First Look| Marc Jacobs The Skyliner Seven Piece Petite Highliner Collection

The Marc Jacobs Skyliner Seven Piece Petite Highliner Collection ($45) is a limited edition set from Sephora that's an excellent deal for gift giving or collecting.

I knew from the moment the word "sale" was announced that I needed a set. After all, I own two full sized Highliners in Blacquer and Ro(cocoa) and they are both excellent staples in my stash.

Inside a classy plastic packaging there are 7 x 0.01 oz Highliner gel crayons in O(vert) (forest green), Brown(out) (bronze with shimmer), Th(ink) (deep navy), (Plum)age (vivid purple), Blacquer (black), Sunset (golden bronze shimmer), Midnight in Paris (inky indigo blue). 

Keep in mind that all of the colors are muted (read: not garish) and may not appeal to you if you want a true pop of color on the lids. I've tried every shade as a liner on the top and bottom lash line, with or without another eyeshadow underneath, and they are all muted with varying degrees of shimmer. I personally enjoy this as I never want my office makeup to be too OTT.

My favorites are Sunset and (Plum)age, both of which are very excellent alone or as a true liner. Yes, you can wear these all over the lid!

Another complaint I've heard is that for the price, each pencil is not long enough to be "worth" it. I disagree. With daily usage, each pencil should last at least a month. You don't need to apply a lot of pressure with the Highliners to get amazing color payoff. 

However, the most valid complaint is that these cannot be resharpened and will dull to a point once you use them up. (The original full sizes have a sharpener hidden at the bottom.) I've never had a problem with smudging or fat lines from the dull point, but others may prefer a very crisp line when they tight-line. 

Which brings me to the point: they are excellent as tight-lining pencils because of how long they last on the eyes. They are smudge proof once set and... they set fast. These are also the only pencils that don't irritate my eyes or create a cloudy haze on my contact lenses. For the upper lash line, I find that many of the colors in this set are much creamier than my full sized Blacquer and glide on effortlessly. 

If you're in the market for gifts for a beginner in makeup or a huge fan of eyeliner pencils, pick one of these sets up in stores at Sephora!

xo Be