Wednesday, January 15, 2014

The Skinny on Eyeko

When it comes to eyeliner, I'm all about felt tip pens. Why bother with fiddly gel eyeliners that you have to apply with a brush, or pencils that perpetually require sharpening. Both have their merits from time to time, but on a daily basis, I prefer the ease, efficiency and convenience of these inky, sharp-tipped markers. I've previously been partial to Bourjois Liner Feutre and didn't mind Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen, but when my current favourite Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner started to fade, I thought it was finally time to try Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner. With Jen from From Head to Toe featuring it in her top picks of 2012 and Lisa Eldridge mentioning it as one of her favourite eyeliners of 2013, I hoped I would come to share the same sentiments.






Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black

The Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner is a relatively thick and stiff pen which takes some time to adjust to after using my Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner for half a year. The Stila is much lighter in weight, with a finer, thinner tip and generally smaller, more elongated shape. The Eyeko is like a hardened calligraphy brush in comparison.

I don't think I could've anticipated my main dilemma with the Eyeko, which is that it's near impossible to open. I don't know if it's an issue isolated to my one, or it just hasn't been opened enough times to loosen the tightness around the cap, but it's a serious problem. I normally moisturise my face in the mornings after cleansing, and the residual greasiness on my hands from the cream makes using the pen out of the question because I literally can't open it. The outside is too smooth for my fingers to get any grip and the cap feels like it's stuck on. I even had to resort to rubber gloves once for better grip. Invariably, once you finally yank the cap off, there'll be some black ink on your hand/rubber gloves/whatever you used in a desperate attempt to open the darn thing.

The pen can be slightly patchy, especially if you draw over existing lines, and I don't find it absolutely pitch black. It begins to fade, with any patchiness becoming even more pronounced, as the day wears on, but it does take some heavy duty makeup remover to get rid of completely. I have to rub Dove Foaming Make Up Remover over the eye area, concentrating on where I normally draw the flick, for about half a minute for the last remnants to finally disappear. I do like that it dries fairly quickly, the formula isn't overly wet, and the pointy tip allows a degree of precision, but I think I'll be scouting cheaper alternatives or returning to my Stila after this runs out. If I can get the cap off first.

50 comments:

  1. I loved this but then it dried out really quickly! Kinda disappointing.

    Katie | and-katie.com

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    1. I found that too, on my one eye it looked brilliant but on the other it looked like I'd scribbled all over it!

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  2. Oh now this was very useful to me as I have thought about buying this eye liner, I'm now definitely having second thoughts. Soap and Glory do a really good one called 'Supercat' however I can't remember if you can get the brand in Australia, if not I sure hope you can soon :)

    I think the L'Oreal Perfect Slim liner is supposed to be quite good, I'm thinking of trying that next.

    Amy x A Little Boat Sailing

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  3. Have you tried the Le Métier de Beauté Precision Liner? It's a great felt tip one. Essence makes a great one, too.

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    1. Nope I haven't! Two very different ends of the spectrum there :p Think I might try the Essence first :p Thanks for the recs though!

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  4. I totally agree with this post I also had this at one point but after a few days it went in the bin as I found it very drying and patchy when applied it was terrible tbh :S x

    www.krystelcouture.com

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  5. I love felt-tip eyeliners and haven't tried this one. The tip looks kind of tricky to apply though. I am currently using my favorite: Physicians' Formula lash booster eyeliner. It gives very fine and precise thin lines which I prefer.

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  6. I seriously love reading your blog posts! I wish your blog could be transformed into a magazine so I can read it all day and all night long! :)

    letsrunawayx.blogspot.com

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    1. Awww thank you! So sweet of you to say :) I'm glad you enjoy reading!

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  7. There are some great Japanese felt tip eyeliners out there that are very popular in Asia (e.g. K-Palette 24 Hour Tattoo Eyeliner Pen or Dolly Wink Eyeliner). You should try one of those next. :)

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    1. I definitely need to! I just never know where to find/buy these things ... I guess there's always online but I generally resort to the Internet as an absolute last resort :p I think I found a Dolly Wink one at a shop here, it was like $25...

