Armani Everything - Eyeliners

Giorgio Armani Beauty makes three different eyeliners, and I have and love them all. Each is different, and the look I want to achieve, along with color, drives which type I use.

Why do we wear eyeliner? Most of us would say to make our lashes look full and fabulous. For those who want an artsy look or the so-in-fashion cat's eye, eyeliner is a necessity.

A Best Things in Beauty reader asked about eyeliners that stay put. As a rule, women who have difficulties with eyeliners have oily eyelids. That reader reported dry eyelids that cause her eyeliner to flake off. Armani to the rescue! Maestro Liquid Eye Liner ($30) will not flake off - it won't melt or budge either. In fact, it's so tenacious it's hard for me to get it off at night when I have applied it right down in the base of my eyelashes.

A long-lasting, water-based liquid eyeliner with a tapered pen tip that facilitates application precision, Maestro Liquid Eye Liner produces sharp contrast and definition to the eyes. The matte black liquid shade (the only shade available) can be subtle if you draw a thin line as close as you can get it to your lash line or dramatic with a thicker line. If you have problems with pencil liners, this is the one for you.

There's another Armani liquid eyeliner, the newer Manta Ray Liquid Silk Eye Liner ($30), which is available in two shades, anthracite matte gray (charcoal) and midnight metallic blue ( greyish dark blue). This liner contains microdispersed waxes and micro-fil™ polymer to boost the color and ensure a long-lasting, quick-drying application. It's easy to apply, and it lasts all day for me. However, Loyd Cassler said that the Maestro Liquid Eye Liner is even more long-lasting than the Liquid Silk Eye Liner, so women with eyeliner "issues" should remember that.

Application of liquid liners isn't as hard as you might think. Instead of attempting to draw a precise line in one fell swoop, draw your line in sections. You'll get the hang of it quickly.

The third Armani liner, the Smooth Silk Eye Pencil ($26) is available in 10 shades. The pencil has color on one end and a smudger on the other. The 10 shades range from Pearl, which is a great eye opener when used in the inner corners or inside rim, to your basic black and brown, and then to the beautiful colors - copper, deep sapphire, intense forest green, purple, and more. These pencils have great slip; you don't have to fight to apply the silky formula. It's easy to apply the liners exactly where you want them, including dotted right into the base of the lashes (best done from below, not above, the lashes). You have a choice: precise line or the smudgy look. Either is easy to do with these eye pencils.

One trick that can really give you a lot of versatility with liner is to use eye shadow either under or over it. Shadow placed over liner can help it stay put, and it also allows you to change the color and intensity of the liner, depending on the color you use. If you want to grey-down your liner, use a lighter grey shadow over it. The possibilities are endless.

Do you wear eyeliner top and bottom or just top? Many makeup experts use a soft eyeliner at the lower lash line to "finish" the eye. Loyd cautions that women with small eyes should not do that - it makes their eyes look even smaller. I like a very small "fuzzy" and light line under the outer edge of my lower lashes, but I am often too rushed to bother. If I want to emphasize my eyes, though, I like that look. But never with black - too dark for me.

The Armani eyeliners are available on the Giorgio Armani Beauty Web site or at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Update: Armani Beauty online is offering a 20% discount and free shipping through the 18th. Use code MAKEOVER at checkout.

Photos courtesy of Armani Beauty.