Weepy eyes* and an affinity for tightlining is a problematic combination, I’m always on the hunt for eyeliners that last. Whether you’re part of the tightlining** club or simply seeking a longwearing eyeliner, this post is for you!
*Weepy eyes aside, I don’t have particularly oily skin and if you do, your experiences may differ.
**I am BIG on tightlining, practically the spokesperson – tightlining alone makes the lash bed appear much thicker and when paired with a strong eyeliner look, ensures that you don’t have distracting bits of skin ruining your flick.
Mostly raves today, poor performing liners don’t last long around here.
1. THREE – Flash Performance Eyeliner Pencils
THREE is a Japanese brand and before you tell me they’re not available in the US, you can purchase them on Ichibankao 😉 If complex shimmers get you hot and sweaty, you simply can’t go past THREE liners – definitely the most exciting and nuanced shade range out of the liners mentioned today.
I find these liners to have decent longevity but not sensational, I experience a minor amount of smudging at the end of the day although I’ve heard others tout them as the most long-lasting eyeliner on the market so… your mileage may vary.
As mentioned, they do have shimmer so perhaps not an ideal option for tightlining. My favourite way to wear them follows my ‘Easiest Winged Liner’ technique because they have 30 seconds playtime to smudge before setting entirely. This is an odd obervation but that smudge tool at the end of the pencil? Best quality smudgy tool I’ve encountered, actually functional.
Price: ~35USD.
Longevity rating: 7 (if we take into account the minor amount of shimmer fallout when smudged, although I don’t exhibit any fallout after the initial application).
2. Shu Uemura – Drawing Liners
At first, Drawing Liners confused me because the pencil tip can dry out – I just do a quick scribble on the back of my hand prior to application. Great matte selection, I have a grey and a black. Some level of playtime but if you want to soften a line, work veryyy quickly! Traces of smudging at the end of the day, I’d say they have ‘good’ longevity.
Price: 21USD.
Longevity rating: 7.
3. NARS – Larger than Life Eyeliners
Easily accessible and vast shade range; neutral and colourful options in both shimmer and matte finishes so something for everyone. The pencil has a retractable mechanism, I know some prefer this and some hate it, I don’t really care either way! The black is a staple for tightlining, very reliable with only hints of migration after 12 hours.
Price: 25USD.
Longevity rating: 8.
4. Pixi – Endless Silky Eye Pens
Oh lordy, I LOVE THESE! No compromise on quality yet reasonably priced, Pixi is the bomb dot com. Extensive range of brights, neutrals, mattes AND shimmers.
But f’real, look at those shades! Emerald Gold is so complex! I also adore the black for upper lash line tightlining and the brown is a go-to on the lower rim for smokey eyes (less stark than black). The mini’s set is a great way to try a few shades… and then fall in love… and buy them all!
The formula is smooth and soft, very kind on the delicate tightline area but due to the uber soft texture, they must be sharpened rather frequently. Hey, ya can’t have it all.
Fabulous longevity, they perform like something much pricier.
Price: Varies, Target sells them for around 10USD but if you’re not in the US, you can purchase them for ~14USD.
Longevity rating: 8.
5. MAC – Pearlglide Intense Eyeliners
Pearlglides are so similar in formula to the THREE liners that I’m not sure I’d be able to tell them apart in a blind test. Both Pearlglides and THREE liners have some level of transparency – not sheer but the base isn’t entirely opaque like matte eyeliners. Clearly I had consumed too much caffeine when I took these swatches but you get the idea…
If you’re smudging into a wing, this translucency can actually work in your favour because blurry edges allow some margin for error. Everything I said about the THREE liners is applicable here: complex shimmers, reasonable amount of playtime and minor shimmer fallout upon smudging.
You might have noticed that mine are in limited edition packaging but they are a permanent product.
Price: 16USD and significantly more in Australia, naturally.
Longevity rating: 7.
