Sometime in the not-so-distant future…
“Remember smog?”
“Smog! Of course I remember smog. It was one of my favorite things about the early twenty-first century.”
“Mine too!”
Years from now as you and I share a cheesecake in the middle of the night at our Miami home with the other Golden Girls — dibs on being the Sophia of the group! She’s short, cranky and carries her purse around everywhere, so I feel like I’d be a good fit — we’ll look back on this time as the era of Smog.
No, not the kind that hovers over the San Fernando Valley… I’m referring to Urban Decay’s $19 shimmery masterpiece of golden khaki bronze, the 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Smog.
“Gosh, we wore it with everything!” we’ll say. “We didn’t even touch black liners there for a while.”
It looked so good with summery golds, khakis, bronzes and browns. Even corals, purples and teals.
“Dang,” we’ll say, “that was one flexible liquid liner…”
You’ll roll your eyes as I retell the story (FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME) of how I was wearing waterproof Smog along my lash lines when I bumped into Ryan Gosling that time in Hawaii.
It was early in the morning just after dawn, hardly anyone else in the water, and I was sitting back on my surfboard waiting for the next wave. Smog’s shimmery, shiny finish caught the sunlight, which caught Ryan’s eye and prompted him to paddle over and say, “Hey girl.”
“We surfed, laughed and shared a shave ice that day,” I’ll say, “and Smog lasted from 10-12 hours.”
At some point you’ll remind me of my penchant for telling tall tales, and I’ll tap my plate with my fork, contemplating another slice of cheesecake. 🙂
What else can I say about Smog, babe? I just love it.
It’s waterproof and long-lasting enough to spend the day surfing and complements just about every eye color I’ve ever seen.
I love the way its golden khaki bronze color works with the kinds of colors I like to wear in summer.
And when it gets really hot — like so hot that you could fry an egg on the sidewalk — I’ll wear Smog with a waterproof mascara and a nice gloss.
If you’re looking to take a break from brown and brown liners, try Smog.
The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorite permanent collection products from a variety of bodacious beauty brands. 🙂
I recommend Mother’s Day brunch on the Sacramento River at View 202
Did you have a good weekend? El Hub and I drove up to Redding to spend a couple days with his mom and dad. My folks were out of town, so we’ll be celebrating Mother’s Day with them next weekend.
It was nice. Very relaxing, but HOT! Sticky, icky hot in the mid 90s.
That’s Redding for ya.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Phyrra says
I haven’t tried smog but I absolutely love Siren and Perversion and El Dorado 🙂
Karen says
All great colors, Phyrra!
Happy Tuesday!
Cristi says
I just bought Bobby Dazzle the other day after much lusting from a distance. I love it so much! I think I’m gonna have to pick up Smog next after reading this post.
Yes. It is decided.
Karen says
Yay, Christi! You will love it. 🙂
Icaria says
That is a nice color. I’m not that good with liquid e/l but since this is lighter than black, I just might try it. Thank you for the info. 🙂
Karen says
Hi Icaria,
You’re welcome. This shade is much more forgiving than black liner; you’ll do great!
meghan says
I used to have smog in the old formula and it was totally gorgeous! I really want to get my hands on this one too, Smog is a great color!
Karen says
Hi Meghan,
Definitely! It goes with almost everything. 🙂
Happy Tuesday!
Makeup Morsels says
hahaha gotta love those Ryan Gosling escapades! Smog is my all time favorite liquid liner (well it’s one of them. Illamasqua Wisdom is the other one because they’re dupes for each other haha). It really does go with everything though, and I like wearing it by itself too. Makes the best winged liner ever!
Karen says
Oh for sure! Have you ever tried it with a bit of gold just along the edge? It’s so pretty.
Alison M says
I haven’t yet been tempted to try liquid liner that isn’t black or brown. But UD 24/7 Glide-On in Smog is one of my top two favorite waterline pencils! On another note, there’s a mama goose and her babies that live nearby and all I can think is, “Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a gaggle of Goslings?”
Karen says
Hi Alison,
I have Smog pencil and it’s been a minute since I’ve worn it on my waterline. Thanks for reminding me! I’ll have to give it a go today. 🙂
Do you ever feed the mama goose and her little ones?
kristen @ glambunctious says
Great post, Karen! Love the way you weaved eyeliner into a story about meeting RyGos within a story about being a Golden Girl. Props! 🙂
Karen says
Hi Kristen,
Thanks! Which Golden Girl do you have dibs on? LOL
Kate Williamson says
Is this a liquid liner version of MAC tarnish pencil?
Karen says
Hi Kate,
MAC Tarnish is darker, more of a blackened green rather than a golden khaki. Here’s a swatch:
Gowthami says
i haven’t tried the smog … btw it looks wow..
Karen says
Wow indeed!
gio says
I’m not a big fan of liquid eyeliners, but this shade looks very pretty and versatile. Love it.
Karen says
Yes! It’s very versatile.
Janet says
Ohhhhhh, I love this in Perversion! It lasts through my long runs without so much as a smudge (yes, I wear eyeliner when I workout. I’m pretty scary without it). 😀
Karen says
Hi Janet,
GIRL, I totally get it. I can’t go to a gym or an exercise class without my brows filled in and my lashes curled. 🙂
Amy says
Very unique! Love that you turn reviews into stories. 🙂
Karen says
Thanks, Amy! XO
Charisma says
I always love smog, I got the glide on pencil which I use on my lower lash lines daily. Thank God UD came up with an idea to convert cool pencil colors to liquid. Karen, how long does it take to dry? Maybe if it’s over a minute, it be a turn off on my part.
Karen says
Hi Charisma,
It’s a little less than a minute; it’s relatively quick.
Kim says
I was running around this AM (the boys have pink eye) and forgot my liner. I actually feel naked without it so, even though I’m not a huge fan of anything yellow-y around my eyes, I’d try Smog today. 🙂
PS I like that in the Golden Girls re-boot, the stories will be “back in Hawaii” instead of St. Olaf. HAHA!
Karen says
Oh noes! Are the boys at home today? I hope they’re okay!
Kim says
No, believe it or not, the doctor didn’t even need to see them. They just called in the eye drop prescription to the pharmacy. It’s been going around their school like crazy. One of them got it last week (and then it spread to his other eye), and now the other has it in eye #1. They’re fine – I just got distracted with putting in the drops while my Pro Prime dried and then forgot to put on the liner. 🙂
Danielle says
Love this liner! Everyone around me is obsessed with The Gos. I’m starting to question why I’m not haha.
Karen says
Have you seen him without a shirt? LOL
Gowthami says
i love the shade lots….
Karen says
Yay!
Gowthami says
golden khaki color my fav 😛
Karen says
Awesome!
Melissa says
I LOVE UD’s liquid liners. I had originally bought the Mac Superslick’s (the gold, blue, purple, and black). I like the brush on UD’s better. I got Radium and Retrograde and they’re GORGEOUS! This is my favorite liner formula.
Karen says
Hi Melissa,
The brush is really nice — easy to control, and you can get those really skinny lines too.
I think I have both those colors around here somewhere. Will have do dust them off. What do you usually wear with them?
Ashley says
Dibs on being the Dorothy of the group! 😀 I’m all for sharing a cheesecake in their honor!
Elizabeth says
This is the only (so far) UD liquid liner I have- I use it all the time, it’s GORGEOUS with blue eyes. Actual favorite piece of makeup (and MAC Lady Danger, of course). And I can always make it darker by stamping Oil Slick shadow over it. What did you mean in an earlier comment about gold along the edge? I want to try that now…