I use a lot of different types of make-up (depending on my mood), and out of all of the different make-up tools I use and test out, my staple in make-up is eyeliner, which I use practically every day. The easiest (and quickest) type for me to use are liquid eye-liner pens, which are quick, easy to use and dries quickly. I've decided to look at the top 6 high street/drugstore brands which have liquid eyeliners, and review the ones which work best for me.
Here's a quick look at the various eyeliner pens I have - the brands are Bourjois, Max Factor, L'Oreal, Revlon, Rimmel and Maybelline. These are the main brands which most people will find in any drugstore, they should be easy to find and are pretty affordable.
1. L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim
Pros: Very light and easy to hold, the thin-ness of the pen makes it easy to apply and the liquid dries pretty quickly.
Cons: This didn't feel black enough to me, and it also felt slightly watery.
Pen tip: Quite thin and precise, which makes it easy to play with thin and thick lines and easy to create curves. I also like the fact that it doesn't run out quickly like some of the other eyeliners I have used.
Transfer: Probably the worst in all the eyeliner pens I used, I have fairly oily eyelids so the liquid eyeliner always rubs off on my eye lids every time I wear this. It may be different for those with less oily skin, or it may also work well with a base underneath to prevent transfer.
Overall: I like how easy it is to use this pen, and I don't really mind the shade of black because it's still fairly black, but the real downside for me is the transfer.
2. Bourjois Liner Feutre (Ultra Black)
Pros: Dries very quickly and doesn't need much more than a few swipes to draw a line. Also comes out very black in colour and is probably the easiest to remove out of all of these eyeliners.
Cons: Has a tendency to dry up after usage, and needs to be left for a few days before the tip fills with ink again and it can be used. Also, the tip softens slightly after a lot usage, so it may make the lines less clean.
Pen tip: This pen probably has the thick tip out of all of the eyliners, which made it harder to draw thin lines. On the other hand,
Transfer: There's not much transfer, but I have had incidents of it smudging a little after wearing it the whole day. I've also found that it can wear off after a few hours, particularly if my skin is a little oily.
Overall: I've reviewed
this eyeliner pen before, and my opinion of it hasn't really changed much. I've used the waterproof ultrablack version and the normal black version, and they're both about the same, except the waterproof one lasts a little longer.
3. Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner
Pros: Applies very easily, creates some very precise lines and feels fairly black in colour.
Cons: The tip may go slightly soft after it has been used for some time,which may make it dry out a little as well, but by this point the pen is probably in need of replacement anyway. I also find that this may not always work well over layers of eyeshadow, as it may not be black enough, but I do like to use this before I use my gel eyeliner when I go for a heavier look.
Pen tip: I love the tip of this pen, it's exactly what it says it is, precise, thin and allows you to be creative. It's great for subtle eyeliner looks or for building up on for a more dramatic look, and is great for eyeliner flicks.
Transfer: There may be slight transfer, again, depending on your skin type. I've worn this over eyeshadow and base and have not had any transfer issues, although there has been some when I wear it alone.
Overall: This is my current go-to eyeliner, it is easy and quick to use, and always gives me a precise look. I've used a lot of eye-liners and this is one of the ones I've always recommended to others, particularly if they don't want thick lines and messy eyes.
4. Rimmel Scandal Eyes Precision Micro Liner
Pros: This is another eyeliner which is quite precise, which dries quickly and is fairly black in colour.This is also pretty good for thinner lines which means the lines are quite neat, and also reaches into corners easily too.
Cons: The version I got is a waterproof version, but I haven't seen a non-waterproof version, which means this is more effort to remove. I also am undecided about the length of the pen tip, which is shorter than other liquid eyeliner pens, so it has to be held different to get the best advantage of it.
Pen tip: I like the fact that the tip of this pen is a bit harder than the others, which means it won't go soft easily, and will apply evenly.
Transfer: I don't think I have had any transfer from this pen, which is probably due to the fact that it is waterproof. I tend to wear my eyeliners all day for work, and this one hasn't smudged much either.
Overall: I haven't been using this pen as long as the others, but it has given pretty good results. I am a bit surprised about this as I don't tend to go for Rimmel products, but this eyeliner shows that some of their stuff has improved since my teen years!
5. Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen
Pros: This is fairly easy to use and is quite fuss-free, so it's quite ideal as an everyday eyeliner. It's
Cons: I found that the liquid for this pen didn't flow as easily as the other pens, which meant I had to go over the lines to make it blacker.
Pen tip: I found this pen tip a bit thicker than the other pens, but it's quite sturdy and gives even lines.
Transfer: I haven't noticed much transfer when I have used this pen, and it doesn't really seem to smudge either.
Overall: I like Revlon products, but I wasn't too impressed with this pen, it doesn't feel as precise as some of the other pens, and it feels pretty average. Having said that, it does the job and seems to last all day, so it's not something to complain about either.
6. Max Factor Glide and Define Liquid Eyeliner
Pros: The blackness of this pen is quite excellent, I love how dark the colour comes out and it isn't messy at all. I also like the fact that the lid screws on, which feels a bit more air-tight for me and reduces the chances of the pen drying out.
Cons: I really didn't like the size of this pen, it's meant to be a travel sized/handbag size pen, but I found it a bit hard to hold because it's quite short. I think this is just a case of adapting the way you hold the pen to get best results.
Pen tip: I quite like the pen tip of this pen, although I prefer pen tips to be a bit longer, this one is still quite precise and thin, and handles easily.
Transfer: I haven't noticed any transfer with this eyeliner, and I suspect this would work well over heavy eye make-up too although I haven't tried this yet.
Overall: I tried to find a full-length liquid liner from Max Factor, but this is the only one I found, and I was surprised that there wasn't a bigger range (although there may be some more and I just didn't see them in other shops). I like how well this eyeliner works, but I think the size lets it down - I know it's meant to be travel-sized but I find normal pens quite easy to travel with and put in a handbag, so I think this isn't really that necessary.
There's pros and cons about all of these eyeliner pens, and while some are better than others, these all pretty much work well as liquid liners. These days I tend to reach for the Maybelline pen for a quick and easy flick as my everyday eyeliner, but I do like to vary as well so that I can try different techniques and lines. I'm not overly creative with my eyeliner, but I think it's important to have a decent eyeliner pen which works well, although having said that, what works for me may be different for others!
Which eyeliner do you prefer? What do you normally use?
