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Rant & Rave: Liquid Eyeliner

Share: Tell us what you love and hate about Liquid Eyeliner!

my answer: I think liquid eyeliner is often more about the applicator than the formula! There are a lot of great formulas out there, so then it comes down to the applicator.

40 Comments

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Christina D. Avatar

I love liquid eyeliner! I find it last longer than any other medium, even gel liners and I love those, too. It’s not for beginners but after all these years, I’ve become rather adept at application. But you are so right, Christine, that the applicator has alot to do with it (although formulas do vary greatly).

Lyss Avatar

I definitely agree that it’s all in the applicator! I had tried and tried to get liquid eyeliner right but it always looked like crap. I was convinced that there was something wrong with me that I couldn’t make it look good. And then I tried MUFE’s Aqua Eyes liquid eyeliners… and it just worked. I could FEEL the difference in the applicators, between MUFE’s and the other ones I’d tried (elf and Revlon).

Mariah Avatar

I’ve really fallen in love with liquid liner in the last year or so! I prefer ones that clean up well, but stay on while I want them, and have an easy to use applicator. (Wet N Wild is actually my favorite!)

I recently got a Milani one that has a tip like a lot of others, including that whole series that Mac put out that have a kind of cone shaped tip? Kind of looks like a brush but it’s foam or something? I thought it would be super accurate but… NO. Way messy. Hard to angle!

And the other Milani one with the brush tip is a really goopy formula that turns rubbery. I hate the ones that turn rubbery when they dry, which includes the old Mac Liquidlasts, even though I had a few because the colors were so nice.

I also used to think the ink-style ones would be awesome, but that was a terrible mistake when I got a Maybelline ink pen one and it BLEEDS like no one’s business! Just swatching on my (not even rough or dry) hand, it bleeds out into every minute crack like the Nile!

And I also hate that a lot of liquid liners that aren’t black won’t be opaque. Nothing is worse than finally getting a good shape and then having to go back over it when it dries, just to get full color!

Gretchen Avatar

Just this morning I was putting on liquid liner and totally messed up one eye and didn’t have time to wash and start again so I just tried to camouflage the area and recreate the situation on the other eye. Too often I find myself swearing off the stuff but I keep going back. When I get it right it looks great but when I goof up it can haunt me all day. I’m still looking for one with the perfect applicator, right now I am using theBalm “Schwing” which I have liked so far.

Wwendalynne Avatar

I’m on and then off liquid eyeliner. Really, I prefer a smudged/smoked liner on my eye shape better than precise lines. Still, I do like liquid eyeliner when I want a simple eye. Just a neutral base and liquid liner winged out a bit at the ends is always such a classic look. I struggle with all manner of applicators, but usually go with pens. Since I do not wear liquid eyeliner every day, I’m quite slow in my application, plus I always tightline as well. The one great thing about liquid eyeliner, it’s perfect as a final touch on a smoky eye too. Just a super thin line on top of everything at the lash roots can give that extra depth. I never wear fake lashes so this is my little trick to make my lashes look a bit thicker.

Kate Avatar

I find that most companies have come up with an applicator that makes these a lot easier to use than they used to be. Mac and Illamasqua (same applicator and packaging) have a lovely firm nib that doesn’t allow product to get all over the place.

I used a YSL shade today with a softer, more pliable applicator and it was more challenging (still a lot better than the old ones I remember), the intense, long-lasting colour and shine are worth it.

Jennifer R. Avatar

I agree with you Christine, it definitely is about the applicator. My favorite is Stila’s Stay All day Liquid eyeliner. I always had trouble with liquid eyeliner & when I heard about Stila’s liquid eyeliner being easy to use even for newbies I went and bought it and it definitely made it easier to apply liquid eyeliner. The formula is also really good.

