Review: Jordana Cat Eye Liners (All Shades)

Press Sample

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Jordana and Milani (sister company to Jordana) eyeliners. I have praised their eyeliners here on the blog for years and years, so I was really excited to try this new line when I received it from Jordana. I've been testing these liners for a few weeks now and today I'm ready to give you my verdict. Do they live up to all of the other Jordana/Milani liners we know and love? Keep reading to find out...

Jordana Cat Eye Liners

(retail: $2.99 each, 0.057 oz)

Fully safety-sealed

You can purchase the new-for-2015 Jordana Cat Eye Eyeliners via the Jordana site (free shipping on orders over $25), as well as at Walgreens and Kmart stores. There are eight shades in this range: 

Black Leather

Black Brown

Orchid

Twilight

Caribbean

Envy

Suede

Future

Black Leather, Black Brown, Orchid, Twilight, Caribbean, Envy, Future, Suede

Black Leather, Black Brown, Orchid, Twilight, Caribbean, Envy, Future, Suede

Made in Mexico

Ingredients (from the Jordana website):

Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Acrylates Copolymer, XanthanGum, Cellulose, Hectorite, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Mica.+/- May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI77499), Red 40 (CI 16035), Blue 1 (CI 42090), Carmine (CI 75470), Ultramarines(CI 77007), Black 2 (CI 77266), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), ManganeseViolet (CI 77742).

I've seen some people describe these liners as having a fine-point felt-tip applicator, but that is actually incorrect. I wiped the applicator clean below and used a safety pin to seperate the bristles, just to illustrate that this is actually a brush:

The bristles DO NOT separate on their own--they are tightly molded together and hold their form perfectly. I had to physically separate them for this photo. 

Top Row: Black Leather, Black Brown, Orchid, Twilight

Bottom Row: Caribbean, Envy, Future, Suede

• Black Leather and Black Brown do not contain any shimmer or glitter. 

• Orchid, Twilight and Suede all contain shimmer and glitter.

• Caribbean has a metallic finish (no glitter).

• Envy and Future are metallic and also contain glitter (hard to see in my photos but it's there).

Here's a photo taken in lower lighting that better illustrates the glitter in some of these shades:

Top Row: Black Leather, Black Brown, Orchid, Twilight

Bottom Row: Caribbean, Envy, Future, Suede

I couldn't capture the glitter in Envy and Future in these photos, but it's visible in person.

Black Leather, Black Brown, Orchid, Twilight, Caribbean, Envy, Suede, Future

Above are swatches photographed after just one swipe.

Black Leather, Black Brown, Orchid, Twilight, Caribbean, Envy, Suede, Future

Above are the same swatches photographed after I used my index finger and rubbed as hard as I could, back and forth across all eight swatches multiple times. You can see that these liners did not budge.

After I had these swatches on my hand for about a half hour, I decided to run my hand under water and then immediately rub the swatches with my index finger while my skin was still very wet (which explains why the photo above is blurry--my camera had a hard time focusing). The photo above illustrates what these liners looked like after rubbing them while wet. The arrow points to the minimal running that occurred with just the blue shades. The other shades held strong with ZERO smudging.

The photo above is my hand, with the same eight swatches, taken about 30 hours after initial application. I swatched these on a Saturday morning and I really wasn't going anywhere special for the weekend, so I decided to leave them there, just to see how long they'd last. This photo was taken after multiple hand washings and one shower. As you can see, the wear on these liners is very impressive. Granted, I didn't scrub as hard as I could when washing my hands or taking a shower, but I also didn't avoid getting soap and water on these swatches. I just washed my hands as I normally do, with warm water and soap.

Jordana doesn't describe these liners as waterproof, but I think it's pretty obvious that they acted like waterproof liners for me. 

Overall, I am really impressed with these eyeliners. The applicator allows for precision and you get can a very, very thin line with these, as well as a thicker liner. It's also quite easy to do a cat eye (duh!) with this applicator. The applicator is not loose or floppy, but it's also not so stiff that it scratches the skin or fails to bend when you need it to bend. Jordana/Milani really have some of the best eyeliner applicators on the market--high end or drugstore--and these applicators are right up there with my favorites from both brands.

I do want to mention that the consistency varies depending on the shade. For example, the green and gold metallic shades are on the watery side, which means that you will have to go back over your lines if you want a really solid, opaque look. That said, I have found that if you wait a minute or so, it's easy to go back over these lines and build for more intensity. If you go back over them before they have set a bit, you could end up with bald spots, so be sure to wait a minute or two before going back in. Another thing I love about these two lighter shades is that they work great on the BOTTOM lash line too--especially if you're wearing a black liner on your waterline and want a little pop of color underneath that. I also love the gold shade for the inner corners of my eyes. I sometimes have a hard time getting highlight shades to stay put in my tear duct region, but that gold lasts all day, no problem.

The three glittery shades (the two purples and the azure blue) are all quite vibrant, but the consistency is a little bit chunky on these. I didn't find any of them problematic, but they do require a little extra care during application to ensure a smooth, consistent look. But honestly, the color pay-off on these shades is so beautiful, and the staying power so good, that I find them worth the effort.

The black and brown shades are fantastic just they way they are. No special attention required, no building for intensity--they are both great and easy to apply.

As for staying power, I think my photos above illustrate just how well these last. And that also translates to my eyes. As most of you already know, I have oily skin and I have had no issues with these liners smudging or running, even on hot days. The lighter shades did fade a bit after the 6-7 hour mark, but I wasn't shocked by that because light shades always tend to fade faster than deeper shades on my eyes. Also, I haven't experienced any flaking or peeling with these liners.

But with such great staying power, I'm sure you're asking if these are difficult to remove. Well that's where I'm afraid it's going to depend on each particular user. If you remember the old Milani Infinite Wear Liquid Liners from years back, these Jordana Cat Eye Liners remind me a lot of those, but with a MUCH-improved applicator. In fact, I went back to my old review of the bronze Infinite Wear liner from 2009(!) and aside from the poor quality of my photos (and video), which totally made me cringe, I now remember that those liners did not budge, but they were a challenge to remove. I don't know if the quality of my makeup removers has improved since 2009 or if the formula of these Jordana liners is just better, but I didn't have the same issues with removal with these. My cleansing oil removed them at the end of the day, no problem. But I obviously can't guarantee that this will be the case for you. (But if you loved the Milani Infinite Liquid Liners and were sad to see them go, I would definitely consider trying these Jordana liners. I think you'll love them even more than the Infinite Liners, because the applicator is so, so, so much better.)

FINAL VERDICT: Are all of the shades in this range perfect? No. But for the price, I think they are most definitely worth a shot. The applicator is great, the staying power is incredibly impressive, and the colors are beautiful. And don't dismiss those two sheerer shades (the green and gold). If you don't like them on your upper lash line, try applying a very thin line to your lower lash line. Paired with a black liner on your waterline, that little pop of green or gold underneath is beautiful. And the gold liner is also great for the inner corners of the eyes. Overall, I find these liners to be versatile, easy to use and a great bargain at just $2.99 each.

Do you own any Jordana Cat Eye Liners? If so, do you agree, or disagree, with my assessment? I'd love to hear from you!

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.