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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Eyeliner Pen

December 7th, 2018 by Karen 17 Comments

clinique pretty easy liquid eyeliner pen 2
I love this so much that I rubbed off the writing on the package!

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

OK…I don’t know how you feel about liquid eyeliner in general, but this is THE best black liquid eyeliner in the known universe, IMO, and yes, I think it’s just as good as the Tom Ford pen.

(Yup, *that* $58 Tom Ford Liner.)

It’s the Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Eyeliner Pen, and it’s a comparatively bargain $22. It does so many of the things that the Tom Ford liner does, and does them just as well. It’s a deep, dark black; it draws super skinny lines; dries quickly; it’s really, REALLY easy to use.

It’s got one of those long, flexible felt tips, so if you want to draw an ultra-fine line on your upper lash line or a precise cat flick in the outer corner, you can easily do it, even if you’re all thumbs, half-asleep or in a hurry.

Normally, I’d never dream of applying liquid liner when I’m in a rush, but it’s totally doable with this one. There’s something kinda magical about it and very user-friendly…which is probably why they call it the Pretty Easy Liquid Eyeliner Pen, ha!

clinique pretty easy liquid eyeliner pen 1
When you try to make kissy faces and look awkward but decide to just go with it anyway. (That’s the liner on my upper lash lines, by the way.)

One of my favorite things about it is the ~20-second drying time, which doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but it’s just enough to either 1) let the line dry on its own, or, 2) and this is what I like to do, I grab a smudge brush and feather out the edge of the line to make it look blended and smooth.

And after that 20 seconds, you can blink, roll your eyes or whatever, and your liner won’t transfer up onto your lids! Once this stuff is dry, it’s smudge-proof and budge-proof.

But that’s not all! You can also find it pretty much anywhere. I love that I can just pop into the Novato Sephora and grab one if I “need to,” or that I can stop by a Clinique counter at Macy’s or Nordstrom.

I should probably get a new one soon because mine is looking very…well-loved, ha ha ha!

clinique pretty easy liquid eyeliner pen 3
This is the finish after it dries. Sorry for my sloppy lines… I just drank a ton of coffee and was hella shaky, LOL.

I’m kinda kicking myself for not picking up an extra one during the last VIB sale, but hey, there’s always another sale around the corner, right?

Oh! — I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this yet. Almost forgot! The finish on this liner? It’s different than most. It’s not as shiny as Tom Ford’s, but it’s not like a matte gel liner either, like MAC Blacktrack. It’s somewhere between the two, which also makes it easy to wear with many different looks.

It’s good stuff… No, GREAT stuff. I’m all for flexibility.

Oh! — I just keep remembering things. This liner also washes off very easily with a makeup remover. You don’t have to sit there for hella days, scrubbing your life away.

OK, I think that’s the end. 🙂 Yeah. That really is the end!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S.

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Eyeliner Pen / Originally published December 7th, 2018

There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Clinique, Eyes, Makeup, Unsung Heroes

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Comments

  1. Indya says

    December 7th, 2018 at 8:11 am

    This is my HG liquid liner! A forever repurchase!
    Indya recently posted … My Most Effective Skincare Product: At-Home Facial Steamer (Trust Me, You Need This!)

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 7th, 2018 at 8:50 am

      YES! It’s so good!

      Reply
  2. Ditte K. says

    December 7th, 2018 at 8:29 am

    It’s not smudgeproof for me 🙁 I still use it, because yes, it’s super easy for the everyday cat eye liner, but won’t repurchase. And will use it up, don’t want it to go to waste. Blacktrack for me smudges even more, and I don’t know what to do with it. Just toss it? Or use it for something else, something creative that doesn’t need to last.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 7th, 2018 at 8:51 am

      Hi Ditte,

      You can use Blacktrack as an eye base. Layer MAC Club (or any similar teal/green/gray/brown duochrome) on top.

      Reply
      • Ditte K. says

        December 7th, 2018 at 3:23 pm

        Awesome, thanks for the idea, Karen 🙂

        Reply
        • Karen says

          December 7th, 2018 at 4:21 pm

          You’re welcome. It should help the shadows last! It also looks gorgeous on any metallic jewel tones — greens and purples, especially!

          Reply
  3. April says

    December 7th, 2018 at 11:46 am

    I love the Unsung Heroes posts. I’ve tried so many great products because of them.
    Karen, how would you say this compares to the Stila pen liner?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 7th, 2018 at 2:13 pm

      Hi April,

      I’m so glad you enjoy the series! I used the Stila liner ages ago and thought it was OK. I remember having a slight issue getting a crisp edge on the line. I did like the depth of the color though!

      Reply
  4. Jade says

    December 7th, 2018 at 11:56 am

    Love this product!! I use it for intense eyeliner days because I’m stuck on UD Desperation at the moment but I’ve never thought of smudging it to blend which is totally more my style.

    I hope you’re able to get everything sorted out with that ass that stole your identity. What a crap thing!!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 7th, 2018 at 2:10 pm

      Hi Jade,

      It’s surprisingly easy to smudge! I usually like to keep a pointy brush nearby since it does dry relatively fast.

      Reply
  5. LindaLibraLoca says

    December 7th, 2018 at 1:02 pm

    These kind of liners do tend to dry out on me so quickly, so I rarely purchase them anymore. How long does this one last?
    LindaLibraLoca recently posted … Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm – Late to the party

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 7th, 2018 at 2:08 pm

      A long time. Notice how there’s no writing on the packaging. lol

      Reply
  6. Miki says

    December 8th, 2018 at 12:55 pm

    Oooh and it comes in brown! (I prefer brown as black can too much for my eyes).
    Love the cute tgif gif 😘

    Reply
  7. BrooklynShoeBabe says

    December 8th, 2018 at 2:18 pm

    I’ve always been afraid of liquid liner. I’ve always been afraid that my hands weren’t steady enough and I’d look like a fool, but I’ve discovered that I can do a better winged liner with a felt tip eyeliner. Just for practice, I just picked up a couple of drugstore/budget liners (NK’s Microfine Artliner). They’re awesome. Next year this time, I might graduate to the big boy eyeliner from Clinique. Thanks for the suggestions.

    Reply
  8. Chelsea says

    December 8th, 2018 at 3:35 pm

    This in brown is my favorite liquid liner. SO easy to use and not irritating at all.

    Reply
  9. Nicole says

    December 9th, 2018 at 4:49 am

    I almost bought this and then yesterday I went to Ulta to pick up some Clinique and it was a gift with purchase! FYI for anyone who needs some skincare AND this liner (which I did…desperately…after reading Karen’s blog…which is why I also have All the CHANEL…hahaha). <3
    Can't wait to try it!

    Reply
  10. Lupe says

    December 9th, 2018 at 5:09 pm

    I bought this at some point, but it didn’t think it was black enough. My sister enjoyed it though!
    Lupe recently posted … Colourpop & Glossier Haul + Swatches

    Reply

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog
Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, which I’ve been doing daily since 2007 (!), you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my four-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my torbie girl cat (Pretty Girl Rosie, a.k.a. PGR).

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