Verily Avatar

My favorite liquid eyeliner is Hard Candy’s Walk the Line. I use the matte black one, and it’s a very dark black that really stays on all day on my oily lids. Even longer with a primer! I love that eyeliner and I won’t trade it for anything! I do wish I could try it with a felt-tip applicator, since it has a brush, but regardless of that, it’s still my favorite. 🙂

Linda Avatar

I love liquid eyeliners! Hard Candy’s are great and only cost about $6. I agree – it is in the applicator. Depending on what brand I’m using, I can either create a great line or a fine mess.

xamyx Avatar

I only use liquid, or cake, liner on the upper lashline, and have done so for *years*. I would have to say it comes down to both the applicator, *and* the formula. I absolutely love the UD 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, but I despise the applicator. I also have a LORAC felt-tip liner, and it is the blackest, shiniest liner, but it leaks every time I open it… I’ve found L’Oreal Lineur Intense to be as close to HG as possible, with the only issue being it’s not waterproof; however, it is very black, and the applicator is divine. Lancôme did a liquid liner many years ago that had a brush separate from the vial, which I much preferred, as it was far more sanitary, and I had the option to use other brushes.

lily Avatar

I have used the lacome art liner due to its great reputation and all the hype, but once i finished apply that on, til it dries, then curl my lashes, part of the liner would come off like it cracks!
and now i use the maybelline felt tip one, works well too, and cost less!

Aida Avatar

LOVE: clean, bold lines. paired with dramatic lashes, create a professional and sophisticated eye. I especially love the L’Oreal Infallible 12hr Super Slim liner. So easy to apply! No tugging!

HATE: I often prefer the smoky, smolder-y look. Sexy, Bedroom eyes that can only be achieved with a pencil or smudge-able gel liner. I hate when liquid looks too glossy, or when my tiniest imperfection is so noticeable because of the precise lines. I hate there there is practically no room for error with liquid.

Amanda Avatar

I used to always use liquid liner, but somehow became disinterested in it at some point. A few months ago I bought a UD 24/7 liquid liner in perversion. I love that it stays on all day and it’s relatively easy to apply. However, I find it to be more time consuming than pencil or gel liners, and it feels slightly heavy. So I feel as though liquid is great when you want a really precise, sharp line, but it’s not my favorite option.

Rae // theNotice Avatar

Only thing that is guaranteed not to smudge on me! Well — for a couple of the formulas I’ve found, at least. (Annabelle Black Spark, Ellis Faas’, and maybe the Lancome Artliners.) Liquid liner is actually my least favourite look, but it’s the only one I can wear with confidence, I’m afraid! Everything else just seems to slide off my face. 🙁

Ellen Avatar

I used to hate them, but then I discovered Guerlain’s. The tip has to be just stiff enough, and this one definitely is! It’s my go-to for liquid eyeliner (and eyeliner in general), especially because the color is so rich, dark, and inky. Love!

jdd Avatar

I love all things eyeliner. Mac fluidlines are great because you can choose the applicator.. whatever brush you’re comfy with or whichever works for the sort of line you’re going for. I like their boot black liner too, wish it was water proof though. My new go to though is the NARS stylo pen (all colors are wonderful) and honestly these rock for a quick and easy application. a few flicks of the wrist (cap on) refresh the color and in like 3 minutes I’m all set.

Cortni Avatar

I have always loved liquid liners! I feel like the brush tip on a pen design works best for control and cat eyes! Physicians formula in particular makes an excellent one. I feel like the Maybelline one and NYX pen style ones with a felt tip on them dry out to fast when you use them over eyeshadow.

Veronica Avatar

Liquid liner is my favorite type of liner for the upper lash line! It can take quite a bit of practice to get a handle on it, since it’s less forgiving than pencil, but I prefer the smooth, opaque look of the line it gives me when I use it.

Applicator is definitely a big part of it – and what kind of applicator depends on the shape of your eye and what kind of look you’re trying to achieve. With my hooded eye shape, I generally find that long, tapered liners are best if I want a thin line above the lashrd, but shorter, pointed applicators are preferable for when I winged look.

Julia Avatar

I love liquid liner, but it does take some practice and a very steady hand. I find I prefer the more pliable foam applicators over the pens. I find the pens dry out really quickly during application. My only issue with the foam applicators is that it can sometimes be difficult to get the sharp point on the flick. However, for day to day use, I prefer shadow and an angled brush.

Ryou Avatar

I agree that applicator is extremely important for a liquid eyeliner. My favorite applicator is, hands down, calligraphy-style brush, like seen in many Japanese brands (Dollywink, K-Palette, etc), as well as Physician’s Formula’s. Felt-tip works okay, I suppose, but I find that they wear off so much more quickly. They’re certainly better for dotting inbetween lashline, though! (although in that case I’d go for the three-tipped liner, like Too Faced has)

However, a bad formula could also be a dealbreaker for me. Make Up For Ever’s liquid liner flakes like mad on me, as much as I want to love it. I have oily, hooded eyelids that’s made worse with how much my eyes water, so it’s really tricky to find something that stays on (and removes without staining). So far, Dollywink is my favorite for color, control, comfort, and lasting power. I’d happily hunt it on eBay.