6. Rouge Bunny Rouge – Long Lasting Eye Pencils
The first pencil liners to wow me and probably still the best in terms of longevity. The formula is bit harder and denser so if you’re nervous about tightlining or have crazy sensitive eyes, they might not be for you. If you’re okay with adding a little more pressure upon application, both brown and black are entirely free of shimmer and are favourites for getting in between those lashes.
I don’t use them to line the lash line really because they can skip, nor do they offer playtime for smudging. Also note that although it looks like a retractable pencil, it can only be wound up and not down – I learnt this the hard way 🙁
Price: 22USD excluding shipping.
Longevity rating: 9.
7. Urban Decay – 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils
If I’m honest, I don’t know why I still have a bunch of these roaming around my collection – they smudge like a mofo. I gave them one final chance in a recent tutorial and within two hours I had some serious black hazes around my tear ducts. Pity because the shade range is impressive!
Price: 20USD and now available in Australia via Mecca Maxima for 30AUD.
Longevity rating: 5.
8. Stila – Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliners
I would liken these to the Rouge Bunny Rouge, same delivery mechanism and similar texture (although perhaps the Stila is a touch softer). Magnificent shade range. Fabulous longevity. I don’t know why these don’t excite me more… perhaps I need more shades 😛
Price: 20USD or 26AUD in Mecca Cosmetica.
Longevity rating: 8? 9? Maybe 8.5
9. By Terry – Crayon Khol Terrybly
If you’re not up for a splurge, don’t swatch these in person. OMYGAH. SO SOFT. Like buttah, you barely need to touch the skin for spectacular colour payoff. AND look at dat blue! Just look at EET!
I was hoping these would be smudgable in the same vein as THREE/Pearlglides although in a matte formula (sometimes a girl wants a matte wing) but I found that they could get just a touch patchy when smudged; could be due to less playtime, could be that shimmer-free formulas are less forgiving.
In terms of longevity, I notice the smallest amount of migration at the outer corner of my eye towards the evening, which is easily remedied with a q-tip. Impossible expectations aside, I think that’s as good as it gets.
Price: 34USD or 46AUD in Mecca Cosmetica.
Longevity rating: 9.
10. The Drugstore Options
Max Factor – Excess Intensity Longwear Eyeliner // My favourite option from the drugstore – I wore this recently on a never-ending, humid day and experienced no migration whatsoever. The texture isn’t the softest and hence, not the most comfortable option when tightlining but in terms of performance, I can’t fault it.
Price: 22AUD (not sure this is widely available in US). Longevity rating: 9.
Milani – Liquid Eye Eyeliner Pencil // Pitch black in shade, soft and buttery in texture and kinda blah performance, I need a mid afternoon q-tip cleanup when used on the tightline.
Price: 8USD. Longevity rating: 6.
Rimmel – ScandalEyes Waterproof Eyeliner // This formula receives a lot of raves on the internets but I was rather unimpressed, very similar to the Milani with equally mediocre longevity.
Price: 5USD. Longevity rating: 6.
Non-pencil Options
Geisha Ink is the finest of all brush-tipped liquid liners (NOT felt-tipped, which requires constant encouragement to saturate the tip). I much prefer this delivery system to gel or cream liners as you need not faff around with a brush. Everytime I stray, I return to Geisha Ink like… DAYUM, today is a good winged liner day.
Glossy in finish (ehh, wish it were matte) and although I have used it for tightlining, I prefer long lasting pencils. Longevity is awesome, I don’t notice any smudging although if you rub, some may transfer.
Price: ~25USD.
Longevity rating: 9.
Makeup Geek Gel Liner in Immortal, if I have a long day ahead and no smudging permitted, I’ll go Makeup Geek. The compromise? It’s actually impossible to remove, I need to massage oil into the roots of the lashes for a solid 5 minutes to break it down.
