My search for an eyeliner that I can draw a decent feline flick with has been of Holy Grail proportions! I never considered my needs anything other than reasonable. All I was after was a product that was a) easy to use and b) delivered a formula that would stay put once applied.
But instead my quests have brought me liners that fail on one of those two key aspects. Either I'd find a liner that was easy to use, but would then smudge within a few hours of wear (felt-tip varieties)or bleed before it has time to dry (liquids).
Or I’d unearth a formula with mega staying power but which was so damned difficult to use that I’d end up throwing it across the room before drawing past my first six eyelashes (Benefit’s push-up gel liner springs to mind here).
Then, a few months ago, I discovered this gem: Bourjois’ brand new Erasable Liner. Goodness! Not only does it deliver on my two key requirements in spades, but it also has a novel added feature – a ‘rubber’ at one end for erasing those annoying mistakes (inevitable in my case – I’m by no means an expert in drawing cat eyes).
The Bourjois Erasable Liner is a liquid liner that you apply with the included brush. It’s a precision brush, so you can draw defined lines as thick or as thin as you want. Bourjois says the intense black formula lasts for up to 16 hours. I haven’t worn it for quite that length of time, but I wouldn’t argue with the claim – this liner has staying power nailed and delivers it with the easiest of applications.
The pics below demonstrate I hope the staying power, if not the ease of application (as I mentioned I’m not the greatest of feline flickers). The top pic was taken immediately after application and the bottom six hours later (hence the shadow in the pic). As you can see, the liner hasn’t budged!
The formula flows off the brush beautifully, and gives enough time before it dries to correct any uneven lines, either smoothing them over with the brush or dabbing away any unwanted strokes with a damp cotton bud (I’ll come on to the built-in rubber in a minute).
Bourjois really has got the drying time of this formula perfected. While there’s enough time built-in to correct any mistakes, it also doesn’t take forever to set. Long drying times can be a pain, especially if you’re in a rush to get your make-up done.
The built-in eraser is a clever idea. I’ve always used a damp cotton bud to correct mistakes. But sometimes you may not have one to hand, like when you've gone away for the weekend and forgotten to pack them – that’s happened to me.
The Eraser
The eraser is best used when the formula is dry, and you use it like a pencil rubber. Only here the liner peels off, rather than rubs off like pencil marks (I hope you can see the peeling action in the pic above). But be careful – skin is delicate, so rub gently. For this reason my preference would be to still correct mistakes with a cotton bud.
The final win for me with this product is price. At £7.99 it’s a bargain in my book. I bought mine from Boots, which at time of posting was running a 2 for £14 deal on selected Bourjois. The liner was sold out on their website last week but is now back in stock – an indication perhaps that it’s not just me who’s raving about it?!
You can find the Bourjois liner online at Boots here.