Review - Mosha Katani Cosmetics - Kohl Eyeliner Pigment Collection

I'm a total fangirl of Mosha Katani Cosmetics.  I have all of her kohls, and TWO tubes of sealer. 

Mosha's kohls completely transformed how I apply my makeup.  Even going back a year, I can see the transformation from a hard rimmed eye to a soft smoky eye; and the difference it makes is astounding.  Staying in eye-pencil-land really landed me in the biggest mistake women make with their makeup, which is (in my opinion) hard-rimmed eyes.

Using kohls around the eye forces you build your color.  Being forced to build your color shows you all the different looks you can get from "layer one" to "layer ok-I'm-done-now".  Seeing all those different stages encourages you to play around with the look.

Additionally, one of the big mistakes I see with eyeliner is ladies stop the color before they reach the tips of their lower lashes.  If you smudge your lower lid color to where the tips of your lower lashes end, it makes your eyes look much bigger.  Being able to control that color because it is an eyeliner pigment rather than an eyeliner pencil means that you can gently dip your toes into this new territory by gently shading the area while you get used to the idea.  As you become more confident in this new technique, you can darken the shading with ease.

The first color I bought was black.  This black is the color of charcoal; real charcoal, not those charcoal briquettes.  Sooty, rich, grab-on color awaited me in that little package; and I have been hooked ever since.

In recent months, Mosha has added some new colors to her line.  I thought it would be a good time to show you all of them!  Here we go!

Black Sea - True, charcoal black.  This is the black that is rock-star glam.  One layer is easy to wear for daytime, and you can layer to your heart's content for a smoking-hot night time look.  When you get it wet, it goes jet black.

Dream G-Ni - A cool, ashy grey.  This grey darkens when wet, and then lightens again when dry.  It gives a unique look when used to both line the waterline and darken the lash base.  I also love this as a crease color, as it blends smoothly and doesn't go chalky.

Kleopatra - She is the chameleon.  A navy blue in the pot, Kleo goes catty as an inky blue-black in swatches.  On the eye, she leans back towards navy.  This is not a bright blue, and is not obviously navy.  I love this color because the blue makes my eyes look whiter without looking like I have on blue eyeliner.

Persian Queen -This rich, warm brown turns a dark brown when wet.  I like to use this on my waterline when wearing nude eyeshadows.  It darkens the line without moving towards black or grey.  This gets heavy usage with all of my nude palettes.  It also works well as an eyeshadow.

Pharaohs - Pharaohs is a cross between Black Sea and Dream G-Ni.  It is a dark ash, like pencil lead without any shimmer.  If you are scared of black, go with Pharaohs.  It is nearly impossible to apply too much and end up with eye makeup that careened into the dramatic.  Otherwise, this shade is wonderful for smoking out the inner part of the eye, and then finishing the outer part of the eye with Black Sea for a lovely mulio-dimensional smoky eye.

Princess - Ahhhh, the workhorse.  Princess is wonderful for use on the waterline to brighten up your eyes.  If you usually skip eyeshadow, you can still use Princess to help get rid of the red tones on the waterline.  It'll make your eyes look brighter, whiter, and bigger.  Princess also works as a highlighter at the tear duct and at the brow bone.  I've even used it to set my under-eye concealer as a brightening powder.  Princess does not darken when wet. 

 To apply, you can use an angled brush, or a smudger brush.  Just apply a little bit at a time and go slowly while you are learning.  Back away from your mirror often to check the affect.  What looks sheer up close often looks a lot darker as you back away.

I find that the kohl stays in place for most of the day.  It does tend to start fading from the waterline after a few hours, but everywhere else remains as initially applied.  On me, the waterline fades uniformly, so I don't worry about touch-ups.  If you prefer to touch up your makeup, the containers are small and transportable.

The only exception to the above paragraph concerns Princess.  Princess is like a concealer for the waterline, so when it fades, I do like to touch it up.  I can go about 3 hours without a touch-up; and when I do touch it up, it hasn't faded enough to allow redness through, so it is preventative maintenance.

Have you tried Mosha Katani's Kohls?  What do you think of them?