Review: Milani Ultrafine Liquid Eye Liners

Press Sample

You've probably already heard lots of raves in the blogosphere about these new fine-point waterproof liquid liners from Milani. I received these a little while back from Milani and I've put them through some pretty rigorous testing (well, if you consider sleeping with my makeup on "rigorous") and I'm happy to report that I'm in agreement with just about everyone else when it comes to the awesomeness of these liners.

NEW Milani Ultrafine Liquid Eye Liners

(retail: $7.49, 0.058 oz)

Keep reading for my full review including swatches, before-and-after "rub tests" and more...

These liners come in five shades and four of the five shades contain shimmer and/or sparkle. The only non-sparkly shade is Black Vinyl, which is a solid black (and just FYI, it's a very deep, true black that doesn't veer into green-black or blue-black territory).

What surprised me about these liners, upon first opening them, is that I guess I was expecting them to be pens. But if you look at the pic above, you'll see that they are actually a pen-wand hybrid. They have the long wand that is more commonly seen in brush-tip applications, but they have the felt-tip applicator that is more commonly seen in pen liners.

Black Vinyl, Sparkling Turquoise, Emerald Glisten, Prismatic Purple, Black Gems

Here are some swatches that are deliberately blurry, so that you can better see the glitter/shimmer:

Black Gems (second swatch from the bottom) contains very pretty iridescent glitter

Here are some "before" swatches:

And here are the same swatches taken after doing a dry rub test (I rubbed the lines with my index finger with a medium amount of pressure for about 10 seconds):

As you can see, the lines did not budge. And no glitter transfer!

Here are the same swatches after a wet rub test (I ran my hand under water and then rubbed with my index finger with a medium amount of pressure for about 10 seconds):

As you can see, Sparkling Turquoise and Emerald Glisten faded a bit, but the other lines stayed solid and did not budge. And keep in mind that this photo was taken after rubbing vigorously for ten seconds. In other words, these liners are absolutely water-resistant. You can completely submerge your face in water and these liners will not run--you would really have to rub your eyes in order to see fading like you see above. 

Here I am wearing Black Vinyl, which is the non-sparkly black:

Black Vinyl

And here I am wearing  Prismatic Purple:

Prismatic Purple

Can you see the sparkle?

In this photo, I paired Prismatic Purple with the new Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Rose Hip (click here for my review of that lipstick):

Milani Prismatic Purple liner + Rose Hip Lipstick

Consistency and pigmentation: All five shades have a slightly watery texture that makes them easy to apply. None of these liners are dry and none of them drag during application. The pigmentation varies a bit, with Black Vinyl (the non-shimmery black) having the deepest pigmentation. Black Gems and Prismatic Purple have the weakest pigmentation and do require you to go back over your line in spots for more even coverage. But if you look at my pics of Prismatic Purple above, you can see that it's worth a second pass because the color is beautiful once you build it a bit.

Application: If you are used to using felt-tip pen liners (like I am), these do have a slight learning curve because the wand is long and, if you're like me, you won't be used to working with such a long wand. But it took me one application to get the hang of it, and now I can apply my liner like a champ with these. The felt-tip applicator is exactly like its name: ultra fine. You can really get down deep in between your lashes, which I very much appreciate. When going back over a line to build for more pigmentation, I have not experienced any bald patches, which can happen sometimes with liquid liners.

Dry time and staying power: Very quick dry-time with these liners, unless you go over your lines several times--then it can take a while because, like I said before, these liners have a slightly watery texture. Staying power is excellent (duh! Just look at my swatches again!) and just a reminder: I have super oily skin and sometimes even waterproof liners smudge after a few hours on my eyes. NOT THESE. They seriously do not budge even after a full day and night of wear. I slept in my makeup one night (specifically to test these liners) and the next morning my liner was perfect. I have splashed my face with water, stood in the shower with water streaming onto my face, and I'm telling you, these liners do not budge. You would have to have a very wet face and then take both of your fists and rub like crazy to get these to smear.

Removal: With staying power like this, don't expect to remove these with regular cleanser and water. You will need either a good eye makeup remover that you KNOW can remove waterproof liner and mascara, or a heavy-duty oil-based facial cleanser for removal. I have removed this liner with cleansing oil, heavy-duty facial cleanser and also eye makeup remover, and removal was quite easy with all three methods. No tugging or rubbing needed.

Fragrance: I detect a slight fragrance to these liners that is reminiscent of mascara. But I have to hold the applicator right up to my nose to detect it. In other words, I can't smell a thing during application.

FINAL VERDICT: If you love liquid liners and you love felt-tip applicators, I think you're going to love these new liners from Milani. The staying power is, for lack of a better word, insane. And unlike other heavy-duty waterproof liners, you won't have to struggle to remove these liners if you use a good eye makeup remover or oil-based cleanser. If you're not used to using eyeliners that have a long wand, expect a learning curve as you get used to using the applicator (for me it only took one application). The fine-point applicator enables you to get deep down between your lashes with ease, and my only complaint is that a few of the shades have a slightly weaker pigmentation and do require you to go over your lines a second time, just to beef up the color. But other than that, I highly recommend these liners. They come in beautiful, jewel-toned colors and they stay put all day and night, even on my oily skin.

Have you tried the new Milani Ultrafine Eye Liners yet? I know that they're now starting to pop up at CVS, but I'm not sure if they've been spotted at Walgreens, Target or Kmart yet. You can also purchase them online here.

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.Blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews. For more information, click here.

SHARE: