My Search for the Perfect Eyeliner

Some women need concealer, some women need blush. Others would take a lipstick to a desert island while still others need mascara. As for me, the only indispensable thing in my makeup bag is eyeliner.

At sixteen, I was introduced to the life-transforming---ok, face-transforming---properties of eyeliner by a Merle Norman saleswoman. I was given a gift certificate by a well meaning relative, and I found myself in a chair undergoing what the saleswoman euphemistically called an "intro" to their line. After half an hour, I looked in the mirror and...gasped in horror. But beyond the painted on eyebrows, the pancake makeup and the orange blush (with matching lipstick, natch) I saw that my eyes were more defined, and that, in turn, made the rest of my face look better. I became a convert, and have worn eyeliner nearly every day since.

There was only one catch. Because my eyes have a tendency to water, eyeliner had a maddening way of smudging into half moons below my eyes. I lived with this until, about a year ago, I found myself at a makeup counter at Neiman Marcus, and was taught a technique for lining my eyes right on the lash line. I loved it, but this method resulted in the eyeliner smudging faster. Thus began my quest for an eyeliner that would keep me from looking like a raccoon twenty minutes after I had artfully made myself up.

My search ranged from mass market retailers like Target and Avon to department stores such as Neiman Marcus, and specialty boutiques like the MAC store and Sephora. I've tried literally dozens of products, and not surprisingly, had the most success with products labeled "waterproof" or "long-lasting".