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Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner Review, Photos, Swatches

Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner
Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner

An Intense Black Eyeliner That Lasts All Day

Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner ($28.00 for 0.04 oz.) is a rich, deep black. If you want an intense, no-bones-about-it kind of black, that’s exactly what this. It joins the likes of MAC Black Black and Urban Decay Perversion when it comes to richness.

The formula is soft and creamy–almost too creamy, because I worried about the wear of the product as I applied it–that it glides on like silk and melts against the lash line like butter, filling in any minuscule gaps. It sets after about a minute, and after testing it twice, it held up quite nicely for a full eight hours without migrating or smudging. It still looked 90% after twelve hours.  It doesn’t wear for a full eight hours on the water line, but it does look pretty good. From afar, the water line still looks mostly lined, though up-close you can see some gaps and areas where it has worn away. There isn’t a whole lot of information on this formula online, so I didn’t actually see whether this was water line safe or whether it was intended to be used there (so the assumption is that it is not water line safe).

It’s supposed to be water-resistant and long-lasting with a soft, creamy texture. All true: water-resistant to a point, such that water won’t make it smudge or smear, unless you go rubbing your eyes, then you will get subtle smudging, but sweat, steam, and a little “rain” (well, I closed my eyes and sprayed water on my eyes) don’t cause the eyeliner to fade, smudge, or smear.

Too bad this is limited edition! Why do brands put out limited edition products like this? It’s not like it’s an electric blue eyeliner that maybe won’t do so well. It’s black–it’s such a basic, staple item!  Boo!

Update:  The version I have will be released in October for the holidays. The pencil will be permanent and will come with a smudge-tip on the end when it launches in October. This information has come from Giorgio Armani.

Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner
Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner

Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner
Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner

Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner
Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner

Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner
Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner

Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner
Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner (8 Hours of Wear) (thicker Line)

Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner
Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner (8 Hours of Wear) (Thinner Line)

61 Comments

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helen Avatar

I was introduced to these eye pencils a few seasons ago. I was warned by the SA that i should purchase a few because they were a limited edition (why oh, why???) and that i would regret it. I thought her approach was a bit pushy (being Canadian, we politely “suggest”) but she was absolutely right! I LoVeD that product and continued to hound my local GA counter for more.
I WILL be bulking up (even though they are a bit pricey) and hope that GA makes them permanent.

annie Avatar

Do you like this better than Milani’s $8 black Liquif’Eye eyeliner? I know it’s not waterproof but I had pretty darn long staying power with it.

Ani_BEE Avatar

Can we hope that the Nordstrom launch LE status is a dry run to see how it sells. I’m always on the hunt for the ultimate black longer wear liner but I doubt i could get this other then ebay. ^_^

Kiss & Make-up Avatar

Oh I so want this! I don’t like this kind of tip, though. I just can’t sharpen them properly. I’m pretty sure it’s me, though, so do you have any tips on how to sharpen pencils with a tip like this?

moena Avatar

I didn’t at the time, although I was tempted, because I was hoping for reviews in case my one try was a fluke. Now I’m definitely putting in an order. Why LE, Armani, whyyyyyyy?

Jennifer Avatar

Can I get a round of applause for Christine, the amazing beauty blogger who is so dedicated to quality reviews that she actually sprayed her eyes with water for us?! Did you actually do that for the waterproof ETK shadows too?! Amazing!

Jennifer Avatar

Oh and not to mention this product looks amazing. I have backups upon backups of UD Perversion but this looks too good to pass up. Perhaps those backups will be included in a friend’s bday gift and replaced in my stash with backups of this product, haha. Over to nordstrom.com go…I have an addiction, lol!

Mrs Crna Gora Avatar

Ok I’m confused. I bought this at my counter and it doesn’t have the smudger. So I clicked your link and the one that came up on Nordies doesn’t have one either. Re they still the same?

Ingher Avatar

Christine: I think you might need to change the name of the post, because the one you got isn’t the eyes to kill eyeliner, is the smooth silk eye pencil. I looked very closely at your photos and in one of them it does say smooth silk eye pencil. Also go check out GA’s beauty website, u’ll see the difference

Mrs. Crna Gora: don’t worry you got the right one, the eyes to kill eyeliner is not suppose to have the smudger.

Christine Avatar

It’s the same thing 🙂 You can even google to see other people who purchased the eyeliner – theirs will say the same thing (some retailers list it as it that, too – not as the Eyes to Kill, which is the collection name), just without the smudger.

I confirmed with Giorgio Armani today – the one I have is for holiday, which will be released in October, but it’s the same pencil. It is permanent going forward 🙂 I updated the post about an hour ago, so you can also read it there in case you missed it!

sonia Avatar

I bought the Giorgio Armani Black Eyes to Kill Waterproof Liner and now i swear by it, i dont even need to do anything else with my eyes..loveeeee it!!! <3

18thCenturyFox Avatar

The most I have ever paid for an eyeliner is for the Lancome liquid pen liner. I don’t know why GA as a company doesn’t entice me..this will sound strange but his visage has always frightened me and so I have a hard time associating the brand with beauty. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I am quirky. That being said, I adore a great black liner that doesnt need a ton of work to fill in the gaps- I just bought the oddball Too Faced one. If that doesn’t appease me, I may actually consider this. Ditto on the ridiculousness of it not being permanent.

Kathleen Avatar

I got this in the Nordstrom Anniversary Set, and loved it so much I bought it in 02, dark brown! I can’t believe I wasn’t told they are LE, twice!

Georgia Avatar

Hi Christine, I don’t know if you’re still monitoring/responding to comments on this thread as I’m posting well over a month since this came out, but if you are, has Armani provided any further information about whether or not this is safe for use on the waterline?

mamarie Avatar

Hi Temptalia! Thanks for this review! Did GA make this eyeliner permanent? I heard they did, but I can’t find anything online that states that. Did they possibly give it another name?

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