I use the Hakuhodo J521-D1 brush to push Immortal between the lashes for tightlining or a Rae Morris liner brush if I’m forming a wing. It offers no playtime to smudge and sets very quickly, which might be problematic for beginners. Although I love it for tightening the upper lashline, it irritates my eyes when used on the lower waterline (perplexing).
Also, any eyeliner taken right to the inner corner will smudge on me, even the indelible Makeup Geek. If I can’t deal with that, I won’t tightline the inner third of the eye and problem solved.
Immortal is matte in finish and there are several other exciting shades – woohoo!
Price: 9USD.
Longevity rating: 10, aka best of the lot.
The Nudes
A quick overview of my favourite nudes. Illamasqua Vow comes out on top, the formula is dryer/harder so it doesn’t bunch up between the lashes and lasts well (not all day, but the best longevity as far as soft nudes go). Good neutral shade, not too yellow nor pink.
Second is Make Up Studio Concealer Pencil, similar to the Illamasqua except a bit softer. Finally, MAC Chromagraphic Pencil in NC15/NW20 which I don’t love, very opaque and soft formula so if you’re not careful, it coats the lash bed and looks… strange. Super creamy in consistency and hence, not particularly longwearing.
Phew! My smackdowns always amount to a novel! I hope you love them because they take FOREVER. Pretty please leave your favourite longwearing recommendations in the comments below and vote on the next smackdown topic – I’m thinking matte eyeshadows?
xxkarima
I love these posts! So thorough and always bookmark-able! I also can never line the inner corners of my eyes 🙁 And totally agree about the Scandaleyes! I believed the internet but was sorely let down! xxx
Yay so pleased you like them! Smackdowns are some of my favourite posts to create 😀 Scandaleyes was a bit of a disappointment for me but the Max Factor is great, if you can get your hands on it 🙂
x
I was so disappointed in the Urban Decay Glide on Pencils. That shiz went everywhere!! I almost always tightline with gel, then use a pencil liner along the lashline if I want something softer. I find nothing really covers the gaps in my lashes as well as gel liner does pushed in from underneath.
I agree with you, Macy, I get the best coverage in the tightline with a gel liner and a brush. But sometimes… much lazy… brush so far… 😛
x
This is such a wonderful post!! You know it all – and have truly opened my eyes to many ideas to consider. I nearly clicked BUY after reading #1 Three b/c they sounded so lovely (and I don’t tightline a bit). Go figure. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I fully intended to put it to use: I commit to a Better Beauty here state-side and will buy something more than muted-sage soon…
Hey KW!
One can never know it all, I learn so much from you guys also 🙂 The THREE liners are actually best for the lash line as opposed to the tightline, since they have shimmer. Totally recommend, I always get excited to use them 😉
x
I’ve been using the Anastasia dipbrow in granite to tight line my upper lash line. So soft and doesn’t smudge at all. Also, it doesn’t migrate to my contact lenses like kohl pencils do. TRY THIS! You won’t regret. Thanks for the detailed post. A big fan from Canada.
Hey Mira,
I tend to prefer blacks in the tightline (my lashes are pretty black and I think ALL TEH contrast) but good to know about the Anastasia Dipbrow! I’ve seen some people use the Liquid Lipsticks as eyeliners… very intrigued to try that!
x
I literally just bought the waterproof gel eyeliner from Essence. I haven’t had the chance to try it on the waterline yet, put I swatched it on the back of my hand, let it set for a few second and it didn’t frakkin move. I tried rubbing it with my finger and with a tissue soaked in water and it didn’t budge. The alcohol-based hand sanitizer smudged it a tad, but it wasn’t until I used some shea butter hand cream that I could finally remove it (I guess I’ll have to use an balm/oil-based cleaser whenever I wear it). This looks really promising!
