rank and review: new-to-me eyeliners

It goes without saying that I love black eyeliner. A lot. In fact, it is extremely rare that a makeup look of mine is without a healthy dose of black liner. The truth? When I first started wearing makeup, eyeliner absolutely terrified me. I didn't think I could apply it right and it felt totally out of my reach. At that time, I was totally obsessed with Laguna Beach and wanted to look just like Lauren Conrad. So, eventually I took the plunge and bought a Maybelline eyeliner (referenced here on the creation of beauty is art. way back in 2012) for practice. I tried over and over to make the lines right. To steady my hands. To become more comfortable with application. I suppose it worked well enough, though my skills are still not quite where I would like them to be. I am always amazed at how effortlessly some people are able to create a winged liner look! Since black liner is an essential part of my makeup routine, it made sense to do a little rank and review of three new-to-me eyeliners. 

Third Place: Make It Big Brush Tip Liquid Liner in Bold Black. My expectations were pretty high for this Morphe eyeliner pen, mostly because my favourite eyeliner happens to be the NYX Epic Ink Liner. I love a good pen liner because the pens tend to be easier to use and control - and can last for a really long time. Unfortunately, this Make It Big Brush Tip Liquid Liner was a total failure. Even right out of the package, it was dry and lacked pigmentation. I looked for reviews online after my experience and found there was a 50/50 split. Some reviews said this was a game changer and others had the same issues that I did. It seems that it depends entirely on how long the product has been sitting on the shelf at Sephora. (Or wherever you happen to purchase Morphe products.) Though the brand claims that the results will be bold, this eyeliner was anything but. 

Second Place: FMG Glimmer Waterproof Eyeliner in Blackest Night. Next on the list is an eyeliner from FMG. My mom ordered this (and the next liner) for me to test out. There are some pros and cons to consider when it comes to this Glimmer Waterproof Eyeliner. Pros? This is a nice matte black, there is a retractable pencil, and it is fairly easy to use. The cons? This doesn't glide along the skin as much as I would like, which makes application a little trickier...especially with winged liner. All in all, this is a decent eyeliner, but I think it is one that I would prefer to use along the lower lash line instead.

First Place: FMG CathyCat Nine Lives Precision Liquid Eyeliner. Talk about a dark horse! I did not anticipate that this would be my favourite of the three eyeliners. Not at all. Though I started out with a Maybelline liquid liner that was similar...my preferences now are pen liners and pencil liners. However, this liquid eyeliner knocked my socks off. The bristles were really sturdy, which made such a huge difference. When there is too much flexibility, it becomes much harder to control. This had just the perfect amount of structure and movement. It also had an intense colour payoff. This is called Blackest Black and it certainly matches the name. This is bold in the best possible way. Best of all? This stays put. Not only is application a breeze, but the end result is dramatic and long-lasting. This is a total love and I might just ask my mom to order me another. 

Have you tried any of these eyeliners? What are your favourites to use?