The best $1 liquid eyeliner I've ever owned (and a bonus Almay Pure Blends Eyeshadow mini-review)

I've recently reignited my love of liquid liners. I stopped using them for a while because I think I became obsessed with getting the perfect "tick" on the outside corner of my eye (the cat-eye look) and I felt that I either made it too thick or too thin and it became this issue where I finally said, "Forget it. I'll just use pencils."

But after watching a few youtube videos like this one, I decided to give liquid liners another try. I love the look of wearing a light, shimmery neutral shade of eyeshadow, a thick line of liquid liner on the top lid only, and tons of mascara on my bottom and top lashes. Pair this eye look with a peachy shade of blush on the apples of your cheeks and (surprise!) a nice pinky-brown creme lipstick or gloss and I think it looks sleek and smart and makes you look well put together without having to wear a ton of makeup or take a lot of time to acheive.

I instantly reverted back to my very favorite liner, Almay Liquid Liner, which I love because the tip is made of hard felt and it's very easy to get a precise line without any mess. Also, this formula lasts like crazy but it's not waterproof so you don't have to tug or use makeup remover to take it off. Basically, I adore it.

But it's also $7.99 and I wanted to find a more economical liquid liner that is just as good, quality-wise, but for less money. Now, I've been burned by cheap liquid liners in the past that have a watered-down pigmentation that makes you have to go over your line three or four times before it's dark enough. What I hate about those formulas is that when you go over the line, sometimes the pressure of the brush makes the line disappear and you're left with a spotty mess.

Let me tell you that I never expected to find a reliable, quality liner at Dollar Tree, but that's exactly what happened. Have you tried L.A. Colors Liquid Eyeliner? For just one dollar, you get a perfectly precise line that lasts and lasts (even through this hot Southern California heatwave) and doesn't budge until you take it off. Also, it's water-resistant but not waterproof, so it easily removes with your normal facial cleanser. I absolutely love it!

I purchased Black-Brown and my bottle looks slightly different than the bottle on the L.A. Colors website (the website shows a bottle that looks more like a mascara tube):

The applicator is a long, thin brush, which I normally do not like in a liquid liner. But this brush is quite firm so it's not flopping around all over the place creating a mess on your lids:

After applying this from the inner corner of my eye and extending it to the outer corner and making that little "tick" at the end, I was so happy with the results! Obviously I had to go over the original line a bit to achieve a thicker, cleaner line, but I didn't encounter any problems whatsoever with going over the original line a second time. The pigmentation was great the first time and going over the line to make it thicker was a snap.

The one thing I did notice was that the liner isn't really a true brown-black, but almost a blackish-taupe. Basically this is a less harsh version of very dark black but the fact that I didn't really pick up brown in the color doesn't bother me at all:

By the way, this was taken after one coat of Prestige My Biggest Lashes and Almay Pure Blends Eyeshadow in Oatmeal from lid to crease. I am really liking this Almay shadow, which I purchased in a BOGO 50% off sale along with my Almay Liquid Liner. I think the retail price for the eyeshadow is $7 and I love that it's 98.2% natural, the packaging is made from post-consumer recycled material, it's sheer but noticeable, and it blends like a dream. Also, it doesn't crease and it lasts all day even without a base. The pigmentation isn't intense, but these are made to be sheer so if you're looking for a nice wash of color, I highly suggest them.

So that's it. A one-dollar liquid liner that really works. I am so happy about this discovery! Have you tried L.A. Looks Liquid Liner? I'd love to hear your thoughts.