PS. Long time reader/viewer, first time writer, as they say. I utterly love your reviews, smackdowns, tutorials, personality, accent,… everything! So keep doing what you’re dong! 😉
Bah, it transferred about as much as other drugstore gel eyeliners like the Maybelline Studio Lasting Drama, for example. Nice on the skin, but it still migrates when applied on the waterline. I’ll follow your recommendation and try the Max Factor next 🙂
Bummer! You got me excited then 😉
Also, so pleased you like my work! Sometimes it feels like I send my posts out to into a silent abyss so it always feels good to receive nice feedback <3
x
I love Clinique Quickliner for Eyes. Really soft, long wearing, very little transfer when used in the waterline, nice shade range and don’t need sharpening. I don’t have time for that! Also, they are readily available and not crazily expensive. Only downside is that they can be hard to get off, but that is the price you pay for longevity. I don’t buy other eyeliners anymore. Very comprehensive post, loved reading it. Love from the UK.
Ooh thank you, Esther! I’ll take a look at the Clinique liners. I don’t mind a tedious removal, as long as it stays put!
x
I think it is actually the Quickliner Intense range that I like. Haven’t tried the original ones. But I would guess they’d be similar.
I love your smackdowns! Some of my favorite posts of yours, so please don’t be discouraged to keep making them. I do vote for matte eyeshadows, and please include cooler shades if you have them. I find most mattes lean warm, other than the usual grey or charcoal.
I am rather pleased with a drugstore option for eyelining: Maybelline. The Master drama I believe it’s called. On me it goes very intense, highly pigmented, does not smudge or make my eyes watery. I don’t have oily lids but my eyes tend to get watery after some hours because of wearing contacts. This pencil doesn’t migrate at all on me, though I’ve heard it is not the case for everyone. Limited color range, but a good utilitarian option.
I really like adding a bolder eyeliner in some otherwise neutral eye look. I loved the pixi ones in sage gold and emerald gold. Wow!
Hey Catalina!
They’re one of my favourite posts to write, I’ll keep creating smackdowns if you guys enjoy them.
I’ll sue out the Maybelline Master Drama, sounds like a good black option 🙂
xx
Love your smackdown posts!! Soooo informative!! :] If you get a chance, try the Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon. So longwearing, but a good amount of playtime before it sets.
Hey Holly! SO pleased you find the posts informative 🙂
I’ll take a look at the Marc Jacobs, I’ve heard good things and the colour seem interesting!
xx
Very informative post! 🙂 This might be a newbie question but does thightlining usually or always include filling in the upper waterline? On my eyes, the bits of skin peeking through is mainly my upper waterline, rather that the skin between the lashes. And every eyeliner I´ve tried always transfers from my upper waterline to my lower!! Grrrr! >:( Do you have any recommendations that will end my desperate search? 😀
Hey Anne,
It differs depending on the eye but generally, there is a strip of flesh (often moist) bordered by the lash bed. Many of the eyeliners I’ve mentioned in this post should fare well on the waterline but perhaps you should try tightlining from above – I demonstrate this technique in my Office and Job Interview Makeup Tutorial:
https://shamelessfripperies.com/tutorial/office-job-interview-makeup-tutorial/
Hope that helps 🙂
x
I’m so glad to hear someone else say that they aren’t a big fan of the UD 24/7 eyeliners. At every cosmetics store I visit they always push me towards those smeary UD pencils that creep all over my face! I tightline with Maybelline gel eyeliner and avoid the inner corner as much as possible…yet it seems to migrate there no matter what. :/
Hmm, you are not alone with that one!
Some people choose to set the tightline with a black eyeshadow, you might want to try that to enhance longevity.
xx
Haven’t tried enough of these. I usually use the maligned urban decay and rimmel. I love the colour of UD Mushroom though, it’s a great dark taupe for the lower lash line.
I have a really bright turquoise green from stila in a matte formula that I am excited to try out.
