I like ones that are really smooth and fluid, where you don’t have to go over the same line once. I definitely prefer more of the felt-tip or calligraphy pen style applicators over the traditional brush!
— Christine
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I love Tom Ford Liquid. Double sided. Flawless. Rant:Too many don’t work Too many out there for people starting to choose one best for them. Claims are often fails.
They do have to be opaque, that is very important to me.
Oh goodness, I used to wear the blackest black waterproof liquid eyeliner I could find just about non-stop from the 70’s until I discovered gel eyeliner about 4 years ago! And I have NEVER looked back. When I was using it, I loved the later inventions of the pointed, hard felt applicators over the old-fashoined standard brush applicators. Anything for a precisely placed, stay all day cat-eye appeals to me!
Rave: they’re great for a crisp, thin line. The ones with a good felt tip are not too difficult to apply. Waterproof formulas last all day without any smudging. My favorite is Urban Decay 24/7 but it’s been discontinued, and not replaced as of yet 🙁
Rant: the ones with brushes or hard tips can be very difficult to apply, so are the ones with poor texture (too thick, or too thin which causes feathering, or the ones that won’t “self-level”). You really need a good quality product, otherwise it can turn into a disaster really fast… My last disappointment was theBalm Schwing, I’m not sure what’s wrong with it (texture I guess) but I am absolutely unable to get a crisp line with it, the edge is always uneven because it gets into my skin’s cracks and crevices.
I’ve found a couple of Nyx’s liquid liners (Aqua Luxe, the new Vivid Brights) pretty close to UD’s in formula and applicator, but using them a couple days in succession did lead me to determine UD’s brush is a wee bit nicer. :/
I love UD’s too, so, so much.
I have a love/hate relationship with eyeliners. I used to be in love with felt liners, my favorite of those being by Stila, but they now all smear in my inner eye. I have hooded eyes that have become even more hooded after an allergic reaction to talc. I’ve bought what feels like a million eyeliners since and found they all smear! The only two that haven’t are expensive! They are by Hourglass and It Cosmetics. I can also use gel liners to apply with a brush and those two are by Anastasia and, again, by It Cosmetics.
I love how it looks on others that really know how to work a winged look. Unfortunately, I have such extremely hooded lids that I can’t wear defined liner on my top lashes at all, so I have no use for liquid liners.
Rant: There are a lot of bad formulas: Many are watery and bleed. Others are not pigmented enough or crack and flake. Some of the brush type don’t have good brushes for precision work.
Rave: Often, the drugstore stuff out-performs the more expensive, which is good for my wallet. They are great for getting a sharp cat eye. Thin felt tip liners make lining really easy. Glitter liquid liners work better than their pencil counterparts.
Rave – love the coloured eyeliners
Rant – cannot use them myself – I wear glasses and it is just too difficult to apply, plus I have hooded lids.
I like how pigmented and precise they can be, but I hate how so many tend to be watery, unpigmented, and take way too long to dry down so they end up creasing while I’m trying to do the rest of my makeup. I used to be a die-hard liquid user but I find I prefer gel way more – it sets fast, stays in place, and it’s nice and forgiving!
I rarely use them, because they’re awkward to use for tightlining, which is the main lining I do on the upper lid. Some of the felt-tip pen types can work, though — MUFE makes one.
I love liquid liner. If it came in as many shades as gel liners (and was as consistent in quality!), I’d never use anything else. It’s soooo much easier and faster to get a crisp line and precise wing/cat eye with a felt-tip liquid liner than it is with a gel.
I’m with Christine on this one. Felt tip like stila is great for me. Anything that isn’t pigmented enough to cover in one pass or doesn’t dry quickly is returned or thrown out. My eyeliners last forever so I don’t mind spending a couple dollars more for a better product. There isn’t much worse (in the makeup world) than ruining a gorgeous eyeshadow job with uncooperative liquid liner.
I love Liquid liner! I wear Stila black liquid liner –it’s my HG! I have used all the gel liners in the Estee Lauder family, but once I started using the Stila, I have never looked back.
I’ve honestly never liked liquid liner. It’s probably because I have hooded eyes and the liner is all you can see when you look at me straight on.
I love the look even if I’m a klutz with it but I hate how fast they dry out!