If you asked me what would be the one item of makeup I couldn’t live without, what my ‘desert island’ luxury item would be, I would have to say it’s my eyeliner pen. I’ve been doing an eyeliner flick since I was like 20, and without it I feel naked and not myself. I’ve tried different eyeliner ‘looks’ – i.e. smudged. But it just ain’t me. So here’s my 5 best liquid eyeliners and why.
Chanel dahhhling
Now if we’re talking about my best liquid eyeliners then it’s only fair that we go back to the very beginning. When I was first learning to talk the talk, walk the walk and flick the flick I used the Chanel brush liner. This was because I didn’t know an awful lot about makeup so I thought the more expensive something was, the better it had to be and so Chanel had to be the be all and end all when it came to makeup. I was wrong – Chanel makeup isn’t all that great, but I owe a lot to their brush liner. It was a great basic first step into a world I wasn’t massively experienced in – even if I did end up always putting the lid back on wonky and bending the brush out of shape.
Great for: Wouldn’t buy it now, there’s better available but it’ll always have a special place in my heart.
Urban Decay – Perversion
The Urban Decay Perversion felt liner is my weapon of choice when it comes to getting a blacker than black flick. It’s nice and flexible and sharp so you have everything you need to create a razor-like super dark flick that stays put all day. Perversion is bae.
Great for: A super black flick
Soap & Glory Supercat
The Soap and Glory cat eye liner has a really stiff felt tip on it so it gives you tons of control. It’s perfect for if you’re in ‘wing training’. It’s also a budget option, so if you’re trying to make your money go further but would also like a wing that can cut a bitch then this is one of the best liquid eyeliners a small amount of money can buy.
Great for: Beginners and bargain hunters
Tarte – Rainforest of the sea – So fine.
This super thin Tarte So Fine I picked up when I was in New York last year. The tip on it is tiny so it’s perfect for precision work. If you’ve messed up and made one eye slightly longer than the other then this bad boy is great for getting balance without you having to build up eye upon eye upon eye until even Amy Winehouse would have snarled you.
Great for: Precision and fixing errors. The only issue is, it’s quite difficult to get it in the UK. Have a look on my shop though, I do stock some of the Tarte palettes (all genuine, swear down) and they’re made with Amazonian clay meaning they all blend like an actual dream.
Illamasqua Liner Gel
Now as you can tell I am more of a felt liner girl (they give the best level of control) but the only problem is that sometimes they can lose their intensity and appear a little dull. This is when a traditional liquid liner in a pot would come in handy. I find they get messy, very quickly, even when you’re experienced so it’s not ideal. The Illamasqua Precision Gel Liner however stays blacker than black all of the time meaning that with a sharp angled brush you can get the control and the intensity all of the time. Boss.
Great for: Consistent colour.
And for absolute beginners…
If after all of this you’re still ready to throw your hands up in to the air and cry because you absolutely CANNOT do a good eyeliner flick, then don’t worry. I have the answer. Eyeliner stencil stamps. I bought a sample of these for the shop because I wasn’t convinced that they would work very well, but they really do. You paint the liquid or gel liner on the stamp and print it on the corner of your eye – then all you have to do is fill along the lash line which is the easy bit. You’re guaranteed perfect symmetrical flicks every time. It comes in three sizes (small, medium and large) depending on how flick you want your flick – I thought medium gave the nicest look. Absolutely perfect for complete beginners – consider them training wheels! Click here to purchazzzze.
Here’s my glamorous assistant Hannah giving you a dead quick demo of how easy it is!
Hannah has used the eyeliner stamp in size ‘large’.
