Silver Eyeliner: Milani Silver, L’Oreal HIP Silver Lightning, Make Up For Ever #8L, Urban
Decay Dime, Guerlain Silver, Urban Decay Gunmetal, CoverGirl Silver Spark, Urban Decay Uzi
Silver & Gray Eyeliner Comparisons & Dupes
It looks like metallic silver has been done by quite a few brands, doesn’t it? When it comes to grays, though, I don’t have nearly enough to give a particularly great comparison, but of the three darker grays I own, there are more differences between the three than with the five silver shades.
- Milani Silver Liquif’Eye Liner is a metallic silver. It is nearly identical to Urban Decay’s Dime. (Review)
- L’Oreal HIP Silver Lightning Chrome Eyeliner is a metallic silver. It is very similar to Guerlain’s Silver, and it is a little darker than the other three silver shades here. (Review)
- Make Up For Ever #8L Aqua Eyes is a metallic silver. It is a little lighter than the other four silver shades here. (Review)
- Urban Decay Dime 24/7 Liner is a metallic silver. It is nearly identical to Milani’s Silver.(Review)
- Guerlain Silver Stylo Yeux is a metallic silver. It is very similar to L’Oreal HIP’s Silver Lightning; it is a little darker than the other three metallic silver shades here. (Side note: I received this relatively recently, but yet I could hardly find any information on it… anywhere.)
- Urban Decay Gunmetal 24/7 Liner is a darkened silver-gray with shimmer. (Review)
- CoverGirl Silver Spark Liquiline Blast is a bluish silver-gray. It’s similar to Gunmetal, but it is bluer and has less shimmer. (Review)
- Urban Decay Uzi 24/7 Liner is a blackened silver. I was hoping to find you a dupe for this one but no such luck. (Review)
Thoughts
DUPE ALERT! The first five shades are all quite similar: Milani Silver, L’Oreal HIP Silver Lightning, Make Up For Ever #8L, Urban Decay Dime, and Guerlain Silver . L’Oreal HIP Silver Lightning and Guerlain Silver is are a hue darker than the other three. Make Up For Ever #9L is the lightest of the five.
Product Formulas/Wear: I have no notable issues with wear with any of these formulas (with the exemption of Guerlain’s Stylo Yeux, which I have not tested). They all wear all day for me (tested for at least 12 hours) without budging or migrating. L’Oreal HIP and Milani are the creamiest, with Urban Decay’s 24/7 Liners following shortly after (still creamy, though). Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes are firmer but still doesn’t tug on the lash line. CoverGirl Liquiline Blasts sometimes need a second pass for true color pay off but otherwise wear fine.
What are your favorite silvers and grays?
Gold Eyeliner: Tokidoki Unicorno, Guerlain Gold, Make Up For Ever #9L,
Urban Decay Eldorado, Urban Decay Honey, Milani Gold, L’Oreal HIP Gold Charge, Stila Koi
Gold Eyeliner Comparisons & Dupes
There are certainly lots of variations on gold but one particular hue seems to find its way into multiple ranges, and I’ve deliberately excluded more antique golds (to-be-posted), but these are the more traditional golds, based on the products I own. (Please assume that if it’s not here, I do not own it.)
- Tokidoki Unicorno Glitter Eyeliner is a pale white gold base with darker gold glitter. (Review)
- Guerlain Gold Stylo Yeux is a golden orange-peach–looks yellower in the pencil than swatched. (Side note: I received this relatively recently, but yet I could hardly find any information on it… anywhere.)
- Make Up For Ever #9L Aqua Eyes is a lightened yellow gold. It’s not a dupe for Urban Decay’s Honey (or Eldorado). (Review)
- Urban Decay Eldorado 24/7 Liner is a true yellow gold. You can tell it is significantly different from Honey. (Review)
- Urban Decay Honey 24/7 Liner is a rustic gold with a molten gold-bronze glint. This is one of my favorite colors, but apparently Urban Decay discontinued it. It is similar to the next three eyeliners, but it seems a hue darker. (Review)
- Milani Gold Liquif’Eye Liner is a deep metallic gold. It has a nearly identical texture and color to L’Oreal HIP’s Gold Charge. (Review)
- L’Oreal HIP Gold Charge Chrome Eyeliner is a deep metallic gold. It has nearly identical texture and color to Milani’s Gold. (Review)
- Stila Koi Smudge Stick is a deep, metallic gold. The color is nearly identical to both Milani’s Gold and L’Oreal HIP’s Gold Charge, but it’s a mechanical pencil, so it’s not quite as creamy. (Review)
Thoughts
Urban Decay Honey is now discontinued, but for those feeling the heartbreak and are running low, you may want to consider any of the following as close sisters: L’Oreal HIP Gold Charge, Milani Gold, or Stila Koi.
