Gel Eyeliner- The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Oh, I wish I had a better review to share with you.  But let me back up.  If you haven't heard, gel eyeliners are all the rage.  EVERYONE seems to be jumping on the bandwagon.  The top cosmetics companies have all had a go at creating their own versions right on down to every drug store brand you can think of.  And consumers *seem* to have pretty good reports.  Not this one, though.  Read on for the good, the bad, and the ugly of it all. 

I thought I would love gel eyeliner.  And I couldn't wait to give it a go.  I wear eyeliner every single day.  And to this point, I have been a really big fan of liquid liner.  Yes, it can be a bit messy if you don't have a steady hand, but it looks flawless.  Anyway, back to the gel version.  I tried both L'Oreal and Maybelline's versions of gel liner, and found the two to be pretty comparable in every way, from price point to application to finish.  

So here's the skinny from one very honest reviewer.

The Good:  Both get high marks for packaging and application.  As you can see pictured, gel eyeliner almost always comes in a little pot and you apply it with a tiny brush.  It might sound harder than it is.  Let me tell you, I have never experienced such a smooth and easy application for eyeliner.  Gel really gets tops marks for that.  It's almost like melted crayons.  There is zero pulling, tugging, etc to get it on.  It just spreads on like hot butter.  

The Bad:  They fade!!  Maybe not everyone expects as much out of their eyeliner as I do, but I apply my makeup in the morning, and don't take it off until the very end of the day.  I expect, if not demand, that it stay in place.  And there are some things you expect to touch up during the course of day, your powder, your lipstick, but I have never ever had to touch up my eyeliner.  Both of these gel eyeliners faded over the course of the day from the black color I started with to a dull gray and in some cases just faded away altogether.  Sorry, I can't have that.  Maybe if I only wore it for a few hours on a date, I wouldn't have even noticed it at all.  And, maybe that's not an issue for everyone.  But for me, it's a deal breaker.  Sorry.

The Ugly:  Smudges and smears.  Ick.  Even if I could put up with the fading, I absolutely draw the line with smudgy smears and streaks on my eyelids.  And let me tell you, there is a big difference between a smokey eye and one where the makeup just fell apart on you.  I have seen other reviewers comment on smudges occurring on application.  I didn't have that problem.  I am a makeup aficionado, after all.  But over the course of the day, it did smudge out on me and left me feeling messy.  

Will I try others?  Nope.  I think I've had my fill of this trend.  So back to my trusty liquid liner I go.  If you've had success with this trend, please let me know.  I would love to hear all about it.  Until then, I will be loving the one I'm with.  :)