Not to toot my own horn, but when it comes to liquid eyeliner, my special talent has been nailing a wing on my first try. Ever since I started using makeup, I’ve been quite good at creating a bold cat eye with the right liquid liner. But, as both trends and my person taste have evolved, I’ve found myself gravitating towards a softer, more blended-out eye look where a liquid liner is just not suitable.
In an attempt to create those blended, “siren eyes” I see all over TikTok, I’ve recently started experimenting more with gel and crayon liners to create that softer, almost-shadow like effect. I learned quickly, though, that creating a sharp line that easily blends out is no easy feat, and have found myself frustrated with gel liners that don’t go on smooth or don’t mold easily once they’re on the skin. I was about to give up on achieving my new aesthetic until I discovered Gwen Stefani‘s collection of creamy gel liners, and now I’m back to nailing my liner first try and getting that blendable, muted look with no frustration.
What it is:
A staple product from Gwen Stefani’s brain-child brand, the GXVE Line It Up 24 Hour Waterproof Gel Eyeliner ($20) is a long-lasting, creamy pencil eyeliner that glides on with ease and makes creating custom looks that last all night as simple as can be. This waterproof eyeliner gel pencil features both bold, high-impact pigment and a creamy formula that glides on smoothly and blends out seamlessly.
My favorite part about this liner is that the blendable formula allows for some “playtime” upon application, where you can easily blend and touch up your look before the product sets itself for 24 hours of waterproof wear. In the past, I thought I’d either have to sacrifice smudge-proof wear for products that were easy to blend or vice versa, but GXVE’s Line It Up liner is truly the best of both worlds.
How to use:
Everybody has their preference when it comes to creating their signature eye look, but for me, I take the gel pencil and start by creating the outline of a wing before connecting the cat-eye flick to the rest of my eye line and water line. The best part about this gel liner is the initial application doesn’t have to be perfect, since blending out is so easy. I then take a flat eye shadow brush (or, honestly, my fingers if I’m in a pinch) and buff out the wing to create a softer extension of the eye before brushing along my lid and water line to blend the whole look together.
GXVE’s Line It Up pencil comes in 10 shades, and I have this product to thank for introducing me to the wonders of deep purple liners for enhancing my natural eye color. I have naturally brown eyes with some flecks of green throughout, and using the liner in the shade Violet Timing made my eyes pop so much I had people complimenting my orbs with each wear.
Price/where to buy:
$20, gxvebeauty.com
