Stray Arrows or How they Discontinued My ‘Cupid’s Bow’ Lip Shaper

Benefit Cupid’s Bow Dual Lipliner Set** (**including worthless smudge tool)

Naturally (and primarily, I’m convinced) due to the fact that I have grown to love this product, it has become systematically discontinued.

One side of this product is/was: mauve/dark beige/brownish pink pencil matte, the other side is/was a pale pink/beige with a slight frosty sheen (something between the Benefit High Beam and the frosty pink pencil still a popular item–apparently I don’t depend upon any of them enough to merit the cessation of production….) sigh.

The q-tip wand thing shoved in the box–ostensibly to boast more value than a mere crayon could merit (prix fixe…)–is good for removing pieces of lettuce from the front of your teeth with a touch of bravado. That’s about it.

Anyway, this dual liner served multiple purposes–which is handy when you travel and want to consolidate—also when your $5K Hermes Croco Clutch Bag is the size of a small can of tomato paste. Voila.

The darker of the two featured hues was perfect to both line the lips as well as contour cheekbones, narrow the nose (add a cleft to your chin), etc.—the lighter shade could accent brows, chisel jawlines, widen eyes, and strengthen brow lines.

Indeed, while these tones are not specifically rare, the packaging was convenient and the texture lent itself well to overall blending.

As alternatives, I find that Anastasia’s dual brow pencil Brow Duality, featuring one matte and one frosted highlighting shade ($23)–opt for the Camille as the Shell shade is too yellow paired with Nars Bahamas chubby pencil ($24 a pop), can substitute. Fortunately, they both can be honed with the same sharpener.

Of course, as I type this, I realize that they will both now be subsequently axed in production. alas