In Spenny vs Penny we compare the products we love, with those following in their (sometimes pricey) footsteps. Here we compare liquid eyeliners from the likes of Mac, Rimmel, Maybelline and Collection, asking should you put your money where your mouth is?
Ever since my teenage years, I’ve been a devoted user of liquid eyeliner. At one point, I wouldn’t be seen outside of the house without it – flicks became a part of my identity.
For over a decade now I’ve only had eyes for one: Collection’s Fast Stroke eyeliner which costs me £2.99 a pop and lasts a good three to four months, sometimes even more. But in recent times, I’ve been thinking about trying something new.
Multiple online reviews tell me that Mac’s Liquidlast Liner is uh-mazing. At £17, I wanted to know how it would compare to my One True Love, as well as some other popular liquid liners on the high street.
We’ll start with the spenny, shall we?
On unboxing the eyeliner I was pretty disappointed. For £17 it just seemed so... small. When I unscrewed the lid I was also left pretty baffled: the brush is very flimsy, akin to a fine paintbrush, and it’s attached to a cylindrical lid so it’s quite odd to hold – all the rest of the eyeliners I tried were like pens.
It took me longer than my usual eyeliner application. The brush sweeps across the top of your eyelashes quite nicely. The real struggle is getting the flicks to come neatly to point – if you’re good at art (or a makeup artist) then you might be able to get the hang of it, but otherwise it might be a bit difficult to use due to the brush being slightly squared off.
I thought the liquid itself was super glossy and left quite a nice sheen on my eyelids. Also worth noting that once this bad boy has dried, it isn’t going anywhere. I was pleasantly surprised to find that despite having a cold – with watery eyes and lots of sneezing – my eyeliner stayed on all day and there wasn’t a single smudge. I went out after work to see my friend and, for the first time ever, didn’t have to reapply eye makeup.
The downside to this is that the liner’s staying power translates to bedtime too, so when it actually comes to taking it off you need to invest in a good eye makeup remover – otherwise you’re stuck with it.
I’d definitely use this eyeliner again for nights out, but not so much for day wear, and think it would be a great investment for people who struggle with allergies.
The disappointment was real when I tried this. Clearly the most precise brush of them all – the name Master Precise gives it away – this eyeliner is let down by the liquid itself. Within half an hour of application it had smudged onto the crease of my eyelids and begun to run where the flicks were. By the end of the day I looked half sultry, half Panda-fied. It was a serious smudge fest.
It’s such a shame because I love the fact this is essentially a pen for your face. The nib of the brush is super thin, allowing you to get a very precise point and also a thin line above your lashes (because sometimes you don’t want a massive black line on your lids). In fact, I had the best flicks because of its precision brush. But they lasted all of five minutes due to the eyeliner not actually having the capacity to stay on my face. With great sadness I have to say I would not recommend.
Penny(ish): Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeliner, Superdrug, £5.29
This was my second favourite eyeliner of the lot. The brush is firm and more like the Fast Stroke eyeliner in terms of how effectively you can draw some precise flicks. The handle is quite long so you can hold it steadily in your hand to guide it along your eyelids and the eyeliner stays on for pretty much the whole day, with only a few small top ups needed if you’re off out after work. The only downside really was that it was slightly on the smudgy side, but not a huge amount.
Having tried it up against some serious contenders, I have to say the Fast Stroke eyeliner is a force to be reckoned with. No wonder it came Highly Commended in the 2015 Beauty Awards.
If, like me, you use a lot of eyeliner and can’t afford to keep forking out £17 for a new one then this is ideal. Yes, by the end of the day I have to reapply it a bit because eventually it does wear off (especially if you laugh so much you get tears in your eyes, which I do daily). But, on the whole, it’s got a lot going for it. The brush is precise (although over time it does go a bit straggly) and you can get a good grip on the handle which means precision when you’re drawing along your lids.
It’s a great eyeliner for all levels of makeup application and at £2.99, why wouldn’t you?
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