One of the few makeup products that I can’t go without is the humble black eye pencil. I don’t know why, it’s not as though it’s a real necessity, but ever since I was a little girl and saw my tween-age hero, Avril Lavigne, ‘singing’ about her teenage angst on TV, I have been drawn to the dramatic Panda Eye effect.
Now, it’s not feasible to rock a smoky eye every day, but I always make sure to apply eyeliner to at least my waterline before I leave the house in order to bring out my eyes a bit. This confession alone probably makes respected makeup artists around the world cry and question why I of all people am giving advice to others, but you’ve already probably figured out that Caitlin and I are not really that fussed with makeup conventions.
Allow me, if you will, to run you through four of my favourite dark eye pencils…
May I introduce to you the following: Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner in Black Market; Soap and Glory’s Smoulder Kohl; Clio KILL BLACK Waterproof Eye Pencil and Benefit’s BADGal Waterproof Eye Pencil.
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner in Black Market
This is an eyeliner that I absolutely swear by. Not only is it really easy to apply, I’m loving this particular variation of black at the moment. More of a charcoal colour than your standard jet black, this eyeliner contains just the faintest hint of glitter. What’s more, it doesn’t seem to be as harsh as other black eyeliners, especially against my fair skin tone, and it really is a long-wearing formula.
Alternatively, if I’m wanting something a little less harsh than black, I am a major fan of Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner in Desperation. This is more of a dark grey (a ‘taupe’, if you will) than my other eyeliners and I find that it is a lot more subtle than wearing black.
Black Market and Desperation seem to only come in travel size; admittedly I was gifted this eyeliner, along with Riot (an intense shade of purple!) as a Christmas present from my mum. You might be wondering what happened to the other three eyeliners in this set. I am too, though I suspect they were included in other people’s gift packages, those lucky duckies.
Soap and Glory’s Smoulder Kohl
I was delighted to discover that Soap and Glory, who make some of the greatest smelling shower scrubs my nose has ever had the pleasure of sniffing, also make a variety of other products. This. of course, includes eyeliner!
Smoulder Kohl contains nourishing ingredients such as jojoba oil, which means that it glides on easily and smoothly. Unfortunately, it can occasionally glide on a little too smoothly, which means that you have to have a steady hand when applying it!
My favourite thing about the eyeliner itself is that it has a pencil sharpener at the end of it, which means that you’ll never have to deal with a blunt eyeliner related fiasco again. Ingenious!
You can buy Soap and Glory from Fishpond, but it is hella expensive. $35 for an item I picked up for five pounds at a British airport? I think not! Otherwise, try looking in Sephora’s online store; it’s bound to be there!
Clio Kill Black Waterproof Brush Liner
My all time favourite liquid eye liner is Korean cosmetic company Clio‘s KILL BLACK Waterproof Brush Liner. Until I discovered this product I was very skeptical about liquid eyeliners, if only because I truly sucked at applying it. Then I bought the Waterproof Brush Liner on a whim and I felt as though life as I knew it had changed. I will never, ever give up on this liner. You’ll have to prise it out of my cold, dead hands before I stop using it. Seriously, it’s that earth shatteringly good. It deserves a post all on it’s own; not just some paragraph in the lead up to another product review…
ANYWAY. After experiencing the magic that is KILL BLACK Waterproof Brush Liner, I decided to test whether its sister product, KILL BLACK Waterproof Pencil Liner, would deliver a similar miracle. I had, and still have, mixed feelings about this one. I want to believe in it; I really do. But the fiddly mechanical nub makes it a little more difficult than the other eyeliners to apply, and unless you really go for gold and layer it strongly, it’s not particularly intense.
There are redeeming features though (otherwise I wouldn’t be profiling it here). Sometimes subtle eyeliner can be a good thing and, once on, it’s really smudge-proof. But, let’s be honest, it’s no Waterproof Brush Liner.
Just as an aside, if you’re looking for something a bit different, Clio makes some other great eyeliners in their Gelspresso range. I’m digging their rose gold liner, Bloody Sweet, at the moment; it’s such a pretty colour!
If anyone knows if or where I can buy Clio in New Zealand, I would be over the moon if you told me. I can’t keep filling my suitcase with KILL BLACK every time I come back from Asia; it’s starting to get a bit ridiculous.
Benefit BADGal Waterproof Eye Pencil
If you want an ink black eyeliner that barely budges during humidity and/or rain (because in Auckland it’s probable that you’ll experience every season ever imaginable in one day), then boy, do I have the eyeliner for you!
Benefit’s BADGal Waterproof Eye Pencil in Black is the shit. It’s easy to apply, goes on where you want it to (as opposed to all over your face like some other brands tend to), and stays on forever. FOREVER. And, if you’re terrible like me and you occasionally don’t take your eye makeup off before bed because of forgetfulness or laziness, it’ll be perfect the next day. I mean, don’t do that, but still…
At $38.00 from Smith and Caugheys, it’s a little more expensive than your average eye pencil, but it is totally worth the investment. Trust me on this one.
That concludes my eye pencil round-up but, before I sign off, I have a bonus product to show off to you! BONUS!
Have you ever mucked up your eye makeup just a little bit only to despair about how you’re going to correct the mistake without having to take all that makeup you’ve painstakingly just applied off? Well, Japanese brand Canmake (can!) have devised this nifty pocket sized Cleansing Stick to help avoid any future anguish! It contains Sunflower Seed Oil and it truly works a treat.
The packaging is so cute that I had to show you before I unwrapped it
There you have it. These are my favourite eye pencils. Have your tried any of them? What did you think? Is anyone else out there as obsessed with Clio’s Eyeliner Brush as I am? What eye pencil do you recommend I try next? SO MANY QUESTIONS!
Analiese x
My Flatmate's Wardrobe 