Compare & contrast: UD 24/7, Milani Liquif'eye and Prestige Total Intensity liners

When Urban Decay 27/4 Glide-on Eye Pencils first came on the scene, everyone thought they were the greatest product invention to hit the eyeliner world in years. I can't deny that I still LOVE and covet my UD liners (no one, and I mean no one, can rival UD's color selection) but I want to make sure that you all are aware that there are several drugstore brands that offer eyeliners with VERY similar formulas and for less than half the price.

Two pencils that immediately come to mind are Milani's new Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil, and Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner. There is a third drugstore liner that also resembles UD 24/7, which is L'Oreal HiP Chrome Eyeliner, but I won't be talking about that today because I actually returned it shortly after I reviewed it back in July of last year (click here for that review). It smudged and ran like crazy on me, so that's why I returned it.

So here's UD 24/7 in Mildew, Milani Liquif'eye in Black and Prestige Total Intensity in Intense Olive:

(sorry the Prestige is upside-down but they printed the text in the opposite direction of the other two pencils and I wanted to show you all of the tips in a row)

As you can see, the pencil that houses each of these liners is black in color and made of essentially the same substance (I think this substance is a hybrid of wood and plastic but I'm not 100% sure. Does anyone know?). Anyway, the black "substance" that houses the "lead" in these pencils is super easy to sharpen and I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that it's actually more fun to sharpen these than it is to sharpen a traditional wooden pencil. It's just a very smooth process and it sharpens in one continuous motion. But my point is, the black casing is the same for all three pencils.

Let's talk about texture. In my humble opinion, the texture of all three pencils is virtually identical. They all three glide on the skin effortlessly. They're smooth as butter, there's no tugging, and they deposit rich pigment every single time.

In person, UD Mildew is more of a chrome, while Prestige Intense Olive is an olive green base with gold shimmer. But other than the obvious color differences, these three liners feel the same when applying them to the skin.

Let's do the smudge test! Here's a pic of the same three lines, after I took my index finger and rubbed back and forth over the lines for about 10 seconds straight:

I'd say they all three held up pretty darn well! Surprisingly though (or maybe not if you're already a fan of Prestige), the Total Intensity liner seems to have held up the best to the smudge test. The UD and Milani lines look to have faded a tiny a bit, while the Prestige line is still standing pretty strong. But regardless, I think it's easy to say that, on dry skin, none of these liners is going to budge much at all.

Notice how I said DRY skin? That's because, on super oily skin like mine, I'm afraid to tell you that none of these liners is bullet-proof. I know that, for a lot of you, these types of liners wear like iron. But for women who have a more oily eye region, this might not be the case. For all three liners, I can get a full day of wear when applied to my upper lid only. The upper lid is NO problem at all. But when applied to my lower lid, that's where the running and smudging starts. I have found that, for all three of these pencils, I must apply the liner VERY sparingly and blend it out. If I do this, then I'll have no problems. But the more liner I apply to my lower lid, the bigger the risk of smudging and running.

When all is said and done, I find little to no difference in the formula of these three eyeliners. If one of them works well for you, I'll go out on a limb and say that the other two will probably work just as well! So if you're a loyal UD user, you might want to give one of these drugstore alternatives a shot. The only real difference is the shade selection and price, of course. Prestige offers some very nice shades (click here for a list). Milani's shade selection is pretty standard although they do have a vivid aqua that I have yet to see in person (click here for the shade selection). But of course, nothing can compare to the shade selection of UD, so if you are a color fiend who craves unique eyeliner shades, well I would never even try to talk you out of using UD!

UD 24/7 liners retail for $17. Milani Liquif'eye liners retail for $5.50. Prestige Total Intensity liners retail for $5.50.

Oh, I almost forgot! The lovely Cutiegingerbread told me that Milani Liquif'eye worked better on her waterline than any other liner she has ever used. Of course, I needed to try it after that glowing review, and I'm happy to say that while it didn't last all day for me (NO liner lasts all day for me on my waterline) it lasted a lot longer than the traditional liners I normally use on my waterline. I think I got a full four hours out of Milani on my waterline before I started to see fading on the outer corners, which is a miracle for me. So if you're looking for a good waterline liner, you might want to pick up the Milani and see how it works for you!

I hope this comparison helped some of you who may be looking for a more affordable alternative to your beloved UD 24/7 liners. Do you already own any of these pencils? How do you think they compare? Do you have a favorite of the three? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Disclaimer: I purchased both the Milani and Prestige pencils with my own funds at my local drugstore. I was given the UD liner by WeHeartThis.com for a previous review on their website.