I was in a hurry yesterday and forgot to put my eyeliner on. As I took a last look in the mirror before departing for work, I was astounded at how nekkid I looked! My eyes looked tired and like I’d been crying all night. I wasn’t. That’s why I’m a huge fan of eyeliner for women over 40–it really defines the eyes and makes them pop.
 Back in the day, aka ancient times, we certainly did not have the choices we have today. Although this is a wonderful development, it can sometimes leave us dazed and confused–okay, I speak for myself only. For example; I don’t remember having so many types of eyeliner back then; I’m pretty sure it was just pencil and maybe some liquid. Now eyeliner comes in many formulas with just as many application choices. There are pencils, kohls, liquid, cake and gels. Admittedly, each type does serve a different purpose. I recommend experimenting with different types to see which one you’re comfortable with. I love the look of liquid eyeliner but I can’t for the life of me get it to look decent on me–shaky hands I guess. Here’s a quick rundown on each type.
Pencil eyeliner is great for the beginner and is quick and easy. Depending on the brand, the lasting power can be excellent. I love Urban Decay 24/7 liners–they are waterproof, smudge proof and come in beautiful colors. The same can be said for Makeup For Ever Aqua liners. Both are available at Sephora and Sephora.com
Liquid eyeliner works great once you’ve developed a steady hand– I never have. This type of eyeliner is usually recommended for a precise or sharp wing-tipped or cat-eye look, but I can achieve the same results with gel liner and I think it’s softer. I can only recommend LORAC Front of the Line liquid eyeliner because it comes in a felt tip pen that easy to use. However, there are many good liquid eyeliners out there from which to choose.
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Kohl liners are what you think of when you think of Cleopatra. There are two types of Kohl liners–pencil and loose. The pencil type is much softer in texture than regular pencil and the color is usually more intense. It is easier to smudge and fantastic for that sexy smoldering eye that looks like you just finished a romp in the hay. Loose powder kohl liner is applied with a wand;  you place it between your upper and lower lashes, close your eyes and pull through the wand. I’ve never tried it, I’m too much of a scaredy cat, but I sure like the look.
Cake liner looks like an eye shadow pan but a true cake liner has a much harder texture than an eye shadow. The benefit of cake liner is that you can do a very thin line for a natural look or go thicker for a va-va-voom look. The brush you use will determine how thick or thin you apply it. Laura Mercier makes excellent cake liners in gorgeous shades–Blue Marine is awesome! Cake liner is also the best for ‘tightlining’; see a video on tightlining here.
Gel or cream liner is the one I prefer. It blends like a dream and the texture is juuuust right. Gel liners are soft so no tugging on your eyelids, they have exceptional staying power and are suitable for the waterline. A good quality brush is an essential when using gel liners. I have both a flat straight brush for under lower lashes and a thicker angled brush for top lashes. The best gel liners on the market, in my opinion are MAC Fluidlines, Bobbi Brown gel liners and Stila Smudge Pots. Â
Which finally brings me to the giveaway! I’m giving away one Stila Smudge Pot Collection like the one pictured above to one lucky reader! This set includes 4 mini smudge pots and a mini eyeliner brush! The shades included are:
- Black (intense black)
- Kitten (the eye-conic universally flattering shimmering nude champagne)
- Violet (bright shimmering ultraviolet)
- Starry Night (deep shimmering navy)
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment to this post telling me which type eyeliner you prefer and why . Please don’t forget to leave a valid email address in the comments so I can contact you if you win. To gain additional entries:
- Become a fan of Prime Beauty on Facebook
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- RT @primebeauty50: RT to win Stila Smudge Pot Collection http://bit.ly/ayh7x3
Contest open to U.S. residents only. The contest ends on Sunday, March 7th , midnight PST . One winner will be chosen at random and the winner’s name will be announced on this blog, March 8th.  Good luck to everyone!
Gel liners all the way! Â Even cheap ones like Wet n Wild are not bad. Â Also, have you seen the multi-tip liquid eyeliners meant to get between your lashes? Â :D
I prefer liquid because of the clean precise line I can achieve!
I am a fan of Urban Decay 24.7 liners! They glide on well and stay put most of the day.
styleezta at gmail dot comÂ
Me too! And the colors are fab!!
