Here is the big reveal of what was drawn on my hands. (just FYI the Sephora one is only "smudgeproof, not waterproof")
Typically I use Japanese brand liquid eyeliners (dollywink, 24 hr tattoo) with a felt or pointed tip in liquid form but I've been using gel liners on a daily basis that the liquid eyeliner that was in my makeup bag had already dried out. Liquid eyeliners are much more easier and faster to use because you don't have to clean your brushes and you can easily use them on the go. I've been kind of lazy and wanted to switch out from gel from time to time, so I went into Sephora and picked up whole bunch and started testing it on my hand.
Here's the break down of the pictures: Stila ($20), Marc Jacobs ($30) and NARS ($27) have slight shine to it, while Make Up For Ever (MUFE) ($23) and Sephora Smart Liner ($14) are very matte.
Waterproof test:I ran my hand through a running sink and none of them bled right away. Sephora Smart Liner was the first one to disappear when I started rubbing it. But as I said before, Sephora doesn't claim that it's waterproof, but regardless not too bad.
Smudgeproof test:
When smudged without water, none of them really seemed to smudge. They all stayed intact. But after a long time of rubbing, they start to flake off and MUFE was first to flake off. But you shouldn't be rubbbing your eyes like that expect your eyeliners to survive (just sayin').
Color test:
They were all pretty dark. I've seen some liners that claim that they are black but they are not black enough for me.... But the five I chose was amongst the darkest eyeliners I've seen.
Color wise Darkest was:
1. Sephora Smart Liner (matte)
2. Marc Jacobs Precision Liner (shiny)
3. Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner (matte)
4. NARS Eyeliner Stylo (shiny)
5. Stila (shiny)
Miloberry Picks:
From the 5 eyeliners tested, I liked Marc Jacobs and the Sephora Smart Liner the best. But this could be matter of preference, because I like certain type of felt tip and my expectations may be different from yours. For me the important factors are that they are long wearing (because my eyes water) and they are super black, and the tips give me precision and control when I draw my cat eye. But between the two, I'll pick Marc Jacobs Precision Liner. I love it. When I tested two of them, this is what happened on one eye watering morning. I was testing Sephora first and this happened. I tried reapplying but below kept happening.
So I tried applying Marc Jacobs Precision Liner and I was able to fix the problem. Yay!
Here are my quick thoughts on each of the liners.
Marc Jacobs Precision Liner ($30):
1. It was super black in color (it is on the shiny side)
2. Waterproof... survived my watery eyes
3. The packaging of this eye liner feels like a Monte Blanc of eyeliners. Yes it's pricey, but it's super duper nice on your eyes. The felt tip is just perfect.
I'll try to do more detailed review later if you'd like. Please let me know!
Sephora Smart Liner ($14):
1. It's cheap and performs well at $14!
2. Super black and matte
3. The handle takes a little getting used to, but I can deal with it.
4. I didn't like the packaging (i.e. tip and the cap, felt very cheap)
MUFE Aqua Liner ($20): (I HATED THIS- RETURNED IT!)
It was nice and black, waterproof, but it got crusty on my eyes and started flaking off when I tried to reapply after it was dried. And the cap got crusty and flakey on my second use. I returned it. Also the tip kinda hurt my eyes. :( I have this in another color and I'm okay with that... may be cuz I don't use it everyday....
NARS Eyeliner Stylo ($27)
This one was nice, but for the price, it felt a more over priced version of the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner with bigger felt tip and the color was a bit more darker than Stila. I'd probably pass on this if I could pay $3 more and buy Marc Jacobs.
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner ($20)
I think this is a good performing eyeliner at a good price point. But I wish the color was a little bit more black and the eyeliner seems to dry out fairly quickly. This one is very very very similar to the Japanese Eyeliners I get (dollywink, 24hr. Tattoo) except I think the Japanese ones are bit more black. And they are both priced very similar to one another. I wouldn't be surprised if they are made by the same company!