DUPE ALERT! If it wasn’t visually obvious, L’Oreal HIP Gold Charge, Milani Gold, and Stila Koi are near identical. L’Oreal HIP Chrome Eyeliner and Milani Liquif’Eye Liner formulas are quite similar, too–both creamy eye pencils that glide on smoothly (creamier than Urban Decay’s 24/7 Liners, by-the-by). Stila Smudge Sticks are mechanical pencils, and they have known packaging woes (takes forever to get it to twist, often you can’t twist it back in).
Product Formulas/Wear: I have no notable issues regarding overall wear with this set of eyeliners (exempting Guerlain Stylo Yeux, which I haven’t tested). For more specifics, I urge you to review the particular product’s review. Tokidoki Unicorno Glitter Eyeliner is a bit rough/scratchy against the lash line, because of the glittery bits.
What are your favorite golds?
Make Up For Ever #44 Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick
More Scarlet Hues by Make Up For Ever
Make Up For Ever #44 Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick
($19.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a rich shade of neutral-cool red–a shade that’s just a hint blue but so close to neutral. This is a shimmer-free red that still has a slight sheen, so it’s not matte either. There is plenty of color pay off in a single layer, and between the formula and the richness of the hue, it stays on my lips for six hours with ease.
The Rouge Artist Intense formula is typically opaque, and while it’s not a moisturizing lipstick, it’s not a drying one either, though it does not feel creamy against the lips (it may take a little more pressure to apply than your average lipstick). With lighter shades, I see four hours of wear, but with richer or darker shades like #44, I get as much as six.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! 
- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: For cooler and warmer skin tone, this is a nice shade of red that’s bright without being traffic-stopping.
AVAILABILITY: Sephora
Make Up For Ever #43 Moulin Rouge Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick
Lips That’ll Sing for You!
Make Up For Ever #43 Moulin Rouge Rouge Artist Intense
($19.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a rich, bright orange-based creamy red with a satin smooth finish. There’s a slight sheen but no shimmer or glossiness. The color itself is opaque in one layer, and it holds on and on and on. As such a vibrant shade of red, I get six hours of really good wear and then a slight staining as it fades off for the next two or three hours. Some of the Rouge Artists can be on the drier side (especially the frosts), but this one was particularly creamy and easy to apply.
Mine had no scent whatsoever, but I have heard others say they’ve found them rose-scented. In fact, none of the ten or so Rouge Artist Intenses I’ve tried have any scent!
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: This is one of the best Rouge Artists I’ve tried; it’s very opaque and pigmented, but it is also creamy and applies smoothly.
AVAILABILITY: Sephora
Lipstick Comparisons: $13 to $25 (Part 2)
In this price range, lipsticks tend to be more pigmented, have less synthetic scents, and wear an average of four hours. I’m not typically disappointed beyond belief with a lipstick formula in this price range. Brands from MAC to NARS to Smashbox fall into this price tier, while designer brands like Chanel, Dior, and YSL are in the next tier. There are really SO many brands and formulas to choose from in this category that I had to split this post into two parts!
- PROS: Ridiculously large shade range, variety of finishes, wears from 3 to 6 hours (depends on finish/shade)
- NEUTRAL: 0.10 oz., Depending on finish, shades range from sheer to opaque; similarly, more matte shades are drier while lustre shades are more moisturizing, vanilla-scented
- CONS: If you’re not familiar with the MAC range and finishes, it can be overwhelming and difficult to choose the right shade; not all shades are great or consistent against other shades within a finish family
- MY REC: I like MAC lipsticks quite a bit. I think they have some incredibly flattering shades as well as fun colors in their permanent line, but without having some MAC product knowledge, I can imagine it being daunting trying to figure out which shade is opaque, which is sheer, what finish might be best, and so on. There is a lot of variance between shades and even within finishes. Lustres and glazes tend to be sheerer, while amplified cremes and satins are creamier and more opaque. Mattes are on the drier side with some being exceptionally so (Ruby Woo, I’m talking to you).
- PROS: Long-wearing (5 to 6 hours on average), pigmented, wide range of shades
- NEUTRAL: 0.12 oz., range includes wearable shades as well as out of the box shades, scent0free
- CONS: Shades are a bit one-note, texture is a little dry (but it’s not drying)
- MY REC: If you have pigmented lips and struggle to find true-to-tube color translate onto your lips, Rouge Artist Intense is a good line to try out, because the colors really are opaque.
