stila Cosmetics Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner - Intense Black
When I noticed how great a friend of my friend's eyeliner looked after being in a people-induced hot concert on a warm September evening, I knew I needed to know what she had used. "Stila" was what she said, stila's Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner is what I got to try. After using it for almost a year (way over their recommended time of 6 months but that is beside the point), I can definitely see why she and tons of other people call this their holy grail. Me though? Not quite yet not the worst I have tried either.
stila's description:
Our #1 selling waterproof liquid liner enables you to create a variety of eye-opening effects from thin, precise lines to thick, dramatic looks. The formula glides on with ease, dries quickly and won't smudge or run day-into-night. The fine marker-like tip offers a precise application for everyone from novices to pros and results in beautifully defined eyes that will leave a lasting impression.
Benefits:
Waterproof and easy-to-use
Goes on smoothly without skipping, smudging, or pulling
It lasts all day long!
Directions
Pull gently on the upper corner of the eye area to stretch and smooth the eye before lining with the liquid eyeliner. This will make it easy to line and eliminate bleeding.
Apply the liner as close to the lashes as possible. In order to avoid a gap between the lashes and the lining, try painting the liner into the lashes using small feathering strokes.
It is usually easiest to apply liquid eyeliner by starting at the area of the eye where the brush naturally falls. For right-handed women this is most likely a left to right motion; for left-handed women, it is usually a right to left motion.
Stay All Day® Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner is the perfect product for creating glamorous cat eyes. The best cat eye can be achieved by extending the eye shape. Use the lower lash line as a guide and create the wing first. Then connect it when lining the rest of the eye. Also, as a good rule of thumb, begin to line upward at the second to last lash.
Ingredients
WATER/AQUA, STYRENE/ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, BEHENETH-30, SODIUM POLYASPARTATE,PHENOXYETHANOL, ALCOHOL, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, SODIUM DEHYDROACETATE, DISODIUM EDTA, ACRYLATES/OCTYLACRYLAMIDE COPOLYMER, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, XANTHAN GUM, MAY CONTAIN (+/_) TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), FERRIC AMMONIUM FERROCYANIDE (CI 77510), BLACK 2 (CI 77266)
Eyeliner 0.5 ml / 0.016 fl. oz
Stila: USD $22.00
Packaging
A lightweight plastic pen tubing with a detachable cap. There is a spring mechanism inside the cap to protect the pen tip applicator from being smushed. While a lot of text is printed on the barrel of the pen, it has surprisingly not smudged off at all with constant usage. The color of the actual packaging itself seems to correlate with the color of the eyeliner.This particular liner has a marker-type, "spongey" tip that is pretty malleable but not as delicate and flowy as a brush-type liner would be. It is capable of trying thinner lines but as the pointest tip starts to dry out it doesn't dispense as much ink as say the thicker parts of the marker would.
Color, Texture, Finish, & Scent
*Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner comes in 8 colors: Intense Black (jet black), Dark Brown (rich chocolate), Alloy (charcoal), Midnight (deep blue), Snow (white), Intense Smoky Quartz (espresso), Intense Labradorite (charcoal), and Jade (vibrant green).Intense Black is indeed a jet black as Stila describes. The pigmentation is strong and one swipe provides a strong opacity from the get-go. A fresh dispense of ink does look a little wet and shiny but that does dry down to a matte and luster-less color. Before it is completely set the ink has a very tacky and sticky finish; the more layers of the liner is applied, the stickier and longer it takes to dry. Once it is set though, it feels as if nothing was applied at all while delivering a strong color pigment. There is no noticeable scent to the ink.
How I Apply
Draw a line as close to my lash line, without getting it onto my waterline, after applying eyeshadow and curling my lashes.Thoughts & Recommendations
There are some very impressive points to the Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner.1 - It does not budge at all when I go to try and smudge it after swatching on dry, product-less hands. If I had a matte face base and my eyelids don't get too oily or wet during the day, the eyeliner looks about the same as when I first applied it.
2 - Intense Black is highly pigmented and draws opaque right away. Even when I draw over an existing line, the new ink and/or applicator tip doesn't lift away any previously drawn stuff.
3 - The ink doesn't ever seem to dry or run out even after having it opened for nearly a year (as of this post).
Here is where, I think, this particular eyeliner starts to see some fault.
1 - As sebum and tears are introduced into the mix the eyeliner becomes strangely flakey. If a little human touch is added the ink completely wipes away. I guess this is good for easier removal at the end of the day but it is a bad story for those who specifically are looking for waterproof and longer wear time.
2 - The ink is too tacky for my liking. It also takes a long time to dry if I apply a thick layer or even two layers. If I had better line drawing skills it wouldn't be a problem but I always find myself having to do patchwork in the mornings. When not fully set the ink will transfer and crease.
3 - The marker-type tip isn't great in the long run. The pointiest and thinnest part dries out quickly so I can basically only apply thick lines with the fatter part of the marker, which then is less precise and therefore leads to more need for patchwork and more stickiness.
I am surprised to see that the eyeliner is "Made in Japan" and "Assembled in Korea". Most brands don't typically write this out. I guess stila is playing up the aspect that it is different in origin and may be of higher quality for those who prefer Asian formulated things. I do wonder if this same formula is used in other Japanese eyeliners since I have heard that formulators tend to shop the same things to different brands and it is then sold in different packaging.
While I can see why there is such a strong following for the Stay All Day liner and most of the claims stila makes is fairly well delivered, I don't think it is quite the right formulation and delivery for my own eyes. There are some days where I love wearing it because I applied it great in one swipe. Then there are days where I annoyingly have to do many touch-ups and wait for the stickiness to set in addition to getting oily/teary eyes. A girl can hope for having the best of all worlds.
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