My New Favorite Eyeliner Makes My Signature Cat-Eye So Easy
My first foray into makeup, when I was about 12 years old, was picking out an eyeliner from the beauty aisle at Target. It was Covergirl’s Perfect Point Plus; I was drawn to the twist-up pencil formula, which seemed more approachable than liquid eyeliner, plus it came with a built-in foam smudger on the end. That dual-ended stick became my trusty companion as I embarked on a journey of learning how to best apply eyeliner to my monolid eyes: first as I smeared it along my bottom lash line to create a distinctly raccoonlike look (ah, seventh grade!), then, as I grew more confident, how to tightline and draw a sharper cat-eye flick along my upper lids. In the end, I was loyal to the Perfect Point Plus for over a decade.
I don’t use it as much these days since, as a beauty writer, I have an abundance of options at my fingertips, and experimenting with new products is part of the job. But when I first tested Urban Decay’s Liquid Stick eyeliner, which launched at the beginning of this year, I was struck with a pang of nostalgia. Liquid Stick is essentially a more luxe, grown-up version of the Perfect Point Plus, with some handy upgrades: It’s similarly dual-sided, with a twist-up gel-pencil formula on one end and a blending brush on the other.
New! You can now save this product for later.
But while the Perfect Point Plus has a round tip, the Liquid Stick is shaped with a slim, angled tip that makes it much easier to create a defined line. And the blending brush does a much better job than the Perfect Point Plus’s foam smudger, which would sometimes leave patchy streaks in its wake. The Liquid Stick’s packaging is also more secure; the caps on the Perfect Point Plus are smaller and flimsier and would often crack or fall off the pencil due to being jostled in my makeup bag, whereas I’ve never experienced any issues with the caps of the Liquid Stick.
Even better than the warm, fuzzy feelings it inspired in me, the Liquid Stick’s formula is comparable to another significant eyeliner in my life: the long-discontinued Marc Jacobs Beauty Fineliner. (I had high hopes that the Fineliner would be resurrected when Marc Jacobs relaunched its beauty line in June, only to find that the new Drawn This Way eyeliner is an entirely different beast altogether.) The Liquid Stick isn’t quite the same, but it’s the closest I’ve found to a decent replacement.
Both the Fineliner (RIP) and the Liquid Stick are gel-pencil formulas that glide smoothly along my lash line and impart a rich, deeply pigmented line. They also both have a precise, chiseled, squared-off tip, which I personally prefer over a round or pointed tip; after 15 years of trial and error, I’ve settled on an eyeliner style centered on a subtle flick at the outer corner of my eyes that diffuses softly into my lower lash line, and the angled shape allows me to create this look with ease. And since I have monolids, any eyeliner I apply to my upper lid needs to dry fast and remain utterly smudgeproof; the Liquid Stick is waterproof, sets very quickly, and promises up to 24 hours of wear. I’ve put it through its paces with sweaty dance-cardio workouts and emerged with my eye look totally intact. (Removal, however, takes zero elbow grease. I always do a double cleanse with an oil- and then a water-based cleanser — lately I’ve been pairing Ma:nyo’s Pure Cleansing Oil with Tata Harper’s Clarifying Cleanser — and emerge with everything fully dissolved.)
The one downside of the Liquid Stick is the price. At $26, it’s much more expensive than the $7.56 Perfect Point Plus for about the same amount of product. I’ve used the Liquid Stick pretty much every day for nearly two months and still have plenty of product left in the tube. However, since I only wear it on the outer corners of my eyes, it likely lasts longer for me than it will for anyone who lines their entire lid or who draws very thick lines. So I wouldn’t recommend it for someone who’s just learning how to do their eyeliner — start with Perfect Point Plus! But if, like me, you’re a seasoned eyeliner pro who wants to create smoky eyes, cat-eyes, and everything in between, I highly suggest giving the Liquid Stick a try.
New! You can now save this product for later.
More eye makeup we like
New! You can now save this product for later.
Mary H.K. Choi’s new favorite after her liquid eyeliner of choice was discontinued.
New! You can now save this product for later.
A mascara that keeps writer Bella Druckman’s lashes lifted and curled all day.
New! You can now save this product for later.
What Sari Botton uses to achieve her signature smoky eye.
More From The Strategist
- The Best Advent Calendars This Year (So Far)
- The Best Things Strategist Editors Have Bought This Year (So Far)
- Hark, the Advent Calendars Arrived (Very) Early This Year
- 63 Things You Should Never Buy Full Price
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
