Post 2012 Round-Up/Analysis - Eyeliners

Posted by on Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Good morning and welcome to my blog in 2013! It feels so strange to be entering yet another year...

I focused a lot on lip products and brushes in 2012, but there was a product family that I was continually hitting pan on, repurchasing, and then just never blogging about. Yep, you guessed it: Eyeliners! Admittedly, the clue was in the title ;)

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Maybelline 'Master Drama' Kohl Liner
I actually own this in black and brown. I bought the brown first on a whim, as during the Summer Maybelline released a load of new products and these were included in the line up. As I was going swimming later and was fully aware that a certain rugby player male type of eye-candy would be there, I decided to invest in some waterproof cosmetics. You know, just completely coincidentally.

Anyway, after a long discussion between myself and a friendly sales assistant in Boots who told me she owned this very pencil and used it on her eyebrows, I walked home with this. And it is incredible - so, so robust and waterproof. It lasted me two hours of swimming, which I was more than impressed with. On the hand, it persists for about a day with just casual handwashing.

I haven't actually tested out the black on the waterline yet, but I'm hoping it'll be more of the same story. Best part? This liner was about a fiver, and as Maybelline was 3 for 2, it worked out to be considerably cheaper.

The only downside for me is just how soft they are - it's easy to overapply if you're a little heavy handed (as I often am). I end up having to sharpen these fairly frequently, maybe every four or so uses. I'd still recommend them to anyone looking for a budget, waterproof kohl liner.

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MUA Extreme Felt Eyeliner

This was my first felt liner (yes, I am always late to the game, and what?) so I have a little soft spot in my heart for it. It doesn't last too long, usage wise. Perhaps three weeks to a month of use before it dries out and the ink gets grey. But at only £2, it fits squarely into that "cheap and cheerful staple" category.

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MUA swatch

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Maybelline Swatch (closest brown to camera)

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Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner - Black
This Maybelline offering is my second gel eyeliner (the first being Sleek's InkPot) and it has left a much better impression on me than my first.
It looks like the sort of thing that will stay moist for a long time - the lid is sturdy and seals tightly each time, and the frosted glass looks quite classy and evokes ideas of higher end brands such as Bobbi Brown. So I'm more than happy leaving the pot on my makeshift vanity.

For me, this is not a 24 hour liner, though. Out of all the liners I've posted, this gel liner actually survives the least amount of time before running; about six, seven hours. By the end of my college day, I end up with visible smudges by the corners of my eyes. It's quite disappointing. I've tried to remedy the problem by extending my eye primer over the parameters where it'd usually be, but it doesn't always stop the smudging. Boo.

Not pictured: Maybelline New York Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner in Black 
MUA's older, more expensive but more talented cousin. I purchased this at the same time I bought the brown kohl liner and it's still going strong, the liner as dark as ever. It's correspondingly more expensive though - 2 1/2 times the price of the MUA offering. Oh well. Compromise...

Honorary mention: Sleek InkPot
 SAM_1957
Runs faster than Usain Bolt. No thank you.
Looking back at this post, I've almost exclusively purchased Maybelline eye products :/ I promise you, I'm not sponsored!

Apologies for the font/coding weirdness in this post. I'm still trying to work out what's going on.

3 Comments

  1. I do like the maybelline gel eyeliner but I agree with you, it doesn't last as long as they say it will. I'm a fan of the MUA one too :) xx

    Almost Delightful

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  2. I really like the Maybelline gel liner, I've had mine for ages and it stays put and doesn't dry out in the pot!

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  3. Glad I'm not the only one, Sarah! Most of the reviews I saw before buying it say that it's decent but yeah, lasting power varies.

    Totally agree Robyn! I've had mine for ages as you say, it's just as soft as the day I bought it.

    Apologies for the strange code halfway through the post! Really not sure why that happened :/

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