A Quest for Eyeliner

Recently I posted a note on Instagram asking if anyone had recommendations for a stay put eyeliner.  I got over 50 suggestions so I headed to Sephora to test some of them out.  Many of you asked if I would blog my findings, so here you go, although I wish I had the moola to purchase them all and give them a whirl for ya to really test them out!

Let me tell you, Sephora with a toddler who loves makeup is crazy.  Ian had to take Lemon out (screaming) because I just couldn't concentrate on the task at hand (and if I was spending over $20 on eyeliner, I had to focus!).  She was all over the place, into everything and loving every minute of it - a girly girl for sure!  I walked around, put about 10 different eyeliners on my hand, let them dry and then used alcohol to take the them off (and, I may have done it a couple of times because I forgot which one was which).  Whatever one stayed put, that's the one I wanted to buy.

I tend to get oily throughout the day but my skin is what I would call combination, some oily spots and some dry.  I definitely have oily eyelids, though, and every single eyeliner I've ever worn has come off, same with eye shadows (even with a MAC primer).  I have such cute pencils, shadows and even glitter - but I never wear them because I figure, what's the point?  I also always wear my glasses (I hate contacts) so that makes it even harder to want to try something new.  But this year, as I vowed in my previous post, I was going to wear my contacts and eyeliner every day, to feel beautiful even at work, if I had to be away from my Lemon.

Here are some products people suggested:
24/7 Urban Decay
Maybelline
Kat Von D
Sephora brand
Too Faced
Benefit
Makeup Forever Aqua Liner
MAC

And here are the products I chose (for my eye makeup).  I would have gone for Too Faced shadow primer and glitter glue, as well, if I would have had more on my gift card!  I did have a MAC primer at home, so I just use that under my liner for now.  (Coconut oil explained, below.)

After testing them all I decided on two clear winners - Benefit's new gel Push Up Liner (that stuff is like grease, it just does not come off) and Makeup Forever's Aqua Liner ($23).  I finally made my decision by really looking at the tester on the Benefit liner, it just seemed like it would dry out easily and the way it was put together made it look like it would be hard to work with (for a newbie like me).  And, when I went to grab the Makeup Forever liner - there was only one left, a clear way to tell me it was a popular liner.  I also liked Sephora's 24 hour felt liner (but was, again, afraid of the tip) and Too Faced's 3 Way Lash Lining Tool, but was scared of that tip as well (3 parts to it!).  So, I went with what I knew I could handle.

I wore my black, Makeup Forever Aqua Liner all day last week, every day from 7am to, most times, 5pm at night and that baby never came off.  A chunk was never missing, it never went on to my eye lid and the wings always stayed put too (I like a good cat eye).  I bought Sephora's eye makeup remover to use also because I knew I would have to get something to take it off, but I actually don't like it (it dried my skin) and just use coconut oil to remove it instead (and Grape Seed oil to remove my face makeup).  I do oil cleansing on my skin to wash and moisturize (Jojoba oil is my moisturizer), I don't use chemicals on my face anymore, so coconut oil works well for me (is safe if it gets in your eye and is good for the skin around your eyelid).

I would highly recommend Makeup Forever's liner if you are on a quest, like me, and haven't found the perfect liner yet (I kind of want one in every color!).  I also bought some Maybelline Ultra Liner to try (only $8!), for a cheaper version since so many suggested it and will keep you posted on how it compares.  Have you seen this?  Sephora offers an eyeliner sample pack, of their best sellers,which is so cool if you just want to try a bunch to see what works (I just found it while searching for these products to link here!).  I know people swear by some of the other eyeliners listed above, but for me, if it stayed on my hand, it was a contender (even with alcohol to remove it) and if it didn't, it wasn't.  I was especially unimpressed with the Kat Von D liners, they came off right away - I had high hopes for hers!

So, here we are, a week and a half into school and I haven't put my glasses on, or forgotten my eyeliner, yet!  Wish me luck that I can keep this up all year!  And good luck to you, on your quest for the perfect eyeliner.  ;)

UPDATE:  Yesterday, I wore the Maybelline liner to school, all day, and was not impressed.  The tip is a paint brush sort, not a felt tip, and it sort of made me nervous trying to draw my lines.  It also took a couple of coats to go on and I could tell that it was already starting to flake/fade before I even left for work.  I put it in my purse and decided I could reapply at school if I needed to.  It lasted all day, but chunks did come off, and it seemed like it would just rub off if my eyes teared up or I accidentally wiped it.  I guess it's an ok liner to use as a fill in (like to keep at work if your regular liner comes off) but it definitely reflected its price (in my opinion).  I know Maybelline has a new liner out and maybe I will try that for a cheap version next time.