Molly Avatar

I LOVE the look of liquid liner. It looks so clean and precise and on certain eye shapes, it can really enhance them. Despite that, it does NOT look good on me AT ALL! It wasn’t the particular liquid liner I was using, it was just me. My face/eyes just can’t handle that intensity, so I stick to using dark brown eyeshadow to line my upper lash line.

Susan Nevling Avatar

I’m not in love with liquid liner. I own two from UD in black and cobalt. Ii use it to fill in blank areas inmiss with my pencils. I like to smudge and liquid just doesn’t do that.

Colette Avatar

I LOVE liquid eyeliners.
I use them whenever I am doing a winged out eyeliner or a cat eye.
I have tried using pencils and gel, but liquid is the easiest, most precise and is the easiest to apply.
My favourite is the one by Shu Uemura.

Quinctia Avatar

I totally agree about the applicator bit!. I also am a big colored eyeliner fan, so if a line only has like black and brown, why bother trying it when I have some I barely use.

My favorites are Urban Decay’s because of the nice little brush, and Nyx’s Aqua Glam for being a near dupe of the formula and applicator. (No real color dupes, though–unless Nyx’s black is one, but I have Perversion already so I didn’t buy Nyx’s.)

Geneva Dell Avatar

I use liquid eyeliner most days. I prefer MAC Superslick liquid eyeliner or Milani Eyetech Extreme for a fraction of the cost. I love their felt tip and unlike Loreal Linear Intense felt tip liquid eyeliner, neither flake off on my eyelids.

Tiffany Avatar

i think applicator and formulation are equally important. i got a body shop liquid liner once (just looked so pretty in the tube, black with silver sparkles) but it was so runny and thin that it took forever to dry and wasnt even visible after application

my fav is mac liquidlast, that stuff doesnt move! love it. i want to try out the topshop liquid pen liners next

Sierra Avatar

My first liquid eyeliner was the Stila Stay All Day, and it was okay, nothing to write home about. I currently use the Kat Von D one with the chiseled felt tip, and I love it! It’s really easy to get a nice little wing, and it wears pretty well on me, so it’s definitely a keeper! (:

Christina Avatar

I love liquid eyeliners! My eyes have no definition to them when left natural, so it has become a daily routine of tightlining, mascara, and liquid liner. My favorite is Lorac Pro Liner which is in pen form. Too Faced came out with a three pronged pen liner called 3way (naughty tf!) and it was good for definition but not precision cat eyes. There are some formulas that will peel itself off when you try to go over the same area twice-i hate that so much.

Nancy Dav Avatar

I LOVE using liquid liner! Pencil is hard for me to use, and it doesn’t give the same dramatic and dark payoff as liquid liner. I find gel liner gives me a harder time when I wing it to get it the same on both eyes, and it’s a bit messier. I hate liquid liner that has a brush applicator. My favorite applicators are the felt tip ones. My favorite eyeliner is the L’Oreal Lineur Intense liquid eyeliner.

Jen Avatar

My favorite is the L’Oreal Infallible Super Slim Liquid Eyeliner; I love the applicator because the length of the felt tip is just right for how I want my winged eyeliner (I stamp it to create some sort of guide). The formula does last the advertised twelve hours. My only issue with the product is that it doesn’t last long as a whole, but that might be because my only makeup look is winged eyeliner.

Vicki Avatar

My first ever eyeliner was a liquid one! And I prefer the applicator to be thicker and less stiff. My first ever liner was from a Korean brand, Baviphat, at the time Beyonce was the spokesperson. I liked that a lot. I moved on to other liners due to curiosity but haven’t really found something I loved.

Recently I got to try Marc Jacob’s Magic Marc’er Precision Pen Eyeliner in Blacquer which my friend bought from the US and man I LOVE IT TO BITS. It’s the blackest liquid liner I’ve seen and it doesn’t BUDGE at all!

It’s not available in my country so I’d love to hear dupes for this! Do give me suggestions on eyeliners that are similar in terms of formula (smudge-proof & water-proof) / applicator / intensity of colour ! Thank you so much!

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