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  8. Aww...the worst thing is getting it open!? Lol! That's not good! Sounds like a decent formula but not solid enough all round for my liking. I've decided to strictly stick to asian brand liquid eyeliners as I've had so much good luck with them and they seem to work so well for my skin! Thanks for sharing your results!

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  9. I've been thinking about investing on a good eyeliner. I thought about eyeko and stilla...but after this review I might go for stilla. The one I really wanted to try out is from Dolly Wink, but I can't get my hands on him very easily...without involving ebay (I'm not a huge fan of ebay). Have you tried that one yet?

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    1. I haven't! I've heard really good things about it though and it was just recommended by Michelle a couple of comments above yours :)

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  10. Oh no that's too bad you didn't get on with this eyeliner!! I had received one in a Birchbox but before I really got to test it out my friend Torey kind of destroyed it in my drunken makeup video; it was all in good fun though and really seemed to work a treat drawing eyebrows all over my face haha!! The lip tar that it got dragged through ended it pretty quickly though ;) Also: I think you got a faulty pen!! I've opened these in store as well as my own and there was absolutely no trouble with getting the cap off. Bugger for you!

    ♥Cassie
    thriftthick.blogspot.com

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  11. It's interesting to read a more negative review for this product, I love how your main issue isn't with the formulation itself haha :p

    EmmiHearts

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  12. Hmmm... never noticed that it was made in China until you showed the ingredients label. I've been curious about it too but it's a bit pricey here and there wasn't a big enough rave despite some heavyweights liking it.

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  13. I love felt tip eyeliners too- so much easier than pencil and gel!! Right now I use the maybelline liner, but I'm always seeing people mention the stila eyeliner. I'll have to try this one since this eyeko one seems to be a little troublesome!

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  14. Difficult to open products are so frustrating!! Thank you for this review, I had been tempted to give this a try but I think I'll opt for something else instead!

    Jennie xo | sailorjennie.com

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  15. I loved how dark the liner is & how precise you're able to get the line but mine dried out so quickly
    http://www.letstalkbeauty.co.uk/

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  16. I actually do not like felt tip. Too scratchy and too hard to maneuver on hooded lids. I like the brush tips that look like felt tips.

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    1. Sometimes I find those too liquidy and hard to control personally, but the Stila one I mentioned is definitely not as felt tip-like as others. I guess it's about finding what works best for you :)

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  17. Oh too bad it didn't live up to your expectation :( I have never tried anything from eyeko before but the brand is so known for its eyeliner so It's a shame that it didn't work.. I always have difficulty with eyeliner because I have very watery eyes and oily lids. I have tried expensive liners from MAC and shiseido but they didn't live up to my expectation, now I am so happy with rimmel scandalous pencil eye liner and heroine liquid pen eyeliner ^^

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  18. I love the L'Oreal superliner thin but would love to try this one :)
    alicekatex ♥

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  19. Oh no. Its wooing didn't convince you.But I swear every video I watched that featured this, they put it on breezily and it was pitch black. Oh well...what I really really want to try is their mascara though :(

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    1. Me too! I really like the packaging of their mascara as well, something a bit different :) I know the Pixiwoo sisters are fans.

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  20. I was very tempted to pick this up last year after Jen's review. Glad I didn't :P Looking at your pictures it reminds me of the Revlon Colorstay pen eyeliner I bought a few years ago.. the tip was thick and the application was tricky as well.. I've been using MAC's fluidline and I'm pretty happy with it :)

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    1. It is pretty similar to the Revlon, maybe just a bit darker and with better staying power (and hard to open ... haha)

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  21. My favourite liner is the kiss me heroin make eyeliner. u should try it, it never fails me. I don't like any of the western brands and they don't last me half as long as the kiss me heroin make one

    tzeyien89.blogspot.co.uk xxx

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  22. I'm such a noob when it comes to liquid liner! I need it to be as fool-proof as possible, so I might skip this one haha

    Jordan | Boho Vanity

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  23. When I was trying to decide between Eyeko and Stila, the person working at Sephora instantly recommended Stila, and I haven't regretted it since (I'm on my third pen!).

