Best Waterproof Eye Liner - Product Review of Stila Smudge Stick Eyeliner

Imagine a world where your eye liner doesn't budge, not matter what activity you're partaking in. Swim, cry, exercise, dance, run...fly to the moon and back...with your eye liner is still in place? This must be a dream. Such a high-tech eye liner couldn't possibly exist! Thanks to Stila Cosmetics, it does. Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner is the ULTIMATE waterproof cosmetic.

Here is a description of my initial test-run with my three colors of Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liners. Around 7:00 AM on a Saturday morning, I applied the Stingray (black) liner to upper and lower lids. I followed with Silver Dollar (a shimmery silver) on my inner eyes near the tear ducts, and then a stripe of Peacock (teal green) above the black liner toward the outer corners of my lids. The day started out slow, with going to breakfast and the mall - not too much taxing activity for an eye liner. But, by afternoon, I found myself invited on a hike in the Sierra Nevada mountains. I changed clothes and got ready for a sweat-inducing hike up hill. At the end of the three hour hike, when I returned to my car, the rest of my makeup looked non-existent, but my eye liner was still going strong. Not a smudge in sight! Next, it was time to head home and shower before meeting friends for a pre-birthday party dinner. I washed my face while in the shower, avoiding only my eyes, to determine of this liner truly was waterproof. Amazingly enough, even after a shower, the liner looked just as great as it did 5 minutes after my original application. I even dried my face with a towel, not taking much care to avoid my eyes - and still, no smudging! The final test for this super-liner was a night of dancing. After dinner and drinks, everyone headed out to a local club. Little did I know dance floor would have bubbles dropping from the ceiling and steam bursting up from the floorboards! As loads of girls filed to the bathroom in attempt to repair their blackened raccoon eyes, I danced the night away amidst a sea of bursting bubbles and rain forest-esque humidity. Upon my arrival home at 4:00 AM, I stumbled to the mirror to inspect my eye liner. Simply amazing. Not one stripe of color out of place. Not one smudge above or under my eye lids. Just pure, shimmering, vibrant color that I removed by using a tissue and my trusty Cover Girl Cream Makeup Remover.

Since I have insanely oily skin, and partake in many activities involving water during the summer months, I've always been on the hunt for a liner that would truly stay put for 24 hours. Some have come close, but none have been fully up to the task of surviving one of my dawn-to-dawn days. Few waterproof cosmetics exist, and I think I've tried them all. Normally (especially with eye colors) I would have to layer the Urban Decay Shadow Primer or Mattify! Loose Powder Primer underneath to convince the products to stay put for a measly 8-10 hours. On my test run of the Stila Smudge Stick, I did not apply ANY primer because I wanted to see how it would work on its own. I was truly amazed at the long lasting results.

There are several good comparable items out there, including: Styli-Style 24 Hour Liner, Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil, and Mark Cosmetics Get in Line Liquid Waterproof Liner. However, after trying all three of these products, this Stila Liner outlasts and outshines them all. Here are the pros and cons of these other waterproof liners:

Styli-Style's 24 Hour Liner comes in the form of a felt-tip pen. Pros: It is very easy to apply, allows for precise angled lines, and lasts for about 24 hours. Also, it only costs around $7 at drug stores. Cons: If you rub your eyes or your skin becomes excessively oily, the color does fade quite a bit. Also, the pen only comes in black and purple, so there's limited color selection.

Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil comes in 10+ vibrant colors & stays put fairly well for 24 hours. Pros: High pigmented colors in many choices. Cons: Liner is fat, so it's difficult to achieve a precise line. Also, color does smudge and transfer when skin becomes oily. Although it is water resistant, it is not oil resistant.

Mark Cosmetics Get in Line Liquid Liner provides 24 hour color in pretty shades. Pros: Product comes in high-impact colors, and super skinny liner brush allows for very accurate, detailed application. It only costs about 6 bucks on the Mark Cosmetics website. Cons: Liner starts to look cracked and crumbly after about 14 hours of wear, especially during high activity.

Ok, so now that you know why the competition doesn't measure up, it's time to find out why Stila Smudge Stick is THE best liner on the market! This liner scores a perfect 10 in all areas. First off, the packaging is great. The liner is an automatic twist-up pen that never needs sharpening. Second, the liner itself is velvety soft and easy to apply - doesn't tug on the eye area at all during application. You can even apply it to the inner rims of eyes without any fear of scratching such a delicate area. Third, the liner is a medium width, allowing for either thin or thick application. Fourth, the colors provide gorgeous pigment and shimmer that doesn't smudge, smear, crack, or crease. Fifth, the color dries quickly - within about 10 seconds, so there's no need to wait around with your eyes shut for the liner to dry. Sixth, the color stays put until you remove it, even on very oily skin and after being in the water or high humidity. Seventh, the liner looks freshly applied until you remove it. It shimmers and catches the light, looking almost like it would be wet to the touch - but it's 100% dry and ready for long wear.

Moral of the story: There simply isn't a liner on the market that out performs the Stila Smudge Stick. I will soon be purchasing this in every shade, they've got a customer for life!

Here is a list of colors in which the Stila Smudge Stick Liner is currently available:

Stingray- Jet Black
Lionfish- Brown with Shimmer
Purple tang- Purple with Shimmer
Moray- Olive with Shimmer
Koi- Metallic Gold
Silverdollar- Metallic Silver
Peacock- Teal Bluewith Shimmer
Blue Ribbon- Dark Navy/Grey

Now, Stila just needs to invent a lipstick and foundation that stand the test of time to the same degree as their liners. Cosmetic perfection, please - we all want it!