Awhile back I posted about two eyeliners – one considered a ‘steal’ the other a ‘splurge.’ I stand by these two as great liners – but recently, I decided there are two other liners in my ‘collection’ that deserve an upgrade to tried & true status.

With the holidays here and all those fun parties to attend – most ladies are willing to dress it up a little more than usual…this is why I want to highlight these liners. One is a liquid, the other is a pencil but goes on smooth and thicker than typical pencils. Both are awesome, stay-put (i.e. waterproof) liners that can create a more dramatic look – perfect for holiday parties or events. I will add, they’re not just for dress-up, I wear these to work – typically one swipe and I’ll stick to the top lid only or layer a nude shadow* over the line – for a more polished/professional look.

*A great shadow to layer on top of a liner to tone it down or to use as a base to brighten the eye area is:  Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in BONE ($21 Nordstrom, Sephora.com etc.) this is a matte shadow – no shimmer, which is GOOD because it doesn’t make you appear too shiny/glimmery for day-time. As much as I like shimmer (in the right places), I remind myself that too much around the eyes can create a shiny effect in photographs, which doesn’t always look good (think, greasy). Something to keep in my this time of year when people are snapping annual family/friend photos!

Liner #1:

Stila’s Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner ($20 @ Sephora)

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner (featured in ‘jet black’)

If you want a liner that WILL not run or smudge…and I really mean it – get this. This is truly a wear-all-day liner…and it goes on smooth, the fine tip makes it super easy to get as thin or thick of a line as you want. I use ‘chocolate brown’ – I’ll draw a thicker line on my top lid typically making the line thicker towards the outer corner of my lid for an eye-opening effect, while I’ll sweep very lightly under my bottom lashes just to get a bit of color. Sweat, cry, get stuck (or should I say lucky?) making out in a rain storm…your liner will not run if you use this one!

Liner #2:

YSL (Yves Saint Laurent) dessin du regard waterproof – long-lasting waterproof eye pencil ($29 @ Sephora)

YSL long-lasting waterproof eye pencil (featured in ‘plum brown’)

I love this liner – it goes on thick so I usually have to apply lightly.  I was introduced to this liner by a woman who works at the Dior make-up counter – yup, that’s right, think about it… – she was using Dior EXCEPT for the liner, she pulled this out of her case and told me it is her GO TO regardless. This felt like a pretty legit endorsement! The line is super smooth and reminds me more of a liquid. It has very good staying power. I use ‘plum brown’ or ‘deep brown’ – ‘plum brown’ being my favorite because the purple hue is known to make the gold flecks in hazel eyes POP.  I feel fancy when I use this liner- perhaps because it’s a whopping $30 BUT it lasts because it needs minimal sharpening (I typically like it to have a dull tip so I can draw a thicker line and blend with my lash line). Overall, a great liner – the thickness and color of the pencil is like no other pencil I’ve ever used.

I keep both of these liners in my make-up bag. Both are on the splurge side but deliver on quality – they have strong color and staying power. Neither runs out quickly – which is huge when you’re splurging on a make-up product.

Side note: I saw a write up on this (below) liner and it looks SUPER FUN for the Holidays – NYE specifically! I’ve never tried but I’m tempted to use the ‘midnight cowboy’ color for the holidays. It’s called: Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liner ($18 @ Sephora)  The sparkle looks so fun…and it comes in a bunch of bright colors -blue, green, purple etc. (that you could coordinate nicely with a NYE dress?? or cute pair of heels?!)

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Line (featured in ‘pale pink’)

Do you have a favorite liner? please share! 🙂