    Another alternative that I really liked was MAC's fluidline gel pot, applied with a Sonia Kashuk bent eyeliner brush.

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  24. I didn't enjoy this liquid liner because of the patchy application the felt tip gave me. It was a hassle to work with in the mornings. I much prefer brush-tip liquid liners like the Physician's Formula 3-1 Eye Booster (my HG).

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  25. Whilst I really like pen eyeliners for ease of use, I've never really found one that lasts as long as a traditional liquid eyeliner. Thanks for the review x x

    zoeblogsbeauty

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  26. I've heard great things abt this eyeliner but I guess no one really talks abt its packaging haha :)

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  27. I found it hard to open too and mine dried it so quickly. I got very few uses out of it (compared to past liquid liners I've tried).

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  28. I love my Dolly Wink Eyeliner, I would say it's somewhat comparable to the Stila one. I tried this Eyeko eyeliner at Mecca Maxima yesterday and was somewhat disappointed. You should definitely try the Dolly Wink one!

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  29. I tried this but must have received a faulty one because mine was so dry and was not pigmented at all! It was so disappointing. :(
    I received it as a deluxe sample from a Sephora order though so I'm not too bummed about it but I wish I could give it a proper try. Maybe I'll invest in it once I go through some of my current eyeliners.
    xx
    Celina | The Celution | Bloglovin’

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  30. I've never had any trouble with opening my Eyeko liner and I actually loved mine, so I'm wondering whether you got a faulty product because mine applied very evenly as well.

    Funnily enough.. I'm using the Stila liquid eyeliner that you like now and I actually prefer the Eyeko one! Haha :P

    Anyways, had to come say hello to a fellow Australian blogger! :)

    xo
    Phoebe
    www.eatliveloverepeat.com

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    1. Thanks for popping by! Funny how people can have totally different experiences and opinions about the same products :) I think the Stila does take some time to get used to, and for me it definitely works better when there's something already on my lid like eyeshadow (powder or cream) as I find applied to the bare eyelid it can be a bit streaky.

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  31. that eyeliner looks awesome! i will have to look for that brand. i currently have Stila. felt tips are the best!
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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  32. The pigmentation looks really well! I'd recommend you to try the kilo longwear pen eyeliner and the ELF waterproof pen eyeliner. Both are amazing and cheap so when they dry out you just buy more...

    Xx

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  33. That's disappointing that it's patchy, I've heard really good things about this eyeliner so I found that surprising xx

    Verity | Life of Verity

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  34. Good that it's useable, disappointing that it's not great!

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  35. Not a fan of this either, I wasn't sure if I got a faulty one but mine started leaking so I had to throw it out. The packaging is such a let down! If you are on a hunt for a good eyeliner Heroine Kiss Me are my absolute HG, it never fails me!

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  36. It's unfortunate that this eyeliner didnt perform as you had hoped it would. I am actually inclined to think that you may have gotten a faulty product (not that I personally own this) but when I got my first Dolly Wink Eyeliner, it wasnt as black and pigmented as it had promised. In addition, it was very dry and I had to shake the living hell out of it just to get it to go on smoothly. After that, I got a second one and it worked much better. So I think liquid pen eyeliners tend to have that misfortune of being faulty. :T

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  37. So far I haven't got along with any of these pen eyeliners. They always dry out after two uses (literally), so I just gave up. XD

    Sandra - The Puzzle of Sandra's Life

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  38. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  39. Glad I'm not the only one who did not particularly warm to the Eyeko Skinny! Another one that everyone seems to really love is the Estee Lauder zero smudge liquid eyeliner. Unfortunately....I don't love that either.

    The search for the perfect liquid liner continues! *sigh*

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  40. This is written very well you are a very good writer. I am agree with you. Hope you will Carry on writing in the same way. Thumbs Up!

    Applying Eyeliner

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