Gold Eyeliners: Your Guide

I say I love this color and that color, but it’s more apparent that I love all colors, really.  More gold eyeliner than you could fill a treasure chest with…

1. Giorgio Armani #04 is a muted yellow gold with bronze-brown tones, so it appears a little brighter than true antique gold but not extremely brassy either. (LE)
2. Dolce & Gabbana Candied is a pale, yellow gold. It’s lighter than all of the other gold eyeliners I have.
3. Make Up For Ever #9L is a medium yellow gold. It is similar to Korres #6S.
4. Guerlain Gold (01) is a warm, gold-shimmered orange. (LE)
5. Korres #6S is a yellowed gold with a shimmered finish. (DC)
6. Urban Decay Eldorado is a warm, orange-toned molten gold. It is similar to Chanel Vegas Gold.
7. Chanel Vegas Gold is a warm-toned, orange-based gold with a metallic finish. It is similar to Urban Decay Eldorado. (LE)
8. MAC Handforged is warm, coppery bronze with a metallic sheen. It is similar to MAC Going for the Gold and NARS Campo de’ Fiori.
9. MAC Going for the Gold is a golden bronze with a metallic finish. It is similar to NARS Campo de’ Fiori and MAC Handforged. (LE)
10. NARS Campo de’ Fiori is a gold-shimmered bronze with a soft sheen. It is similar to MAC Going for the Gold and MAC Handforged.
11. Urban Decay Honey is a molten, yellow gold with a metallic sheen. It is duped by Stila Koi, L’Oreal HIP Gold Chrome, and Milani Gold. (DC)
12. Stila Koi is a molten, yellow gold with a metallic sheen. It is duped by Urban Decay Honey, L’Oreal HIP Gold Chrome, and Milani Gold.
13. L’Oreal HIP Gold Chrome is a molten, yellow gold with a metallic sheen. It is duped by Urban Decay Honey, Stila Koi, and Milani Gold.
14. Milani Gold is a molten, yellow gold with a metallic sheen. It is duped by Urban Decay Honey, Stila Koi, and L’Oreal HIP Gold Chrome.

TEMPTALIA PICKS:  #9L (true gold, quality), #11 (texture, pigmentation), #14 (budget-friendly, pigmentation, quality)

Behind-the-Series:  It was my intention to provide heavy, opaque swatches to provide an accurate color comparison.  Some eyeliners required one pass, some required five, and a few even more.  When possible, the shade name (above) is linked to the original review so you can read more about the quality, wear, etc. of a particular eyeliner.  If we’ve never done a review, there will be no link.  Shades that were limited edition will be marked with “(LE)” and shades that were discontinued will be marked with “(DC)” after the color description.  You can also find all comparisons on The Dupe List.

What’s your favorite Gold Eyeliner? How do you like to use it?

See more swatches & comparisons!

Gold Eyeliners: GA #04, D&G , MUFE #9L, Guerlain Gold, Korres #6S,
UD Eldorado, Chanel Vegas Gold, MAC Handforged, MAC Going for the Gold,
NARS Campo de’ Fiori, UD Honey, Stila Koi, L’Oreal HIP Gold Chrome, Milani Gold

Gold Eyeliners: GA #04, D&G , MUFE #9L, Guerlain Gold, Korres #6S,
UD Eldorado, Chanel Vegas Gold, MAC Handforged, MAC Going for the Gold,
NARS Campo de’ Fiori, UD Honey, Stila Koi, L’Oreal HIP Gold Chrome, Milani Gold

Gold Eyeliners: GA #04, D&G , MUFE #9L, Guerlain Gold, Korres #6S

Gold Eyeliners: MUFE #9L, Guerlain Gold, Korres #6S, UD Eldorado,
Chanel Vegas Gold, MAC Handforged

Gold Eyeliners: UD Eldorado, Chanel Vegas Gold, MAC Handforged,
MAC Going for the Gold, NARS Campo de’ Fiori

Gold Eyeliners: NARS Campo de’ Fiori, UD Honey, Stila Koi, L’Oreal
HIP Gold Chrome, Milani Gold

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Liner:  #9L

Make Up For Ever #9L Aqua Eyes Liner ($17.00) is a pale gold with a high sheen. While it does have shimmer, it doesn’t look like it–much more like a sheen. It’s a nice shade to use in conjunction with blues, browns, greens, and teals. I don’t have a liner quite this color from other brands, because it’s not quite a true gold–it’s more like a golden yellow, where it looks more yellow than gold. It’s much paler, lighter, and yellower in comparison to Urban Decay’s Honey Liner.

I love the Aqua Eyes formula because it really does what it’s supposed to! It’s a long-wearing eyeliner that’s waterproof that won’t migrate to anywhere you didn’t apply it. You can smudge it if you want, but it’ll set after a few minutes and stay put. I also like that they have such a wide shade range available (25 colors available on Sephora!), because who doesn’t want to collect them all? (And I know some of you have the Aqua Eyes Collector Set… I’m totally jealous!)

The only thing I could think of to improve the formula is to make it just the tiniest bit creamier.  They’re not stiff or hard on the eyes at all, but I’ve found that I definitely prefer more of the ultra glide-on creaminess of liners like Urban Decay.  I keep my Urban Decay and Make Up For Ever eyeliners separate from all my other eyeliners–and I’m constantly reaching for one of the two!

What’s your favorite shade of Aqua Eyes?

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:  If you need a long-wearing eyeliner, Aqua Eyes has an incredible formula that really holds up well for all-day-long wear.  They’re easy to use, come in a variety of shades, and look fantastic on.  Maybe #9L isn’t your cup of tea–but surely one of the other 25 is!

Availability: Sephora

See swatch!