...just call me EE for short.
Some people love foundation, some people love blush, some people love eyeshadow, but for me, eyeliner is a necessity. I mean eyeliner runs through my blood-- we Indian women have been sporting kajal for generations. We even put it on newborn babies to ward off eye infections!
When I first started wearing makeup in high school, I wore nothing else but eyeliner. The rest of my face followed only in my second year of undergrad, haha.
I wanted to give you a side by side comparison of some of the most popular eyeliners. Rest assured that these are all drugstore products so they are readily available and easily affordable. Liner can frame your eyes and is essential in any makeup bag, but you absolutely do not need a department store brand to get quality, in my humble opinion.
L-R: Annabelle Kohl Eyeliner in Coffee, Milani Liquif'eye in Black, L'Oreal Infallible Never Fail Eyeliner in Black, Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner in Black
Annabelle Kohl Eyeliner in Coffee - Annabelle eyeliners come in a rainbow of colours and they are CHEAP. This is almost as soft as the Milani Liquif'eye liners. I find this eyeliner to be a dark enough brown that it actually defines my eyes and doesn't look invisible. I also have the Milani and L'Oreal eyeliners in their respective brown colours and the only con to Annabelle is longevity. It does not last on the waterline like the others do. However, I always come back to this as my go-to brown eyeliner because it is soft to apply and because of the rich, dark colour.
Milani Liquif'eye in Black - I got this in the States because it is always sold out at my Loblaws here in Canada (the brown one though is almost always there). Very soft and glides on the waterline like butter--no tugging required here! It is very pigmented and when it sets it will last a long time without fading. However, on me, while the colour lasts, on my waterline it tends to smudge to my lower lashline. So depending on what look I'm going for that day, this may or may not work. If you are applying this to skin (say, on the upper lash line), you will have no problem with longevity. This is very similar to Revlon's Luxurious Color Kohl Eyeliner, however Revlon tends to smudge a bit more (picture not shown since I used it up a while ago)
Both Milani and Annabelle liners are stick liners, while the other three are retractable. I prefer retractable because they are easier to travel with and no sharpening is required *ahem* because I'm lazy! ;)
L'Oreal Infallible Never Fail Eyeliner in Black - Harder formula than the latter two, but still no tugging required. No smudging over time and it doesn't run down my water line. The colour somewhat fades after about 8 hours so it definitely does not last 16 hours. I would repurchase though because of decent pigmentation and it stays on my waterline.
Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner in Black - Hardest formula of the four. Very slight tugging required but nothing that will cause irritation or premature wrinkles! I would say this is the winner overall because it doesn't run, smudge, or fade. It remains black for a full work day and is as black as Milani. Despite this, I still prefer Milani Liquif'eye or the Revlon Luxurious Kohl Eyeliner simply because the application is so much easier and smoother. You need to run the Colorstay eyeliner through your waterline several times whereas the other two require 1-2 swipes at most.
As far as black eyeliner goes, there are two winners: Milani for application and Revlon for overall longevity.
L-R: NYC Liquid Eyeliner, NYX Felt Tip Liner, Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen, L'Oreal Lineur Intense in Black, Rimmel Glam Eyes Professional Liquid Eyeliner in Black Glamour, L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense, Wet n Wild Mega Eyes Creme Liner in Black
NYC Liquid Eyeliner - I found out after buying this on a whim earlier this year that this is Megan Fox's favourite liner. It's so cheap!! Only $3!!! I'll be upfront and say that this is my favourite liquid eyeliner out of the bunch!! The brush tip is very thin and application is precise- I can create both thin lines and thick lines with ease. The formula is neither too thick or too thin and it dries to a great matte black finish. It is also long-lasting and will not fade or flake (I have oily lids too!). I'm surprised this is not talked about more...
NYX Felt Tip Liner and Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen - When I bought these I was excited at the prospect of making liquid eyeliner easier to apply...PLEASE DO NOT waste your money on these! They dry up so quickly and I keep having to close it and shake it to reapply. Application is as a result very streaky and it doesn't last long (the product itself and when it's on your eye. Because of my experience with these crappy pen eyeliners I'm hesitant to try the new Physician's Formula one...thus far, still on a mission to find an HG pen liner.
L'Oreal Lineur Intense in Black - I originally bought this years ago, liked it alot, then tried the black glossy one, liked that even better, repurchased those a couple of times, ran out of those, and then moved on to other liquid eyeliners. After about a year of not using these, I decided to come back to the original gold one (as seen above) to see if I still liked it compared to my other liquid eyeliners. Now that I'm so much better at makeup and have been using and preferring brush tip liners, I find this felt tip liner to be too clumsy and imprecise. The formula is still great, but the product itself seems to dry up within 1 month, rendering it useless. Also, (and I've never noticed this before trying other liners) it dries to this glossy black finish, which I do not like. I think this is a good liquid eyeliner for beginners (as I was several years ago), but it is overhyped and there are better liners out there than this.
Glam Eyes Professional Liquid Eyeliner in Black Glamour - This is quite similar to the NYC liquid eyeliner. The brush tip is even thinner and a little bit shorter. The formula is also more watery than NYC. I think thin brush tips are great, but this tip is thin to a fault...I find I need multiple strokes to build up the liner to a thicker line, whereas the NYC liner can multitask. This is also because of the more watery formula. This would be a great for those who like very thin liner. The pigmentation is great, it lasts a long time without flaking or fading, and it dries to a matte black finish.
L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense - You can tell from the image that this is THE blackest black eyeliner. I would say it dries to a demi-matte finish on the eye, and it lasts a very long time without fading or flaking. Everything about this eyeliner is great BUT the applicator. It's a short brush tip that is very clumsy and imprecise. Also, with use, the brush hairs flare out making it even more difficult to use. If you could combine the applicator of NYC with the formula of this eyeliner, you could make the perfect liquid eyeliner!! Alas, because of this, this is not my favourite, but came close. I think you have to be very comfortable with liquid eyeliner to use this well i.e. no noobs! lol
Wet n Wild Mega Eyes Creme Liner in Black - I threw in this gel eyeliner into the mix because it's not talked about enough. This eyeliner is hardcore and will last longer than 24 hours! I've slept with this on, and in the morning there was no sign of fading or flaking. You need a brush to apply this so I use it for any events when I need precise eyeliner application and longevity. The advantage with gel eyeliners is that you can get the sharpness of liquid eyeliners, but you can apply it to your waterline too...so no need for two eyeliner products
