A Bunch of Grapes: 5 Purple Eyeliners

Next to a bright lip, colored eyeliner is my favorite way to party up my look.  With my hooded lids, the color is just a flash whenever I blink or look down.

I love the color purple (not the movie, although that was good, too), so I’ve amassed a small collection of purple eyeliners (incl. one from Korean brand Touch in Sol).  Here they are, starting with my most to least favorite:

1. NYX Vivid Blossom ($7; liquid)
2. Stila Royal ($22 if you can find this discontinued gem; liquid)
3. Tarte Fairy Wings ($21; gel)
4. Ardency Inn Lilac ($20; pencil)
5. Touch in Sol Galactic Girl ($16; pencil)

First, swatch heaven:

Now for the reviews:

1. NYX Vivid Brights Liner in VBL09 VIVID BLOSSOM Review

Love this!  The pastel lavender goes on matte and opaque.  The matte finish can make skin look a little puckered, but the striking color outweighs that.  Surprisingly, the cheap- and floppy-looking brush works pretty well and hasn’t splayed.  Shake well first, and for a sharper line, wipe off excess onto the rim.  Lasts for 12+ hours.

Fun fact: In London, NYX has its own corner in Selfridges, next to Illamasqua and some fancy skincare brands.  (If you don’t know: NYX is a super cheapie brand in the U.S.)

2. Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in ROYAL Review

Love this one as much as the NYX.  It’s a shimmery, rich purple with mostly blue and purple microshimmers.  Shake well and apply two layers for opaque coverage (let the first layer dry before going for a second).  It stays on all day (12+ hours).  The felt tip is firm but slightly flexible; easy to control but hard to do a super sharp wing.

I only ranked it behind NYX Vivid Blossom because (1) it’s discontinued, (2) when it starts to come off, it comes off in flakes, and (3) the deeper purple isn’t as high impact as a pastel.

3. Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner in FAIRY WINGS Review

This creamy gel would be wonderful if not for (1) the super short lasting power on hooded lids (only 2 hours! booooo) and (2) the need for multiple passes to get opaque color.

I can’t use this alone.  Instead, I top it with an eyeliner sealer such as the Neogen Long Lasting Eyeliner Coating Serum, which extends the wear to 10-12 hours.  I also like using a fine-tipped brush because the usual flat angled brush seemed to just push the formula around too much, leading to bare spots.

4. Ardency Inn Modster Smooth Ride Supercharged Eyeliner in LILAC Review

Would not repurchase.  Creamy texture applies pretty smoothly and with just a little pressure. Applies almost entirely opaque with one pass. As with all pencil eyeliners though, lasting power was only a couple of hours on my upper lid, but at least it just disappears and fades rather than smearing. A good option if you don’t have that problem with pencils. Separate sharpener required.

5. Touch in Sol Style Neon Super Proof Gel Eyeliner in #1 GALACTIC GIRL Review

Would not repurchase.  Lighter and pinker than Ardency Inn Lilac.  This Touch in Sol eyeliner was the worst one by far because it is unusable now.  It initially applied fine with firm pressure, but now the tip is super hard (ahem), even after sharpening.

I managed to get an arm swatch for this post by swiping down really hard (and the swatch looks cakey because of that), but you can’t swipe that hard on your eyeball!  Even when it was brand new and usable, it lasted only a couple of hours on my hooded lids.  The only positives are that you can retract it up and down with a twist and that a sharpener is on the end.

What are your favorite colored eyeliners?