Being somewhat of an eyeliner junkie and always trying and testing any eyeliner on the market (be it gel, pencil or liquid) when I saw that Illamasqua had released this eyeliner, i knew i had to order it. At a whopping £16, it is officially the most expensive eyeliner i have ever owned, and i do think that the price is a little too steep. For an eyeliner, I don’t think anyone should be paying any more than around the £12 mark, but that it just my opinion.

When i first recieved the eyeliner, after pulling it from the amazing packaging (Illamasqua is always spot on with their packaging) I noticed how sturdy the tip of the liner was, and that it came to a nice point. It reminded me a lot of my favourite drugstore liner, L’oreal Superliner, so i decided to compare, since the prices were oh so very different.

Both liners come to a nice point, but it’s very clear to see that Illamasqua has the upper hand with a much more sturdy, and shorter tip, thus making application slightly easier for “prescsion lining”. Having said that, I do like the L’oreal liner for it’s flexibility, as it can make the application a little swifter and to some, easier but may not be as prescise.

L’oreal Superliner on the Left, Illamasqua Prescision Liner on the Right
The L’oreal Liner feathers slightly but you can still get a nice even, straight line, and it’s nice and black. The Illamasqua liner, is a bit more shiney, which i like a lot, and doesnt feather into the skin. Although once applied to slightly uneven, wrinkled eyelids, it doesn’t look so neat anyway so it doesnt make much difference unless you are using it on a very even surface.
I put water on the back of my hand and scrubbed the liners, the outcome is seen above on the right. Both claiming to be waterproof, it’s pretty obvious which is the winner here. In some ways, i think it was a little unfair as i scrubbed less than 5 minutes after applying the liner to the back of my hand, but this just indicates that, even if L’oreal Superliner IS waterproof, it may need more drying time before any water comes into contact…and this just goes in Illamasquas favour for amazingly quick drying time and SUPER good staying power when water is sloshed on it.

I would reccommend this liner to those of you who are looking for something with amazing staying power. I did (unfortunately, and very disgustingly of me) fall asleep with my makeup on not too long ago, and when i awoke, my eyeliner was still perfect.
One thing i really don’t like about it though, is that i can’t smudge a pencil/khol liner over it to give it a smokey finish, which i do like doing with a lot of liquid liners as sometimes i feel the line is too harsh. When i attempt to add pencil and smudge, the liner just flakes off onto my face…and i’m left with gappy, weird liner which i then have to re-do. I think this could be due to the fast drying agent and the fact that it’s so solid.

I think i will be using my L’oreal Superliner for smudging-ness and my Prescision Ink Liner for nights where my makeup needs to stay put no matter what.
Have you tried this liner? If so, what did you think?

  1. Lisa x

    I don't like liquid eye liner enough to pay £16 – I can never apply it the same on noth eyes!

    YOu always have great pics though! x

  2. Jess

    I haven't yet tried these.But I've also had the problem of not being able to smudge the eyeliner correctly. But I am a big fan of eyeliner, and I love The Body Shop's new eyeliner which is part of their Autumn collection. I should be blogging about it soon.

    xo

  3. after so much debate on buyin this eyeliner.. you've totally made me buy it lol xxx good review by the way

  4. heyy :) what camera did you use to take that first picture? (or perhaps you took the pictures all on the same camera.. but still)
    or did you edit it to make it have that affect?

  5. wow! i need the illamasqua liner now! thanks for reviewing!!

  6. I haven't tried any of eye liners yet but I think I'd still probably try the L'oreal one first just because it still seems pretty good yet cheaper. BUT the Illamasqua one does look a lot better!

  7. Beth.

    Great review, looks like an awesome eyeliner. Don't think I could justify £16 though.
    Going to have to stick to my L'oreal one haha :)
    – Beth x
    http://beautymarked24.blogspot.com

  8. thanks for the review! it seems pretty nice :)

  9. maddie

    I usually use Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner (the one in a pot with a separate brush) but am getting a bit tired off the faff it involves, so will definitely be trying this one out! The price is steep, but not that different to BB, so I reckon it's worth a go!

    xxx Maddie

    http://thirtysomethingskellum.blogspot.com

  10. I wear liquid eyeliner all day every day so quality and staying power is very important to me. I'm so impressed with this review! The staying power is amazing! :D Thanks!

    http://sammimonster.blogspot.com

  11. vasare

    love your blog! I have one of these! great eyeliner!

  12. Katie

    This liner is suppose to be an exact equivalent to the MAC Superslick liners.

  13. i'm always on the search for a "wet" eye-liner. Boo, you british bloggers have given me SO many illamasqua lemmings. The brand is so hard to find in Canada.

    I've also been dying to own the Lies cream blusher & sheer gloss in lilyrose. have you tried any of those?

    xx
    elle

  14. Debby

    Loved this review!
    xoxo Debby

  15. Nicola

    … i love you xx

  16. Tali

    Im dipping my penultimate liner in the ink as i prefer the mac brush!!! But am using the illa one for nighttime use too!

  17. Have you maybe thought of using the powder/pencil first and putting the liquid on top, just below the other line? that way it will still have the staying power AND can be a little smudgey also.

  18. Hmm it looks a little thick to me, but the lasting is impressive :)

    Nice pics!