What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.
OK…I don’t know how you feel about liquid eyeliner in general, but this is THE best black liquid eyeliner in the known universe, IMO, and yes, I think it’s just as good as the Tom Ford pen.
(Yup, *that* $58 Tom Ford Liner.)
It’s the Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Eyeliner Pen, and it’s a comparatively bargain $22. It does so many of the things that the Tom Ford liner does, and does them just as well. It’s a deep, dark black; it draws super skinny lines; dries quickly; it’s really, REALLY easy to use.
It’s got one of those long, flexible felt tips, so if you want to draw an ultra-fine line on your upper lash line or a precise cat flick in the outer corner, you can easily do it, even if you’re all thumbs, half-asleep or in a hurry.
Normally, I’d never dream of applying liquid liner when I’m in a rush, but it’s totally doable with this one. There’s something kinda magical about it and very user-friendly…which is probably why they call it the Pretty Easy Liquid Eyeliner Pen, ha!
One of my favorite things about it is the ~20-second drying time, which doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but it’s just enough to either 1) let the line dry on its own, or, 2) and this is what I like to do, I grab a smudge brush and feather out the edge of the line to make it look blended and smooth.
And after that 20 seconds, you can blink, roll your eyes or whatever, and your liner won’t transfer up onto your lids! Once this stuff is dry, it’s smudge-proof and budge-proof.
But that’s not all! You can also find it pretty much anywhere. I love that I can just pop into the Novato Sephora and grab one if I “need to,” or that I can stop by a Clinique counter at Macy’s or Nordstrom.
I should probably get a new one soon because mine is looking very…well-loved, ha ha ha!
I’m kinda kicking myself for not picking up an extra one during the last VIB sale, but hey, there’s always another sale around the corner, right?
Oh! — I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this yet. Almost forgot! The finish on this liner? It’s different than most. It’s not as shiny as Tom Ford’s, but it’s not like a matte gel liner either, like MAC Blacktrack. It’s somewhere between the two, which also makes it easy to wear with many different looks.
It’s good stuff… No, GREAT stuff. I’m all for flexibility.
Oh! — I just keep remembering things. This liner also washes off very easily with a makeup remover. You don’t have to sit there for hella days, scrubbing your life away.
OK, I think that’s the end. 🙂 Yeah. That really is the end!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. 
This is my HG liquid liner! A forever repurchase!
YES! It’s so good!
It’s not smudgeproof for me 🙁 I still use it, because yes, it’s super easy for the everyday cat eye liner, but won’t repurchase. And will use it up, don’t want it to go to waste. Blacktrack for me smudges even more, and I don’t know what to do with it. Just toss it? Or use it for something else, something creative that doesn’t need to last.
Hi Ditte,
You can use Blacktrack as an eye base. Layer MAC Club (or any similar teal/green/gray/brown duochrome) on top.
Awesome, thanks for the idea, Karen 🙂
You’re welcome. It should help the shadows last! It also looks gorgeous on any metallic jewel tones — greens and purples, especially!
I love the Unsung Heroes posts. I’ve tried so many great products because of them.
Karen, how would you say this compares to the Stila pen liner?
Hi April,
I’m so glad you enjoy the series! I used the Stila liner ages ago and thought it was OK. I remember having a slight issue getting a crisp edge on the line. I did like the depth of the color though!
Love this product!! I use it for intense eyeliner days because I’m stuck on UD Desperation at the moment but I’ve never thought of smudging it to blend which is totally more my style.
I hope you’re able to get everything sorted out with that ass that stole your identity. What a crap thing!!
Hi Jade,
It’s surprisingly easy to smudge! I usually like to keep a pointy brush nearby since it does dry relatively fast.
These kind of liners do tend to dry out on me so quickly, so I rarely purchase them anymore. How long does this one last?
A long time. Notice how there’s no writing on the packaging. lol
Oooh and it comes in brown! (I prefer brown as black can too much for my eyes).
Love the cute tgif gif ?
I’ve always been afraid of liquid liner. I’ve always been afraid that my hands weren’t steady enough and I’d look like a fool, but I’ve discovered that I can do a better winged liner with a felt tip eyeliner. Just for practice, I just picked up a couple of drugstore/budget liners (NK’s Microfine Artliner). They’re awesome. Next year this time, I might graduate to the big boy eyeliner from Clinique. Thanks for the suggestions.
This in brown is my favorite liquid liner. SO easy to use and not irritating at all.
I almost bought this and then yesterday I went to Ulta to pick up some Clinique and it was a gift with purchase! FYI for anyone who needs some skincare AND this liner (which I did…desperately…after reading Karen’s blog…which is why I also have All the CHANEL…hahaha). <3
Can't wait to try it!
I bought this at some point, but it didn’t think it was black enough. My sister enjoyed it though!