I have recently discovered the wonderful nature of liquid eyeliner. Sure, it takes practice, but liquid eyeliner delivers color payoff that most pencil eyeliners cannot match by a long shot.
Urban Decay has recently redesigned their liquid eyeliner packaging and launched their new line of 24/7 liquid eyeliners. They are known for their “24/7″ line, which includes pencil liners, lip liners, eyeshadow pencils, among other things. Now they have added liquid eyeliners to that popular line.
It must be noted that the previous incantations of their liquid eyeliners left much to be desired. They were in a clunky “inkwell” style packaging, with a fat rounded bottom and a pointy top, which was supposed to mimic a quill pen. The brush that was included with the eyeliner was flimsy and made the liquid hard to apply. The pen was awkward to use, and it was impossible to get every last bit of product out of the bottom. I’m sure that this was met with disapproval from Urban Decay fans, and since then, the liquid eyeliners have been repackaged in a more user-friendly stick-type packaging.
Product Performance
As I have mentioned before, the new line of 24/7 liquid eyeliners has been revamped. The new packaging is more user-friendly, as it is in a type of pen-shaped container. The wand which you use to apply the liner is longer and easier to grasp. The part that holds the liner includes a little “shaker bead” which shakes the product up and distributes the color evenly throughout the brush. My only problem with this packaging is the brush applicator. I have other liquid eyeliners (from Sephora and Make Up For Ever) and these include a felt-tip applicator. The felt-tip applicator is a lot more rigid than just a brush, which makes for easier application, a straighter line, and it’s much easier to “wing” the eyeliner out. The brush applicator on the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner, while an improvement from the previous packaging, is still difficult to use. The brush has too much give, and being able to achieve a perfect straight line is next to impossible without tons and tons of practice.
The formula for the eyeliner is perfection. It stays put… literally. I’ve fallen asleep with this eyeliner still on and when I woke up, it hadn’t budged. It dries quickly too, so if you’re looking to smudge, have your smudging tool handy because it’ll be dry before you know it. The colors are very pigmented, which means that you do not have to apply several coats to get a good color payoff. Because there is often glitter in the formulation, it is advised that you do not use this eyeliner on your waterline.
Color Reviews
Woodstock
Urban Decay describes it as: brightened, medium-dark pink with gold and pink shimmer.
My take: Holy hot pink, Batman! Is this ever bright! I’m a huge fan of this color, but I can’t see using this as an eyeliner, and here’s why: using pink around your eyes will make your eyes look bloodshot, and can contribute to making you look really tired. This might be a good accent color, or could be used as a base for eyeshadow (that’s another fun liquid eyeliner tip: apply all over the lid for a crease-free eye shadow base). If you’re going for a bold look, this is the eyeliner for you.
Eldorado
Urban Decay describes it as: yellow gold with light and dark gold shimmer.
My take: this is VERY yellow. It’s shimmery, that’s for sure. But if you are cool-toned, even just a little, stay away from this eyeliner. If you have warm-toned skin, this would look gorgeous on you. Remember, a little goes a long way… you could end up looking like your eyelids were dipped in gold.
Siren
Urban Decay describes it as: blue-based, darkened teal with teal shimmer.
My take: gorgeous… just gorgeous. It reminds me of a peacock feather, complete with the black, the blue, and the green. It flashes just like that. This would look lovely just on its own, with lots of black mascara. You cannot go wrong with this color. It’s very unique and I can’t think of another brand’s color that is similar.
Radium
Urban Decay describes it as: brightened, medium-dark blue with subtle sparkle.
My take: This is a crossover from the other packaging. I don’t see any sparkle in this eyeliner. All I see is bright, bright blue. It reminds me of the gym shorts I used to wear in high school. Still, it’s a gorgeous, true blue color and would really make brown eyes pop. Wear this with navy mascara for a really dramatic blue eye.
Sabbath
Urban Decay describes it as: blackened navy blue with a near matte finish.
My take: This is a really nice navy blue, almost black color. No shimmer on this one, which is disappointing to me, but this would make a perfect color to wear to work. If you apply it straight from the brush with no smudging, this will look black. To get the navy blue effect, you have to smudge it a little or apply with a very light hand.
Retrograde
Urban Decay describes it as: blackened purple with purple and violet shimmer.
My take: BEAUTIFUL. One of my favorites of the whole line. This color is packed with purple shimmer. If applied as is from the tube, you will get a straight black that flashes purple when you blink. It needs to be smudged to get the purple to come out.
Smog
Urban Decay describes it as: khaki brown with gold shimmer.
My take: Very pretty, it reminds me a lot of Bourbon 24/7 eyeliner pencil, but more gold. I wouldn’t really describe this as khaki, since most khaki I’ve encountered has been more cream-colored than anything. I would describe this more as a golden brown. It would really bring out brown eyes.
Demolition
Urban Decay describes it as: blackened brown with a near matte finish.
My take: unremarkable. It’s just a basic black/brown. You can easily find this in any other makeup line, even at the drugstore. You’d probably want to skip this one.
Bobby Dazzle
Urban Decay describes it as: a bright, metallic silver.
My take: this is the liquid version of the Dime 24/7 eyeliner pencil. Meaning if you weren’t happy with the metallic color payoff with the pencil, your eyes will look like the shiny side of Reynolds Wrap after using this! It is a little bit more on the white side. This would actually look really nice if you applied it all over the lid and added lots and lots of black mascara.
Revolver
Urban Decay describes it as: medium-dark gray with multi-colored shimmer.
My take: another crossover color, but it’s been revamped to include multi-colored shimmer. Love it! One of my main problems with multi-colored shimmer eyeliners is that you can’t see it unless you get up close. Not the case with this eyeliner, the shimmer is visible from far away. It’s absolutely lovely, everyone must have this universally-flattering shade in their stash.
Perversion
Urban Decay describes it as: inky black with a near matte finish.
My take: Yawn. Boring black liquid eyeliner. Shop your local drugstore for a cheaper alternative.
These eyeliners retail for $18 and can be purchased at Sephora, Ulta, and UrbanDecay.com.