I am of the mindset that you can never, ever have too many black eyeliners. There are so many formulas, iterations, color gradations, and brands. It's a problem for me, as I scoop up black eyeliners on the regular. Of course I had to try the Kylie Cosmetics Kyliner Kit in Black. I logged onto the brand's site the day that the Kyliners went on sale, grabbed the black version for $36, and eagerly awaited its arrival. I loved the fact that the Kyliners come with a pencil liner, a pot of rich, inky gel liner, and an angled brush. That shook out to about $12 per item in the kit, which falls in line with prestige brands. As a devotee of MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack and Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner, I couldn't wait to "wing it" and to see how Kyliner would hold up. I've been using Kyliner for four days now and here's what happened.
I am pleased to report that the black Kyliner gel has serious staying power. It doesn't budge. At all. It could survive a zombie apocalypse. It stays put, adhering to the upper lashline and lid in almost semi-permanent fashion. When correcting a common gel liner mistake — applying too thick of a line — I had a difficult time removing the excess with a pointy cotton swab.
I had to gingerly and carefully dip the tip in micellar water to "erase" the excess! When removing my makeup that night, I had to wet my makeup remover wipe a little more than usual in order to get the Kyliner off.
The pencil liner lined my waterline beautifully. It's not as black as, say, MAC Smolder, but it is black enough. It was also easy to smudge and to smoke out my lower lashline.
The main verdict? The Kyliner is pigmented and stays put.
It was super easy to use when creating a cat-eye flick.
Yes, I took this pic with my eyes closed. But I did so in order to show the depth and darkness. I was super happy with the color and the texture.
I opted for a thicker line this time out. But you can go thinner if you like. Kyliner is versatile and avails itself of thick or thin flicks.
The angled brush is easy to grip. But I personally prefer MAC's straight tip 209 brush when applying gel liner.
MAC 209 Eyeliner Brush, $29.66, Amazon
I love this brush since I can pack the tip with product and get better control. But the Kyliner brush is just fine for doing the cat eye flick. Kyliner also plays well with other tools!
I definitely am happy with this purchase. It's not more special than my MAC and Maybelline faves. But it does the job similarly and is a welcome addition my collection of black liners.
Images: Courtesy of Brands (2); Amy Sciarretto (6)
