue-purple base.

Strangely, Crayon Khol is positioned as a product for intensifying the eyes, and the use of the word khol makes me think about deep pigmentation and smudgy colour - and yet, the Crayon Khol is rather hard and unyielding on first application.  After a while it does soften up, but still has more in common with a hard brow pencil than with a smudgy eyeliner - I've yet to be able to stroke'n'blend a line onto my eyelid without going over it a couple of times to up the intensity.  Which is a shame, as the presence of a built-in short bristled brush would be wonderfully convenient for a smudgy eye on the go.  Even atop the rather hard and waxy liner as is, the brush does a great job of diffusing the line for a softer effect.

Unfortunately, then, I have to advise you go elsewhere if you're looking for a truly khol like pencil.  If you like your liners a bit harder, you might like this, but for me, it's a let down, particularly at a cost of £17.

Disclosure: PR sample

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