The Line Up Project: MAC Liquidlast Liner

Review by MUA's Joeybunny

If there are two things I happen to be known for on MUA, they are MAC and eyeliners. I love eyeliners. Back before my love affair with eyeshadow began, I was an eyeliner fiend. In those pre-MUA days, when I could have only dreamt of eyeshadow primer, eyeliners were my best friends. They always stayed on my lids no matter how oily they were, and came in a dizzying array of colors and textures. I used to use eyeliners as eyeshadows, even! Now, despite owning multiple types of eyeshadow base (and an eyeshadow collection that would make my mother weep), eyeliner is still my makeup addiction. Currently, I own about 70. And yes, I use them all!

MAC happens to be a favorite makeup line of mine because of its relatively cheap prices (I am a college student who also needs to eat!) and its wonderful assortment of eyeliners. While I happen to be an odd goose because of my strong dislike for MAC Fluidlines (they just do NOT stay on my lids), I do like their other options. Currently, the MAC website boasts 10 different kinds of eyeliners (and this includes the limited edition ones). My favorite MAC liners happen to be the Liquidlasts.

Liquidlast liners are hardcore. I can honestly say that I have yet to try an eyeliner that has the longevity these liners have. They stay on for DAYS (with zero flaking!) if you do not use the correct makeup remover (you will definitely need something oil-based – I use Clinique Take The Day Off and about 20 Q-tips). At first, I’ll admit that I was freaked out by the idea of wearing something on my eyes that was that strong. The eye area is something you do not want to mess around with! But these liners are just so wonderful. They work incredibly well as bases for eyeshadow, and the color range is just phenomenal. Strangely enough, I am perusing the MAC website as I write this and there’s a smaller color selection of Liquidlasts than I have seen at MAC Pro or in a regular freestanding store. There are currently 13 available for order on the MAC website, but I assure you that way more colors exist, including the two I currently own (which are not featured on the MAC website also!).

I have Brassbeat and Pinkcraft, and they’re both lovely colors. Brassbeat is definitely the more wearable of the two, though. It is a gorgeous, warm, slightly shimmery brownish taupe. In fact, it may be one of the most perfect taupe eyeliners I have ever come across. Dark enough that it shows up on me (I’m MAC NC40, Latina tan skintone, so I need eyeliners with OOMPH), but not so dark that it isn’t appropriate for day usage. Pinkcraft, on the other hand, is for the more adventurous of us. It is a neutral-toned, reddish-pink color. It is loud and fun – and yes, I use it as eyeliner! It is great for a crazy pop of color on an otherwise plain eye, but I do recommend tightlining with a black liner in conjunction with Pinkcraft, if you are prone to rabbit eye when wearing reddish colors.

The price is pretty good - $16.50 for 0.084oz. Considering how pigmented this liner is, a tube will last a good long time. However, I must complain about the packaging. The attached brush stinks. Liquid liners, in my opinion, are best with either a very fine-tipped foam brush or a very fine-tipped bristle brush. However, the brush that comes attached to the Liquidlast cap is, I think, way too thick and unwieldy to use with the product. Nobody wants a huge, thick line of eyeliner that will dry in 30 seconds and then NOT come off! MAC really didn’t think this brush through at ALL. While writing this, I asked my dear friend Darthy over at Pink Sith what she thought and she agreed – using another brush with this product is definitely the way to go. She recommended the Sonia Kashuk bent eyeliner brush, and I can second that. I also like my TheBalm angled eyeliner brush, which I highly recommend if you need a good, cheap eyeliner brush (only $5!). What I do is run my eyeliner brush over the awful MAC one to pick up product. It works quite well, and like I said before, the color stays true and flake free until you manage to remove it eventually.

So then, to continue with Cavewoman’s rating system, I would have to give MAC Liquidlasts a 8 out of 10. They’re nearly perfect, but the brush stinks and they can be pretty hard to remove, and eyelid tugging is never a good thing.

Credit: Joeybunny
Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this review were purchased by the reviewer.