I love UD Mushroom – the eyeshadow! Such a pretty taupe. Is the Stila a Smudge Stick, or a different formula? Bright turquoise sounds like fun 🙂
x
Dear Karima,
thanks for this mind-blowing overview! I recently purchased the Rouge Bunny Rouge Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Salome (following your recommendation, as well aß Diaphanous – *-* to this one). As your reviews are always so reliable I immediately thought “it has to be my fault” when I noticed some transferring to the lower waterline… Before critizising the formula I’d like to ask in detail about the application – poor skills on my side, maybe? Do you have any tips and tricks to avoid unwanted smudging? Thanks in advance!
(I wish I would be able to express my general enthusiasm for everything you do but oh – language barriers…)
Hey Jana!
The pleasure is all mine 🙂 Products do perform differently depending on the person, not necessarily a fault in application.
I often find that my tightline will transfer to my lower waterline a minute or two after application – I let it transfer and at the end of my makeup, I’ll clean the lower waterline with a q-tip. I don’t find that it continued to transfer throughout the day – perhaps try that?
If the eyeliner is migrating out of your eye or under your eyes, then it’s probably not well suited to you and you might prefer another brand.
Hope this helps 🙂 xx
Hey Karima,
I just wanted to report back from my experimenting with the RBR Liner. I’ve played a little with application technique, placement and the q-tip hack and I have to say: I’m really happy with it! Once again, your recommendation has proved itself 😉 Thanks a lot!
Jana, I am also getting ready to purchase the Diaphanous powder as per Karima’s recommendation. How did you like it? From what I understand this is a finishing powder correct? Which brush do you recommend to apply? Thanks.
Hi there,
I use the Zoeva 101 – Luxe Face Definer for setting large portions of my face and the Zoeva 105 – Luxe Highlight when I only want to powder the under-eye area. RBR Diaphanous works really well on my skin (which I would describe as normal to oily in the T-zone with minor flake issues few and far between [combination?]). It prevents concealer creasing, blurrs the visibility of pores without clogging them and it doesn’t emphasize dry patches. I can actually confirm what Karima has said once: it makes any foundation look even better. I really hope you like it too as you know there is no guarantee… Personally, I have never struggled with finding a powder that works for me so maybe I’m just easy to please ^^
Any reccomendations for sharpening/sharpener for the pixi eyeliners? I purchased these a while back and sharpening them was a nightmare…they just broke and sneered everywhere. It was a shame bc they are so beautiful and such a good eyeliner.
Hey Natalia, I’ve sharpened these in the Pixi sharpener and a generic one from Boots with no problems but I have heard of people putting them in the freezer to firm up before sharpening. Could be worth a go.
Hey Natalia,
Can’t say I’ve encountered that problem! I like the suggestion below re: placing them in the freezer. I do think that sharpeners are not always created equal, I have a By Terry Sharpener I like (I’m not being snobbish here lol… it came free with the pencil). I have a Shu Uemura sharpened that is also fantastic.
I had a no name sharpener that shredded many of my pencils, threw that thing away!
x
I’m wondering if I got a defected Pixi eyeliner. I bought the black one and it smudged like crazy! It transferred fully and wore off only after an hour of wear. It was like applying MAC Smolder but was actually worse. I’m going to blame this on defective product;)
That’s very odd! Possibly defective or maybe your body chemistry just rejects that eyeliner lol. What eyeliners have been long wearing on you? Out of curiosity.
xx
Great Post Karima! I recently wore the Marc Jacobs pencil to a funeral and it lasted on me!
That would be the true test 🙁
A few Marc Jacobs recommendations, I will pick up a few for science.
xx
A very thorough description Karima, you never cease to disappoint. My favourite are Cargo swimmables and the shade forest green is gorgeous but it does have gold glitter in it though.
Ooh! I haven’t seen anyone mention Cargo for years! I’ll check it out 🙂 thank you!
x
Karima- wonderful review. I’d love to see your matte eyeshadow smackdown!
