We can thank Alexa Chung and Lauren Conrad for the never-ending chase of the elusive cat eye. I certainly haven't mastered it in one swipe and I don't think I ever will -- pointy ended Q-Tips and makeup remover have both been my saving grace.

I was hoping, no praying that Benefit had the solution with their latest release, They're Real! Push Up Liner. For starters, it took me 71 clicks (yes I counted) to get to the centre of the Tootsie Pop. Erm, what I meant to say is it took me 71 clicks to get the product to flow and it didn't really flow, it just kind of dispensed slowly like super thick icing busting to get out of a poorly snipped pastry bag.

File this phenomena under: things Martha Stewart doesn't find good.

The AccuFlex Tip with stopper still in place (you can toss this).

It does't really hug. More like graze gently by.

Before sitting down to write this review I dragged my weary self into the bathroom for one more go, because I didn't want this to only be about my first impression.

What I liked:

It's wicked black, as black as charcoal (complete with soot, more on that in a sec).
The applicator is soft and bend-y (helps with following along the contoured shape of our eyes).

What I didn't like (yes, there are more cons than pros):

Didn't swipe on as smoothly.
When you re-trace over the dry gel, disturbed bits will flake off.
One click of product isn't enough.
It takes a lot of work to remove. My eyes grew sore and red during the removal process.

Finally, here are a few tips I pinched from the Benefit Pros:

If you're not confident with applying liner in one go, stamp along your lash line and then connect the gaps.
Once you've initially dispensed a small amount of product after opening, wipe the tip on a tissue, click again and then apply. This will help reduce your chances of applying too much product.

My first attempt wasn't perfect and quite frankly I was annoyed because I still had to go back in and perform a small amount of clean up due to the aforementioned fall out and on account of my shaky, unskilled hands.

Touching back on removal for a moment, do me a favour by saving yourself $18.00 and don't buy the The'yre Real Remover. Simply soak a cotton pad with oil-free makeup remover, Neutrogena's version is one I can always count on.

Work slowly, patience is a virtue - just keep repeating that, Nicole.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Benefit's They're Real Push Up Liner: