My quest for the perfect eyeliner: Part One

Aah college … a taste of independence, man-packed parties, the luxury of spending an hour or more getting ready in the morning. Alas, the older I get, the less time it seems I have to pull myself together before rushing out the door. So to expedite the process, I thought I’d try a marker-tip eyeliner.

Chantecaille's Le Stylo is a breeze to apply.

My first experiment: Le Stylo Liquid Eyeliner, $26, from Chantecaille, a New York-based cosmetics company with an emphasis on botanicals. It is perhaps best known for its natural-looking, translucent foundations. The brand name comes from French-born Sylvie Chantecaille, a beauty industry veteran, who founded the firm with her daughter in 1997; another daughter and her husband are also involved.

Chantecaille’s web site describes Le Stylo as “a dramatic, long-lasting liquid liner [that] delivers a highly precise thin line of color. … A specially designed applicator tip ensures optimal control in application, while a high percentage of water ensures intense, extreme color.”

And indeed it is a breeze to apply. The light formula makes it easy to blend the line with little mess. It’s also great because it doesn’t flake off throughout the day the way heavier liquid liners tend to do. That said, I can’t give it high marks on staying power. When I use it on lower lashes, even with a dusting of powder first, it fades by midday. It’s easy enough to reapply but, at $26 a tube, that was a little disappointing. [Read more…]