Liner Notes

As a makeup artist, one of the most difficult looks to master is the classic winged liquid eyeliner. The product used to achieve this look has itself gone through major metamorphosis over the course of its life. And clients often ask me, which is the best version to use, classic inky black liquid in a tube coupled with a hard brush, a gel or cream version in a pot, or a self dispensing pen? All three have their own strengths and challenges:

1.The Pen: the newest version of the liquid liner, my favorite is M.A.C.'s Penultimate eyeliner. Its strength lies in its ease of use, it is extremely intuitive to use for most people because it mimics a pen, as well the perfect amount of liquid is dispensed, for most beginners a great feature. Its only drawback, it is never quite as dark or rich as the classic black liquid.

2. The Pot: the texture of the pot liner is somewhere in between a gel and a thick cream. The color payoff is quite good and its possible to achieve a very rich black opacity. The texture is more forgiving than the traditional liquid liner, however you do need a separate angle brush to apply the product with, this version is more time consuming than the pen version, and does not dry as quickly which may lead to smudging. My favorite gel liner is Thierry Mugler's Eye sculpt cream liner in black.

3. The Classic: Arguably the most difficult to apply of the three, with the best opacity payoff and staying power. If you have the time and patience to master this version I say do so. The main challenges lie in learning how much liquid to pick up with the brush, too much and it becomes a sloppy mess, too little and it streaks; as well it has the quickest drying time next to the pen, so speed and accuracy are paramount. Use a version with a nice stiff brush to aid in your precision, if the brush is too soft you will end up with a blob of liner instead of a sharp angle. Try M.A.C.'s liquid eyeliner.