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In high school I used pencil eyeliners cause they were all I knew. I mainly just need to line my bottom waterline (I have deep set eyes, too much on top lid closes my eyes in) however I found they smudged and never lasted very long. When I first started getting into makeup about a year and half ago I did lots of research on the best, longest lasting and most waterproof eye liner and I ended up making my first sephora purchase. I got Makeup Forever Aqua cream liner in black and a BareEscentuals angle precision liner brus. It was def a slurge for me but turned out AMAZING!!! Never had I had such a great eyeliner that didn’t budge or smudge. That was me entering the world of gel liners and I will never go back! I managed to make it last a little over a year before it dried up but I got my use out of it. Sadly I haven’t had the money to repurchase since
. I’ve tried going back to cheap pencil and kohl liners from the drug store and I tried the $3 ELF gel liners but it’s just not the same. I miss my good quality stuff but just can’t justify the expensive at the moment (last semester college student trying to desperately safe enough to have a cushion if I can;t find a job right away). Ive heard amazing things about the smudge pots and would LOVE LOVE the chance to try them out!!!! I hope it’s in the cards for me, but if not still a great contest and may whoever win feel grateful and make the most of the wonderful prize!!
lee(period)jiyun(at)gmail(period)com
My favorite eyeliner is a gel type: Wet ‘n Wild’s black cream eyeliner! It’s waterproof, smudgeproof, darker than Blacktrack fluidline, doesn’t flake, and is less tan $4. Seriously.
Wow, I’ll have to check that out!
I prefer the pencil eyeliners because I just find they smudge well without making too much of a mess. I’ll pretty much use any kind of eyeliner, though. My least favorite is the liquid liner, I just think the line is too harsh.
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I prefer pencil eyeliner because they’re the only ones I use! To be honest, I’m scared to try liquid eyeliner.
I hear ya! I still haven’t mastered liquid.
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I’ve only used liquid eyeliner with a felt marker-like tip, but I would love to try a cream/gel one!
Good for you! I’m in awe of anyone who can manage liquid–felt tip or not!
I like liquid eyeliner because it doesn’t smear and is pretty long lasting. I’ve heard good things about this UD eyeliner and would love to try them out
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I love gel/cream liners!
Gel and cream eyeliners are my favorite. I love MAC Fluidlines and Stila Smudgepots.
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Wow awesome giveaway! My favorite liner is pencil for a smudged look, but gel on the waterline because it stays put! Just retweeted =)
I love liner!!! My favorite is kohl or liquid! I do think it prefers which look your going for! My everyday choice is liquid! This is a awesome giveaway!!! xoxox
Kim
I forgot to mention I knew the giveaway was over…just wanted to comment !!! xo
Thank you, Kim. Stay tuned because another giveaway will be coming up soon!
My favorite type of liner is cream/gel. In the morning when I’m already kind of running late, I don’t have time to use liquid eyeliner without messing up. Pencil smudges too much on me, I only use it on my tightline/waterline, so cream/gel is the best way to go
My favorite right now is actually the Wet `n Wild one, it’s better than the one from L’Oreal HiP!
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So what type of eyeliner do I like best? That’s like asking me which chocolate do I like better, Hershey’s or Nestles. As a make up junkie who starts shaking if I don’t get at least an hour a day of quality alone time with my fashion and cosmetic magazines, blogs and stores, I honesty dont think I can answer that question. As you stated in yourvery well written article, it all depends on your ability and comfort level using one type of liner over another. I’m still a bit awkward with the cream, gel liners and brush but the more you practice, the better you get. While the pencils are much easier. I still like the look that can be achieved with the gel liners, particularly, Stila and Bobbi Brown(Oh and I almost forgot one of my new favorite eyeliners for the moment, which is Shiseido, hydro powder eyeliner) The gel eyeliners literally glide along your eyelid, causing absolutely no tugging, the gel sets rather quickly and once set, the eyeliner will stay put for the rest of the day. No more raccoon eyes. YAH!!!!! I also think you can achieve the perfect cat eye, which is my favorite, most efficiently with the gel eyeliners. So, I guess I’ll have to go with that as my answer to this question. However, ask me the same thing in an hour and I’m sure I’ll have a whole new perspective on this issue.
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RT @primebeauty50: RT to win Stila Smudge Pot Collection http://bit.ly/ayh7x3