Fabulous, I’ll get onto that 😀 Got a few new favourites matte formulas 🙂
xx
Excellent post! I’ve got two of the Pixi eyeliners: the dark rusty brown and the shimmery midnight blue. Both are great xxxxx
Woo! Glad you love them, too 😀
xx
The UD pencils can be okay for tightlining, but they’re high maintenance. I try to tightline (I use Perversion for this) before I do the bulk of my eye makeup and kind of hold my eyes open for a few seconds to allow it to dry. If I know I’m not going to be able to do a mirror check during the day, I’ll press my eyes together super tight to transfer the liner to the lower waterline and then clean that up, which I find helps it not to transfer during the day. Of course, this only takes a few seconds but seems like such a hassle when there are quicker and easier products out there to tightline. If you have these pencils, I would recommend these tips but I probably won’t buy these with the purpose of tightlining again. I do have a few other shades that work wonderfully on the upper lash line as a smudged out liner/eyeshadow and stay put for yonks – I think that’s what they’re better suited for.
I actually do that ‘press eyes super tight’ routine and clean up the transfer at the end of my makeup 🙂 I just found that the Urban Decay Pencils migrated OUT of my eye, serious panda eyes.
I’ll try them once more to line the lash line before purging 🙂
xx
Try Clio, a Korean brand! I shop Korean beauty products from Cosmetic Love, which ships quickly and worldwide for free.
Oh yes! I have heard of Clio! I might do an online haul tonight 😛
xx
What are your thoughts on the Eye of Horus liners? x
Sharon Farrell gave me one the other day, actually! Haven’t had a chance to try it yet but when I do, I’ll report back 🙂
xx
Hi Karima,
I spent my life trying different “waterproof” and long lasting pencils, never found one…
But I was on a hunt for the perfect eyeliner for waterlining the other day, and I found the Hourglass 1.5 mechanical liner and the Shu Umeura gel liner in a pencil form. They last all day, I wear contact lenses from time to time, I have watery eyes and oily lids. FINALLY!!!
Great suggestions! I’m on it! 😉
xx
I have tried soooooo many eye liners and agree that both the UD 24/7 and Rimmel ones are so good. The Nars also is not as amazing as reviews have received for longevity. I have found that liquid eyeliners last the best but I generally like pencils. Tarte’s chubby eye liner sticks last with no migration but the colors are not that opaque. If I want fuss free Tarte is my go to for day wear. The only pencil I have found that doesn’t budge is the Makeup Forever ones… but they are really stiff and tacky. Hard to apply but full opaque black color and it doesn’t go anywhere.
Yeah I might be one of the few that doesn’t get along with UD 24/7 or Rimmel but I know many love them! I had a Makeup Forever pencil somewhere… Might revisit that.
xx
Pixi and RBR are my faves too. Really don’t understand the rave about the Urban Decay ones, such a disappointment when I bought some and experienced their bad quality.
Not sure if it’s bad quality, I think they’re just not fit for tightlining. I imagine they’d be nice as an eye kohl, to smudge 🙂
x
I like Laura Mercier’s Tightline Cake Eyeliner. It’s easy to apply, and I don’t have to tug at all, unlike my pencil eye liners. Gel eyeliners don’t last on me at all.
Interesting! I have a cake eyeliner from Make Up Store but it’s an off black, not a pitch black (which irks me!). I’ll take a closer look at Laura Mercier’s offerings – do you use the designated mixing medium, or just water?
x
The Pixi pencils are the only makeup products that have ever irritated my eyes and when googling I found that many have the same issue. Bummer, they are gourgeous.
For tightlining I like cake eyeliners in general. Gel eyeliners never last on me, they crumble off,
Ive used the clinique cake liners and love them, but not for regular liner since they never last on the lid.
Best liner IMO for lid is by far make up stores cake liner. The vanilla pencil from the same brand is a good nude for the waterline. Very yellow, which I like.
i have no request for the next smackdown, just eagerly awaiting your next tutorial video. Oooh I wish you made one every day!
