Product Review: Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes Mascara and Magic Kajal Eye Pencil

As a beauty blogger, I get to try all sorts of products: some great, some bad and some that are full of promise but end up being somewhat disappointing. I'm sorry to say that the latest products I received from Givenchy ended up in the latter category. After my fantastic experience with their new Gelée d'Interdit Smoothing Gloss Balm, I was very excited about trying their latest mascara and eyeliner.

Every newly launched mascara claims to give a woman a bigger, bolder pair of lashes and Givenchy's Phenomen'Eyes Mascara ($29.50) is no exception. The round applicator promises to grab every lash from the root, lengthening and volumizing for a "fanned-out panoramic effect" with lots of curl and no clumping. The applicator did deliver on these promises and allow for very precise application; I was able to tilt and angle it to apply mascara to every lash. I also liked the luxe look of the packaging with the short round tube and branded silver cap. Unfortunately , the mascara formula itself wasn't very good. After a few short hours of wear, it started to leave dark smudges on my lower eye and continued to do so throughout the day.

The Givenchy Magic Kajal Eye Pencil ($22) also turned out to be hit-and miss. Inspired by the kajal used by Indian women to line their eyes, this high-pigment pencil contains wax, oil and vitamin E to make it creamy and soft to apply and to minimize tugging on the sensitive eye area. Givenchy claims the formula is long-lasting and ideal for lining the inner rims of the eyes. I tried lining my inner eyelids and was pleased with how the formula stayed put even though I had watery eyes and was wearing contacts. However, when used as a conventional eyeliner worn along the upper lash line, Magic Kajal didn't deliver. Within an hour of applying it I had a smudgey mess all over my eyelids.

Have you tried either of these Givenchy products? What do you think of them?