I've Worn The Same $9 Eyeliner Every Day Since Middle School

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One fateful day circa 2010, I ruffled through my mom’s makeup bag, picked up a liquid eyeliner, shakily drew on my best attempt at wings, and went to school. Little did my middle-school self know, but I had just found my signature makeup look. Since then, I’ve tried countless beauty products, including many of what’s considered by the industry to be the best eyeliners on the market, but none have made their permanent mark on me like that eyeliner I tried all of those years ago. Nowadays, whenever you see me wearing makeup, you can practically guarantee I have on Revlon’s Colorstay Liquid Liner in a subtle sharp flick.

In my humble experience, no two eyeliners perform the same. There’s pen-like liquid liners that can draw the skinniest of lines, but require more than one stroke to get a vivid look. Others may apply smoothly, but then fade and smudge throughout the day. Don’t even get me started on the felt-tip formulas that dry up in a matter of weeks. Then there’s gel and pencil eyeliners, which, granted, may have more versatility, but they require a near-expert level of finesse to get a sharp line, and typically end up as a smudged mess under my eyes by the end of the day. Lo and behold Revlon’s eyeliner doesn’t have any of those problems.

Each morning after taming my brows and applying tinted moisturizer, I get to work on my winged eyeliner. Reaching for the brown shade (I find black to be a bit too dramatic for every day), I like to remove any excess liquid on the bottle, then I start at the inner corner of my eyes and use small strokes to line my upper lashline. Once I’m satisfied with the thickness of the line, I draw a subtle flick outward following the natural curve of my bottom lashline. Finally, I connect that line to my upper lashline and go back in with small strokes to fix any unevenness.

Is my technique foolproof? Of course not. But after years of trial and error, it’s what I found to work best for me. The finished results are always highly pigmented and smooth upon first application—there’s no need to go back in to get a darker line and the formula never flakes. What never ceases to impress me about this eyeliner though is its infallible staying power. Its waterproof formula does not budge in the slightest from the time I apply it in the morning to when I go to take it off at night. I could run around the city on a hot summer day (and I often do) and my eyeliner is the only thing I won’t feel the need to touch up.

After so many years of wearing my eyeliner the same way, I can confidently say it’s now part of my identity. Like any beauty fan, I enjoy a fun makeup trend as much as the next one. But through the eras of bright summer blush and the “clean girl” aesthetic, I refuse to switch my stance of liquid eyeliner. Whenever I’m wearing it, I feel like I’m my best self, which is how makeup should make us feel.

Bottom line: Revlon’s ColorStay eyeliner is the backbone of my makeup routine. It’s the only product that truly makes me feel like myself. Without it, I feel the beauty equivalent of walking outside without clothes on. It ticks all of my boxes when it comes to pigment, staying power, application, and budget. Revlon, if you’re reading this, please don’t discontinue your ColorStay eyeliner or I will be in shambles.

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