This New Eyeliner Will Change Your Tight-Lining Game

One of my favorite things to do on "light" makeup days is to tight-line — when you trace eyeliner under your upper lash line and into your lashes to give the illusion of a fuller set, without any obvious lining up top. It's a pretty magical trick. The only downside? Almost every eyeliner I've tried lets me down, resulting in raccoon-like smudges. Or worse, my eye just seems to eat the stuff up. (Which, I'll be honest, really freaks me out.) I found a couple that worked okay — not great — before DHC's Gel Pencil Eyeliner EX rolled into my life. I was skeptical when I discovered the twist-up pencil at a recent brand event. I assumed the product, which has no mention of the word "waterproof" in its name, would be like many other liners I've tried (smudgy, subpar). But no: After a few seconds, that thing set to an intensely black, budge-proof finish. I even rubbed and rubbed at the mark on my hand, and nothing came off. This is my new tight-lining eyeliner, I thought. I brought it home, tried it out the next day, and loved the effect it gave. I traced the liner along the inner rim of my upper lash line and into the roots of my lashes — and, 10 hours later, the product was still intact. I will admit the formula is a little hard and can tug at the eye at times. When this happens, I like to warm up the pencil by sweeping it on the back of my hand before moving it onto my eyes. (Just keep an effective makeup remover handy.) Since the product dries so fast, you don't have much time for smudging, so this isn't really a liner for smoky eyes. But for just about everything else? You're set. DHC Gel Pencil Eyeliner EX, $10, available at DHC.