It does leave a lasting vivid pigment for hours, which is ideal for creating big makeup moments. Our tester wore it for five hours to an event and the shade didn’t falter at all. However, if you touch and rub at it, it does smudge. Removal is more timely than most. It smears around quite a bit, so be sure to have lots of oil-based remover and cotton pads handy. Eight hours later, at bedtime, it still looked intact—just a hint faded at the tail. We took a micellar water-soaked pad and it lifted cleanly after a few firm passes. This budget liner covers all the bases: long-lasting, knife-like sharpness (for a flawless cat-eye), and easy removal.

Our reviewer wore hers all day—even on a run. “It’s almost like it didn't want to come off,” she added. When it came time to wash it off a few hours later, we applied a thin layer of cleansing balm and it melted right off.One thing to note: This product does not smudge. Even when we went in with a cotton pad and (somewhat vigorously) rubbed at it, the lines did not spread out or blur. It stayed exactly in place until it was removed. Most liquid liners land in two categories: felt tips or brush tips. If you don't have the steadiest of hands or feel like a beginner, all experts agree to opt for the fine felt tip brush so you have better control when outlining your eye. Brush tips have bristles that can leave to stray lines or a messy wing if you don't have control of how to use it. As consumers ourselves, we realize that there are so many liquid eyeliner options on the market—from drugstore to luxury brands. They all seem so similar, with their pointed tips in their pen-like tubes. So how do you differentiate one from the next?

If you’re just now dipping your toes into the world of liquid eyeliners, it can be intimidating (to say the least). When most of us think of liquid eyeliner, we think of a bold, precise, perfectly manicured cat-eye. But according to the pros, you can employ liquid eyeliner to create a variety of everyday looks, from simple to dramatic. Greenberg says the best way to apply eyeliner is to outline where you want your liner to go. She recommends placing very small dots — one in the inner corner on the top lash line, one in the middle of the lop lash line, and another on the outer corner on the top lash line — while your eye is open looking at a mirror. Kirin Bhatty is a makeup artist in Los Angeles. You can find her work in numerous fashion editorials and on many red carpets, and her celebrity clientele includes Tessa Thompson, Freida Pinto, and Kaya Scodelario. Lottie is a bi-coastal makeup artist who’s worked with a variety of brands for editorial and red carpet moments. Her client list includes Rihanna, Drew Barrymore, Halsey, Christina Ricci, Alexandra Daddario, and more. She’s also worked with top beauty brands like Shiseido, Beautyblender, Urban Decay, and more.

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Against our reviewer’s skin, it felt lightweight and invisible. It dried almost instantly with no bleeding. Throughout the workday, we forgot we were even wearing anything at all. “I even rubbed at my eye a few times, forgetting it was on,” says our tester. Still, when she glanced in the mirror, her cat-eye appeared untouched. It was pretty impressive that there was no budging—it was almost tattoo-like.