Awww sorry to hear about the irritation, I love the Pixi pencils 🙁 Such a bummer. I was just saying in a comment below – I love the Make Up Store Cake Liner formula but it’s just not black enough for my tastes, it always looks dark grey to me.
If I made a tutorial everyday, I’d go out of mind, I’m afraid! There is one up every week, though 🙂
xx
Karima have you tried the EL double wear eye pencils? They are the bomb dot comb for me. The colour selection is ok but the longevity and most importantly non transfer to my lower lash line is what has kept me loyal to it all these years. The pixi pencil has a wonderful formula but oh my god I look like a raccoon within an hour
Eh, the EL Double Wear liners are touted as waterproof but I see them more as everything-but-oil-proof. I wanted to love these but they smudge EVERYWHERE if you have even slightly oily eyelids and it becomes raccoon city real quick 🙁
I think I owned an EL Pencil once upon a time, I’ll take another look 🙂 thank you! xx
I appreciate your thoughts on the finer points of eyeliner, thank you! I’m a big believer of tightlining myself. For something almost imperceptible to the eye, its impact is huge! I’m currently using Pixi and MUFE.
Ooh ooh matte eyeshadow smackdown!!! Yes please!
Matte eyeshadow smackdown is in the works 😉 xx
My favorite longwear eyeliner is the L’Oreal gel liner, super black and lasts for 24 hours on me (Seriously, 24 hrs).
Ooh! I love a drugstore recommendation. I think my friend Sharon Farrell loves that one? Will purchase asap 🙂
xx
I believe I speak for all of us when I say – your smackdowns are very much appreciated!! ^^
As for recommendation, my favorite eyeliner for waterline and tightlining is Inglot’s gel eyeliner.
It stays put all day, it truly does not budge, and there are some really pretty colors in the range.
The only downside I would say is that it dries up pretty fast. However there is this mixing liquid Duraline they offer, that can be used to revive the gel and also to waterproof powders and pigments. Supposedly it is an excellent product. I personally have not used so I can’t say. For some weird ocd reason I prefer to buy a new gel liner then to revive my old one o.O
p.s: My vote goes to matte eyeshadows and liquid highlights 🙂 I can’t remember if there was a highlight smackdown, I think not.
Also, there is no highlight smackdown as of yet but I’m having a moment with highlight, so there should be one in the near future 😉
xx
can’t wait!! 🙂 so far I’m dead set on getting rouge bunny rouge’s sea of tranquility but I’ll wait to hear your expert opinion and suggestions to make my final decision ^^
Oohhh I think I have an Inglot Gel in my collection somewhere… I TOTALLY agree with you, that thing dries up very quickly and I found it hard to create wings because the product kept drying on the brush.
I’ll try it for tightlining, thanks for the reminder!
xx
Thanks for another comprehensive and well articulated, not to mention fun, post. I like the Eye of Horus pencil for tight lining, although it isn’t totally transfer free. In my (too many) years of experience, nothing is TTF. This is particularly annoying when you tightline with black or brown, then want to line the lower waterline with say, an ivory or other light color. Grrr! IMHO, the Marc Jacobs liners are awful. Tons of fallout from the shimmery shades, no endurance to speak of, and the actual product keeps falling out of the packaging and gets stick in the cap. Even if they’re stored right side up. NB: their glosses also have leaky packaging which has ruined a favorite purse. I am, sadly, not the only one to have this unfortunate experience with this brand. Inexcusable, particularly at that price point, as far as I’m concerned.
Keep rockin the smackdowns! I’d love to see a highlighter review.
Glad you liked it 😀
Sharon Farrell just gifted me an Eye Of Horus Pencil, I’m keen to give it a go 🙂
Personally, I find I can do a black tightline and a light lower waterline – I’ll apply the dark to the tightline, allow a solid half hour, clean up any transfer with a q tip then apply my pale shade to the lower waterline.
