Worth It: If You Can Use A Marker, You Can Wear Liquid Eyeliner

Much unlike many a magazine editor who recommends you buy all sorts of crap that they most likely got for free, your Jezebel staff doesn’t get jack shit (other than books, unsolicited). And that’s how it should be. But on our own time, in our personal lives, we still buy stuff. So this is Worth It, our daily recommendation of random things that we’ve actually spent our own money on. These are the things we buy regularly or really like, things we’d actually tell our friends about. And now we’re telling you.

For many people, applying makeup is a skill that can be learned and perfected with practice. For me, the key to good makeup is finding products that make it almost impossible to screw up. CoverGirl LineExact liquid liner is one of those products.

I have a sordid history with eyeliner. In high school, I just applied a line of dark shadow next to my lashes using a spong stick since that’s what my mom does (a thick line of teal shadow has been her signature look since the ’80s). Then a friend introduced me to this newfangled thing called an “eyeliner pencil.” It was thrilling, but I soon became disenchanted with my dried out Wet n Wild pencil and invested in a mechanical pencil so I wouldn’t have to rub a splintery wood stick on my eye. For years I stuck with Clinique Quickliner For Eyes because it entitled me to free crap at Bonus Time and came with a smudger on the end. I believed this would accomplish a “smokey eye” look, but it seemed my eyeliner was just evaporating entirely by my second class of the day.

Then several years ago I decided to investigate liquid liner. The first few I tried were so sloppy that it looked like I’d dragged the end of my mascara across my eyelid. Then I discovered CoverGirl LineExact. Basically, it’s a felt-tipped marker for your eyes. You don’t have to worry about getting the right amount of product on the applicator tip, just shake a few times before each use (there’s a some kind of bead inside) and you’re ready to apply. I gently pull my lid to the side (which you’re probably not supposed to do if you don’t want hideous, hideous wrinkles later in life) and swipe all the way across my top lash line and halfway across the bottom. The entire process takes about 15 seconds, including shaking and unscrewing the cap.

The line usually stays put all day, but it’s not intended to be a “long-wear” product (for that you should check out Revlon’s Colorstay eyeliner pencil). That’s fine with me, because it also means there’s no special removal procedure. I wash my face with soap and it’s gone.

LineExact comes in Smoke, Brown, Black Brown, and Very Black. I use Black Brown everyday and bought a tube of Very Black only for the requisite Joan Holloway Halloween costume. Apparently some people have a problem with it drying out or becoming watery. I’ll usually get several months of near-daily use from a tube before it dries out. In the past few years I had one tube that got watery within a week, but such is the nature of drug store makeup. Since CoverGirl has provided me with years of hassle-free eyeliner application, I’ll let that one slide.

CoverGirl LineExact Liquid Liner, $6.24, Target.com.

Worth It only features things we paid for ourselves and actually like. Don’t send us stuff.