Illamasqua Precision Ink Liquid Liner, Swatches and Review

Illamasqua released the Precision Ink Liquid Liner for their Fall 2010 Art of Darkness collection. I've been in the market for a good liquid liner for ages, so I was really excited to try it out, even though the price was a little steep at $27. I actually impulsively bought both the black, Abyss, and the gold, Alchemy, before giving either a good try because I'm a sucker for anything gold. I'm only reviewing Abyss today, because I haven't had much of an opportunity to use Alchemy yet. Both colors feature a felt tip applicator and true vivid pigment. I'm not so great at applying liquid liner, so I'm happy to have an easy to use applicator like this one. The precision of the applicator is definitely just that, there's a lot of control.

So I'm not a liquid liner connoisseur, but I definitely expect quality from just about any beauty product that I use, and I must say I'm very disappointed with the Precision Ink Liquid Liner. I really wanted to like it, I really wanted to have a HG liquid liner that would stand by me to the end. But this is certainly not it. My biggest complaint about liquid liners in general is that if you aren't super careful of your eye area, it flakes right off. I always inadvertently rub the corner of my eye (which is actually out of habit, because I want to rub away any mascara gunk that might have accumulated), and end up with lopsided liner. This liner is billed as being long-wearing, but it's just as guilty as the rest for flaking. It's possible that a primer of some sort would fix the problem, but I'm not really down for that. I feel that I shouldn't have to apply something else to the whole lid in order for a liquid liner to last all day. Although, maybe I'm also expecting too much.

Another aspect of this liner that would disqualify it from HG status is the fact that it dries glossy. Only a matte liquid liner would enter that particular hall of fame. I'll definitely get a lot of use of the Precision Ink Liquid Liner because I intend on using it up, but unfortunately I won't be repurchasing. I think that Alchemy, the gold color, is a better buy. It's not for everyday wear, but the color is so beautiful and true to life that it's very much worth having. Tis the season to be festive after all.