I don’t get any transfer after that initial half hour but as I said, I’m weepy but rather dry, no oils to encourage migration really.
Sad to hear about the Marc Jacobs liners :-/ Quite a few people below recommended them!
xx
Wow! Lots of information here.
So the question now is, where was I hiding not to know about these Pixi pencils?! Oh, the colours!
And thanks for the rec on the MUG eyeliners. I have been wanting to make a purchase there for the longest time and this might just be the excuse 😉
Pixi are totally underrated, I never hear anyone talk about them! MUG is an awesome brand, they have lots of winners 😉
xx
I also really like the Marc Jacobs Gel eyeliner in Blacquer for tightlining. It is harder than hell to get off but for days when I need it to stay put, I love it. I feel its very overpriced. I have a pencil case as a purse makeup bag, anything bigger and I’m sure would have had issues with the cap popping off. And the built in sharpener is such utter crap. The Avon Super shock pencil in Black stays very well on me, but I’m a tiny bit allergic to it. Works well on upper lashes, but if I use it on the bottom lashes, my eyes will stream almost to the point where it looks like I’m crying and even then it still doesn’t budge. I like the EL Doublewear pencils but the black isn’t very black but the brown is lovely and stays put very well as its a very dry formula. The MUFE Aqua eyes pencils are very fail to me. Black isn’t very black, goes patchy on my bottom waterline after 10 minutes, and breaks down into clumps that always get in my eyes when removing. These are the only ones that have given any longevity at all with my oily hooded watery eyes.
There was a few Marc Jacobs recommendations so I think I’ll take the plunge and try one 🙂
GAH, an off-black eyeliner is the most irritating thing! I want my liners to be pitch black.
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It’s nice to see someone else has issues with Urban Decay’s liners smudging! My lids are super oily; even with a good primer, pencil liners inevitably wind up transferring to my upper lid and smear all over the place. The only liners I trust not to make a mess are Julep’s gel pencils. I find they do transfer a tiiiiny bit, but it’s only noticeable when I’m super close to a mirror, and they blend like a dream if you work quickly enough before they set. I’m definitely going to have to get my hands on those Three liners. Eye Love looks gorgeous!
Interesting! I actually haven’t heard of Julep but I’m off to research now, thank you 🙂
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I am supervised that By Terry only transfer a little bit on your eye. These babies will go everywhere after five mins applying. I don’t know what to do with it, it is so expensive, but here in UK, you cannot return used cosmetics.
Hmm interesting, do you have oily lids? I don’t find they shift much at all.
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I would give my right, (ok… maybe left) hand to find out what eyeliners the pros use for film. It drives me nuts watching shows like Lost Girl, and they always have this impeccable perfect eyeliner completely circumnavigating their entire eye, waterline, inner and outer corners… everywhere… and it’s perfect. Totally on pointe. How the hell do they make that happen?!? It drives me crazy, like we mortals in the real world are being kept out of some secret eyeliner cult ?. I swear I have tried everything, and you’re right, UD’s are like, the worst. I have poured over reviews, perused message boards and threads, and no matter how many people rave about their favorite miracle-holy grail-absolutely tranfer/ smudge/ raccoon free! liner, it never works for me. I always get smudges in the inner and outer corners. Always. And my effortlessly gorgeous husband never tells me if I have black smudges (especially around the inner corner), despite my thorough briefing and follow up memo on how vitally important it is to stay on top of that and communicate any issues to me asap. You know, if he wasn’t so fabulous in other areas, I don’t know what I’d do with that man. The best one I have found so far is Cargo Swimmables. But it does still smudge a bit ?. I appreciate the list you’ve compiled and shared, and hopefully one of them with make my dreams come true. Failing that, at this point the only logical course of action is to become a famous award winning actress and get access to the cult. If I do, I promise I will share. We mortals deserve kick-ass eyes too. Keep an eye out for me at the Oscar’s ?