One Liquid Liner Will Make You Feel Like a Pro
Way back during those swank ancient-Egyptian times, when women like Cleopatra bathed in vats of rose oil whilst being fanned by shirtless men, everyone (ladies and dudes alike) rimmed their eyes with black kohl liner. It wasn’t so much a beauty statement as it was a safety measure to protect their eyes from the sun’s glaring rays. While the Egyptian guyliner look faded away, women continued to emphasize their eyes with pencil liners until about the sixties when the liquid version was invented. Soon, women everywhere were deftly drawing graphic black lines on their upper lash lines, finishing with a little flick at the end to create the “cat eye” look made famous by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn.
Over the course of a few weeks, I set out to test eleven liners and scrutinized qualities like firmness of point, flow of ink, and the ability to stay smudge-free, to see which one would come out on top. No one wants a splat of inky black above their eyes! Click through the slideshow to see which liquid liner is easiest to use and will last all day.
Not recommended: Eyeko London Skinny Liquid Liner The pigment dries upon contact, but its tacky finish makes it difficult to go back over if you ...
Not recommended: Eyeko London Skinny Liquid Liner The pigment dries upon contact, but its tacky finish makes it difficult to go back over if you want a blacker line. However, the stickiness of the finish is what keeps it from smudging.
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Not recommended: Blinc Eyeliner Unlike many of the other liquid liners, this one has a brush tip, which is a bit flimsy and difficult to apply. T...
Not recommended: Blinc Eyeliner Unlike many of the other liquid liners, this one has a brush tip, which is a bit flimsy and difficult to apply. Though it stayed put all day long, even with makeup remover followed up with a warm wash cloth, little bits of black were scattered across my ocular region. Like their no-budge mascara, it made a tubular mess.
Not Recommended: L'Oréal 12 HR Infallible the Superslim Liquid Eye Liner This felt-tip liner creates an intense black, medium-width line. ...
Not Recommended: L'Oréal 12 HR Infallible the Superslim Liquid Eye Liner This felt-tip liner creates an intense black, medium-width line. To get a super-slim line, you can't apply much pressure, making it more difficult to keep it close to the lash line. Even still, props to the design team for the no-slip, matte grip of the tube.
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Not recommended: Dior Diorshow Art Pen The applicator tip on this pen is double the length of other liners, which gives it more room to bend. It ...
Not recommended: Dior Diorshow Art Pen The applicator tip on this pen is double the length of other liners, which gives it more room to bend. It takes some practice to know exactly how much pressure will create an elegant, ultrathin line. The ink also comes out very liquidy and will need time to dry before the lid can be reopened.
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Recommended with reservations: Revlon Color Stay Liquid Liner This liner has a very firm point for an easy application. It delivers an intense bl...
Recommended with reservations: Revlon Color Stay Liquid Liner This liner has a very firm point for an easy application. It delivers an intense black line that doesn't need to be doubled up on. Depending on the greasiness of your eyelid, the liner might smudge a tiny bit, but it's nothing a quick wipe with your (clean) fingertip can't handle.
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Recommended with reservations: CoverGirl LashBlast 24 Hour EyeLiner While people with small, nimble hands might appreciate the mini handle on thi...
Recommended with reservations: CoverGirl LashBlast 24 Hour EyeLiner While people with small, nimble hands might appreciate the mini handle on this liner, I found it unwieldy. The pigment does not dry upon contact and will need to be fanned or blown upon before reopening your eye lid. However, the liner draws a very black line that will not smudge.
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Recommended: MAC Superslick Liquid Eye Liner This liner goes on very wet and will need a few seconds to dry. It lasts all day long without smudgi...
Recommended: MAC Superslick Liquid Eye Liner This liner goes on very wet and will need a few seconds to dry. It lasts all day long without smudging one bit. Note: This navy pigment also happened to have a slight metallic, light-reflective quality that I liked.
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Recommended: Kat Von D Tattoo Liner It may take a a quick re-line after an initial application to get a bold, black line, but the pigment will ho...
Recommended: Kat Von D Tattoo Liner It may take a a quick re-line after an initial application to get a bold, black line, but the pigment will hold all day long without budging or smearing. The ink also dries almost immediately so you won't have to keep your lid closed for an extra few seconds as you try to fan it dry.
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Recommended: Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner Goes on with a slick finish but completely dries down within a few seconds. It'll las...
Recommended: Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner Goes on with a slick finish but completely dries down within a few seconds. It'll last all day without smearing, too.
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Recommended: Lorac Front of the Line Pro This liner will not budge once it's on, but it does take a couple of re-lines to get an intense, rich co...
Recommended: Lorac Front of the Line Pro This liner will not budge once it's on, but it does take a couple of re-lines to get an intense, rich color pay-off on the lid. Plus it had the prettiest dark-chrome packaging and was always easy to find in my makeup bag.
All around winner: Giorgio Armani Maestro Eye Liner Even novices will find that the firm felt tip makes this liner easy to apply. It really does ...
All around winner: Giorgio Armani Maestro Eye Liner Even novices will find that the firm felt tip makes this liner easy to apply. It really does mimic the feel of using a writing tool on your eye — which sounds unusual/bad, but using a pen is something everyone is familiar with so it feels manageable. The matte case also makes for an easy grip. No matter how much pressure you use, the tip won't bend and create an unwanted messy blot. The intense black pigment dries fast and won't budge once it's on the lid, but still makes for a clean and easy removal process.
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