Ok, so I don't know about that last part. But I am currently on a quest to find the One Eyeliner. The one that's got a creamy enough texture to line easily, enough pigment to make my eyes bright, and enough staying power to survive through the day without making me look like I got punched in both eyes. And maybe solve world hunger as well? Or barring that, turn me invisible when I put it on?
Ok sorry, I'll stop geeking out now (and hopefully you got the Lord of the Rings references, if not I just sounded really stupid up there, lol!). But I digress. I've said before that in my opinion, eyes are the most striking feature, and that's especially true for Indian girls!! There's a reason why almost every Indian chick I know wears some sort of kajal, even if that's the only makeup she's wearing. Just a little bit on the lower waterline (of anyone's eyes, not just Indian girls!!) will make your eyes the immediate focus of your face, bring out the color of your eyes, and make them look so much brighter, all in one shot and all in a very subtle manner.
Kajal, or kohl for my non-brown-skinned ladies out there, is an herbal cosmetic that's been used by Indian women for centuries, worn as black eyeliner in the upper and lower waterlines. In the motherland back in the day, it was made by burning a wick dipped in sandalwood in a castor oil lamp, and then mixing the soot from the lamp with some clarified butter. Kajal is believed to be good for the eyes, and many mothers apply a "kajal ka tikka" (a dot of kajal) to their children's faces to repel the "evil eye".
Now, of course, it's become a mainstream cosmetic, not only for Indian brands (like Lakme), but cosmetic brands around the world. All the mainstream brands have started mimicking kajal (or kohl) in various types of eyeliner. Which is a good thing, in my opinion, especially if you've ever tried wearing actual kajal before (you usually have to apply it to your waterline with your finger, and while it looks great for about an hour, after that, it'll smudge all the way down to your cheeks and you'll look like a raccoon).
So, I'd say for the last 10-12 years (even before my true makeup wearing days), I've perpetually been on the hunt for a good eyeliner that can be worn as kajal, with the same intense darkness, but with better staying power and the same creamy texture. I've tried pencils from a number of different brands (Lakme, Estee Lauder, Chanel, and pretty much all the drugstore brands), and none of them did the trick. They were either too dry and didn't apply well, or didn't have a rich enough color, or were so creamy that they wiped right off. I then moved on to cream and gel eyeliners, and for a while, I thought I had found THE ONE:
L'Oreal USA HIP Cream Eyeliner. Lotus introduced me to this one, and it was pretty flipping amazing. It had just the right creamy texture, easy to manipulate but not quite as creamy as gel liners. And it had pretty incredible staying power, although it did smudge a little bit by the end of the day. There were a few drawbacks (I would inevitably get some on my contacts almost every day and would have to take them out and rinse them off, and even when the jar was sealed it would start drying out way faster than it could be used), but I could deal with them. I thought I had found a winner, and I was ready to call an end to the quest for the One Eyeliner.
Kajal, or kohl for my non-brown-skinned ladies out there, is an herbal cosmetic that's been used by Indian women for centuries, worn as black eyeliner in the upper and lower waterlines. In the motherland back in the day, it was made by burning a wick dipped in sandalwood in a castor oil lamp, and then mixing the soot from the lamp with some clarified butter. Kajal is believed to be good for the eyes, and many mothers apply a "kajal ka tikka" (a dot of kajal) to their children's faces to repel the "evil eye".
Now, of course, it's become a mainstream cosmetic, not only for Indian brands (like Lakme), but cosmetic brands around the world. All the mainstream brands have started mimicking kajal (or kohl) in various types of eyeliner. Which is a good thing, in my opinion, especially if you've ever tried wearing actual kajal before (you usually have to apply it to your waterline with your finger, and while it looks great for about an hour, after that, it'll smudge all the way down to your cheeks and you'll look like a raccoon).
So, I'd say for the last 10-12 years (even before my true makeup wearing days), I've perpetually been on the hunt for a good eyeliner that can be worn as kajal, with the same intense darkness, but with better staying power and the same creamy texture. I've tried pencils from a number of different brands (Lakme, Estee Lauder, Chanel, and pretty much all the drugstore brands), and none of them did the trick. They were either too dry and didn't apply well, or didn't have a rich enough color, or were so creamy that they wiped right off. I then moved on to cream and gel eyeliners, and for a while, I thought I had found THE ONE:
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| L'Oreal USA HIP Color Truth Cream Eyeliner in Black |
L'Oreal USA HIP Cream Eyeliner. Lotus introduced me to this one, and it was pretty flipping amazing. It had just the right creamy texture, easy to manipulate but not quite as creamy as gel liners. And it had pretty incredible staying power, although it did smudge a little bit by the end of the day. There were a few drawbacks (I would inevitably get some on my contacts almost every day and would have to take them out and rinse them off, and even when the jar was sealed it would start drying out way faster than it could be used), but I could deal with them. I thought I had found a winner, and I was ready to call an end to the quest for the One Eyeliner.
And then, L'Oreal discontinued it. Of course.
Unlike Lotus, who had the foresight and brilliance to think ahead and stock up on the winning product, I just finished the last precious remnants of my last remaining jar about two months ago. Drat! The quest had to begin anew. But, after much searching, I have come up with a few contenders for the spot:
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| MAC Fluidline in BlackTrack |
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| Revlon ColorStay Cream Gel Eyeliner in Black |
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| Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Perfect Black |
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| Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Perversion |
And the winner is....
Well, stay tuned and you'll see soon enough! :-)
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