Milani Liquif’Eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil: I like it, but eyes disagree.

Posted by Lily on October 14, 2011 Eye liners, Eyes (Be the first to comment!)

This is Milani, one of the drugstore brands in the USA, which has been getting lots of raves online, especially for their eye liner pencil called Liquif’Eye. It’s been said to be comparable to the Stila Eye Kajal (which I haven’t tried before) and the Urban Decay’s 24/7 pencil eye liner, my favourite, and it is less than half the price! I had to try this out. I got mine online for USD6.49.

First of all, there are only 5 colours to choose from: Black, Brown, Silver, Gold, Aqua (bright blue). I have plenty of blacks and just ran out of brown, so what the heck, I went ahead and got myself a Brown. It comes in a sealed package with its list of ingredients and instructions on how to use it written at the back.

Part of its instruction reads: “Do not use this product inside your eyes”. Due to this, I probably won’t be using this on my waterline. I’m pretty sure that phrase doesn’t mean “Do not draw on your eye balls with this product”, so, the closest to it would be waterline. I do see some YouTube gurus using this on theirs, so if you’re adventurous, go ahead and try it out. If your eyes turn red, or if they itch, I’d suggest removing it immediately and wash your eyes with water.

Talking about itch, I find that this eye liner does make my eyes itch. At first, I didn’t think much of it. Thought it might be one of those days when my allergies decide to come for a visit. Then, I thought, maybe it’s my old mascara, so I chucked it out. In the end, I figured it must be this eyeliner, and it was. How sad, but true.

This eye liner does apply very smoothly. It is very soft and ultra creamy, which makes application easy. It does not tug at all and the colour transfers beautifully. Once the product dries, it does not budge. I swatched it on my arm, and no matter how hard I rubbed, the liner wouldn’t come off! I applied it on my lash lines (top and bottom), blinked real hard until my eyes get watery, and the liner stayed put. No transfers! I wore it all day on my oily lids without primer and nope, no smudges. Oh. My. God. See what I mean when I said How sad? I am sad that this pencil makes my eyes itch. Must be some of the ingredients I’m allergic to. Boo hoo! I’ve read many reviews and none with the same complaint. Maybe I should try it again and see if it still itches.

natural light

Here are the swatches. You will see that the colour is pretty intense and I only lightly drew on my arm. Because it’s so pigmented, super soft and easy to apply, I find that I only have to apply it with a very light hand. If I press a little too hard, I’m afraid I’ll squish the pencil. Yeah, it’s that soft.

flash

So, is this really comparable to the UD 24/7 liner? Texture wise, yes. They both apply very smoothly and both of them have awesome staying power. However, my eyes experience no irritations whatsoever using the UD 24/7 liner, and it is even safe for the waterline. The Milani Liquif’Eye also lacks variety, with only 5 basic colours to choose from.

If you want to try this out, I’d probably advise you to get just one, in case you’re also sensitive to some of its ingredients. My eyes are hardly allergic to liners or shadows though. Only old mascara. I wonder if I can find out what exactly I’m allergic to, so I can avoid it next time. This product is also paraben-free, and this is the first time I try a paraben-free eye liner. Maybe that’s the reason? LOL!

Here are the ingredients, if you’re interested. Can you spot any that might give me the itch?

Ingredients: Isododecane, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG/PPG-19/19 Dimethicone, Synthetic Wax, Hydrogenated Polydicyclopentadiene, C20-40 Alcohols, Nylon-12, Perfluorononyl Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate / Polyhydroxestearate / Sebacate, Polyethylene, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl, Hydroxyhydrocinnamate.

May contain: Ultramarines (CI 77007), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carmine (CI 75470), Aluminium Powder (CI 77000), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Black 2 (CI 77266), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Bronze Powder (CI 77400), Chromium Hydroxide Green (CI 77289), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Copper Powder (CI 77400), Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Red 40 Lake (CI 16035), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Zinc Oxide (CI 77947).

xoxo

Lily