This liquid eyeliner can withstand the sweatiest dance nights—and I’m obsessed
I’ve been wearing liquid eyeliner since I was a virgin who couldn’t drive. I’ve tried drugstore eyeliners, designer eyeliners, a mix of drugstore and designer eyeliners at the same time. I’ve flicked my wrist to make parakeet wings and pterodactyl wings, depending on the day, and am over a decade deep on investigating the best smudge-proof liquid eyeliners on the market. So when our Senior Beauty Editor handed me the Marc Jacobs Highliner Liquid Gel Eyeliner to test for our Beauty Crush Awards, I didn’t get my hopes up for a lasting love affair. I’ve given plenty of products a try and few get past a smudge test or a first date.
I tried the Marc Jacobs liner during a night where I was hosting a dinner party and I ended up eating my words. The liner lasted through appetizers, dinner, drinks, more drinks, dancing on a stage, and a 4 A.M. wind-down that had my roommate asking, “Why are there olive pits everywhere?” the next day. Needless to say, I did not wash my face that night. And while I might have left it all on the dance floor, my eyeliner was still there in the morning—mostly intact. I could have rolled out of bed and gone to get a bagel looking perfectly made-up. And maybe I did.
I have oily eyelids, which causes most eyeliners to run off or down my face before the end of a tame workday. This waterproof gel formula has a slightly tacky consistency that stays put. It can withstand a shower, but it will come off with an oil-based cleanser. For the same reason, this eyeliner can’t withstand the natural oils of my skin if I rub my eyes a bunch at work (nobody tell the CDC on me), but instead of running off underneath my eyes, it just disappears. For that reason alone, the Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Liquid Gel Eyeliner has me switching permanently from my liquid eyeliner mainstay (the KVD Tattoo Eyeliner).
The liner’s felt tip starts as a strong base, then narrows down to a sharp point, and that stability plus precision gives you perfect control to flick super-sharp lines. You need to apply a couple of layers to get the full pigment, but I find that I do that naturally while building out to a long wing anyway, so I’m not too mad about it. The liner comes in 12 shades, from basic black to metallic rose gold, so there’s a color for every mood and desired lewk.
In conclusion: I don’t recommend not washing your face before bed, but I do recommend this eyeliner.
