At six years old, nothing was cooler than a piece of chalk. Find a bucket of the stuff and you could rule the world — or at least the sidewalk in front of your house, the driveway, and the playground pavement during recess.
Chalk was everywhere as a child. Before whiteboards came along, it was the tool I used to solve linear equations in front of my first-grade class. Better yet, it's how I learned to spell my name, in large scale, on concrete. It's also how I came to be a master at hopscotch. Sure, that last one isn't a skill I'd put on a resume, but back then, it was magic.
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Imagine my excitement when I saw YSL Beauty's fall collection and found beauty chalk was the main attraction. What exactly is beauty chalk? If kohl eyeliner pencils (the real ones you actually have to sharpen to get more product) and a liquid eyeshadow had a baby, its name would be YSL Couture Chalk ($50) — which is really just a fancy French moniker for a colored eye crayon.
Designed by makeup artist and all-around expert at smoky eyes, Tom Pecheux, it's no wonder the Couture Chalks do what all your other eye products don't and, frankly, can't. Most eye pencils last, but linger longer than you'd like. (Good luck trying to get those smoky stains out of your waterline tonight.) Liquid eyeshadows are great, lazy-girl alternatives for adding quick color to the lids... if you're okay with the pigments being looser than water. Powders are a classic, but still far from impervious to oily skin. In comes Couture Chalks to save the day. Not only do they last without creasing, but they're easy to remove and won't leave your eyes smudged like a raccoon's.
Available in four shades — black, champagne, bronze, and red — the pigment feels as though it's gripping the skin the second you sweep it across your eye. But the texture isn't so dry that you can't blend what you just put down. Perhaps that's the best part: These are meant to be used with your fingers (a clear sign these were made by and for makeup artists).
Use the red, and you'll have a monochromatic lid to match your lip in 10 seconds or less. Try the black, and you'll find that you've just mastered the perfect smoky eye in under a minute. Use the two lighter shades for a sun-kissed glow similar to the one you'd have after a three-week vacation.
It's confirmed: Playing with chalk has never been better than this. Does this mean I'm a grown-up now?