- PROS: Long-wearing (4 to 6 hours on average), moisturizing, creamy, good shade range
- NEUTRAL: 0.12 oz., scent-free, some really sheer shades while others are opaque
- CONS: Can smell waxy, lighter/sheerer shades fade in 1 to 3 hours
- MY REC: Though NARS’ lipsticks are unscented, sometimes the waxiness of the lipstick itself comes through, and it’s not so pleasant. It’s a more moisturizing lipstick than your average lipstick, though if you have ultra dry lips, you may still want to prep lips with some balm. I’ve also found that their sheerer or lighter shades don’t last nearly as long as their medium to dark shades.
- PROS: Creamy, moisturizing, glossy, semi-sheer to opaque, wears 2 to 4 hours, good shade range
- NEUTRAL: 0.14 oz., scent-free
- CONS: Numbering system can make it difficult to determine colors
- MY REC: I feel like I rarely see mentions for Shiseido’s Perfect Rouge lipstick line, and it’s really a top notch line. They’re creamy, smooth, and richly pigmented.
- PROS: Creamy, glossy, moisturizing, semi-opaque to opaque colors, wears 3 to 4 hours
- NEUTRAL: 0.12 oz., vanilla-scented
- CONS: Limited shade range
- MY REC: It’s a shame that Smashbox doesn’t expand their lipstick range, because I’ve liked several of the ones I’ve tried from it–but there just aren’t many colors available. These are moisturizing with a glossy finish and creamy texture. Similar to Laura Mercier Stick Gloss and Korres Mango Butters.
- PROS: Creamy, moisturizing, wears 3 to 5 hours
- NEUTRAL: 0.13 oz., burnt sugar scent (“caramel” or “creme brulee”)
- CONS: Sheer to opaque variances make it difficult to buy online or sight unseen, sometimes has an off-taste
- MY REC: I know that one of the biggest drawbacks to Urban Decay is inconsistency in the scent and taste of their lipsticks. The more shimmery shades seem to have a stronger averse taste than creamier shades. I don’t notice the scent when I wear them, so it’s not a deal breaker for me.
The Lipstick Comparisons series is designed to provide a quick reference summary sheet for some of the many available lipstick formulas. It seems like most brands have at least a couple of formulas, if not half a dozen, and it can be difficult to find the formulas that will work best for your budget, coloring, style, or taste.
This is not necessarily a best of list, and it’s not exhaustive–it is based on actual lipsticks that I’ve tried; they are all, however, decent to excellent lipsticks. (And perhaps, some day, it will be an exhaustive list.) I have summarized my experience based on pros and cons, but also some “neutral” factors that may be pros or cons, depending on your preferences. I will update this series as I try new lipstick formulas.
Make Up For Ever #1C Aqua Lip Liner
Long-wearing, Waterproof Lip Liner
Make Up For Ever #1C Aqua Lip Liner
($17.00 for 0.04 oz.) is a long-wearing lip liner that really does not budge until you take your best makeup remover to it. This is the area it most excels in–the wear is phenomenal, and the liner itself stayed on through drinking water and coffee with no problems at all. It can be layered underneath lipstick/gloss or used to define the lips. It’s soft enough that it’s easy to apply the liner on the lips, but it’s not so creamy that it becomes more like a lipstick pencil than a liner. It doesn’t impart much moisture, but it doesn’t leave lips feeling dry nor dry them out as it wears.
#1C is an interesting shade, because it’s described as a “light neutral beige,” but it almost looks a bit orange when you first swatch it, and then on lips, the natural rosiness of lips (even if you have lesser pigmented lips) seems to bring it down a notch. I like this shade underneath sheerer lipglosses and nude lipsticks best. I think for those with more pigmented lips, it can also help to mute the natural pigmentation of your lips in a more savory way than using concealer/foundation.
The only downside–for some, not all–is that it is a pencil liner, so it may need to be sharpened more frequently in order to get a precise edge. I didn’t have issues using the edge, and I don’t, personally, sharpen every use, to get a precise outline on my lips, but I use the slant more so than the tip itself. I don’t see it as a downside myself, but I could see those who prefer the thinner point of automatic lip liners finding fault here.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: Maybe not this color, but Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Lip Liners are certainly worth a peek if you’re in the market for a long-wearing lip liner.
AVAILABILITY: Sephora
