Benefit They’re Real! Push-Up Liner Review & Swatches

I have never heard of such divided reviews on a product before! It sounds like you will either love or hate the new They’re Real! Push-Up Liner from Benefit! To be honest, I think it’s one of those products that you just really have to try it for yourself to see if you’ll like it. I have tried mine and am ready to share my thoughts with you. :D

They’re Real! Push-Up Liner is basically a twist-up gel eyeliner pen; you twist the bottom to “push” the gel “up” and through the opening at the top. It is supposedly superior than a regular gel in a pot in the sense that the gel is packaged in a convenient pen and you don’t need a separate brush to apply. The tip of the Push-Up Liner is already shaped like an angled liner brush for your convenience. Another advantage over a pot liner that I see is only a small amount of product is dispensed each time from the Push-Up Liner and the rest of it is kept inside, unexposed to air, and therefore lessening the chance of the entire product drying out quickly.

The fun part is the “AccuFlex” tip!

The AccuFlex tip is made of flexible rubber (or silicone?) material. The slanted tip at the top has a small opening to dispense the gel and right below the opening is a small “curve” feature to “hug” lashes as you line. The tip comes with a small orange stopper that I recommend you keep it and plug it back in after every use to keep the gel “moist” for next use.

I actually really do love the feeling of the AccuFlex tip against my skin! It is soft and glides on smoothly without tugging the skin on my lid. The angled tip is precise, perfectly-shaped, and makes creating sharp wings easy. There is no guess work here, just point the tip up to the desired angle, “stamp” the line on the lid, and flick the tip just slightly to draw the line inwards to complete the wing shape. It may take a few tries but eventually you will get a hang of it! :)

This specialized tip is also superior than traditional felt or brush tip when it comes to the ease of cleaning. After you’re done, just wipe the tip on a tissue/makeup remover pad a few times and it will be clean and pristine again for your next use.

Note: I have seen reports that some people have to twist the pen countless of times in the beginning before the gel comes out. Mine didn’t take more than 5-6 twists. :)

Consistency

There are some things I like about the consistency and others I think can be improved.

Likes:

• It has the same consistency of a gel liner that you are probably already familiar with: creamy, smooth and opaque.
• The black is jet black and is completely matte without any shine or sparkly particles.
• The wear time is incredibly impressive. The formula sets to a dry finish that is truly budge-proof. No smearing, fading, smudging, or transferring until you remove it (my oily, hooded lids love this!).
• A great product for tightlining! The intense matte black really does create an illusion of fuller and thicker lashes!

Dislikes:

• It dries way too fast; as in within seconds, which means no time to play (or make mistakes!). You have to move quickly.
• The formula will flake and crumble if you over-apply or go over the already-dry spots. Attempting to correct will only result in jagged lines and bumpy/uneven finishes.
• The gel can come out in globs or appear gloppy, making it difficult to draw crisp lines.
• For those who have crepey eyelids, I have a feeling this will not go on smooth at all. I imagine the formula will be skippy and you may have to stretch the skin at the outer corner during application (which I do not recommend at all).
• It is impossible to create razor-thin lines. I usually end up with medium or thick lines most of the times.

Usage tips

I posted the following picture on my instagram and Sunny asked me how I managed to get such a clean line. Here are my tips! :) (Oh and by the way, she also wrote a very extensive review of this liner on her blog as well, read it here.)

1. I don’t know if this makes much of a difference but I like to pinch the tip of the liner with my fingers to “warm up” the formula just a little bit before use.
2. If the product comes out too much, I will wipe the tip on the back of my hand to rid of the excess. The warmth from the skin will also help the formula to glide on smoother. You only need just a tiny, tiny bit of it to line. One click is generally enough for me to line both eyes.
3. With a steady hand, try lining in short strokes because you want to perfect the line as you go and only when the formula is still “wet”. If it’s already dry, don’t try to go over it or it will flake.
4. If you need to even out bumpy spots or jagged lines, follow with a liquid liner or use a pointy brush (defeating the purpose of having a pen but there is no easy way around it).
5. After each use, clean up the tip thoroughly so there is no “dry gunk” left behind, and also put the orange stopper back on to ensure a fresh formula for next use.

The look!

Technically this liner is ideal for creating intense cat eye looks. However, I just wanted to show you that you can still get a medium thick line that is not too dramatic, too! For an everyday look, pair it with a soft color on the lips and keep the rest of the face makeup minimal! Tada! :)

Well, I hope you have learned a few things or two from my review. I do apologize for the super long post but I tend to over explain things sometimes. :) Obviously this liner is not easy to use from the get-go and it does take a lot of patience and practice to get it right. I wouldn’t write it off based on first try, though. It has the potential, you just have to work with it a little bit. If you are not quite willing to pay the full price yet, Sephora is currently offering a sample size with any $25+ order and I believe the code is “pushup“. Doesn’t hurt to try! :)

Purchase