These Gel Eyeliners Are What I Call a “One-Swipe Wonder”

As a beauty editor, I’m always asked what my favorite celebrity makeup brand is, and the answer is always super easy and quick. For me, it’s been About-Face since its first drop back in 2021. I’m not necessarily a Halsey music fan so this isn’t me being biased; rather, it’s strictly based on my knowledge of good products. That said, I’ve basically tried everything in the brand minus About-Face’s Line Artist Longwear Gel Eyeliner. However, after it won a 2022 Best of Beauty Award, I decided that I definitely needed to try it.  

Full disclosure: I didn’t test eyeliners for the Best of Beauty testing process, so I didn’t have any say in the winner — and truthfully, eyeliner isn’t something I reach for often enough to be able to test an influx of them. But, throughout my years in the beauty industry, I’ve learned what makes a good eyeliner. For me, it’s all about pigment, color range, ease of glide, and longevity. With that checklist in mind, I decided it was time to try Line Artist and put it to my personal test. 

This eyeliner claims to be smudge-proof, waterproof, and sweat-proof, and it’s available in 13 super vibrant colors (no surprise here given About-Face’s colorful track record). Upon its arrival at my doorstep, I immediately noticed that it was packaged with a retractable sharpener. In my lazy beauty editor’s eyes, this is a major plus because I don’t have time or energy to be using pencil sharpeners anymore. Though About-Face was generous enough to send me every single shade, I immediately gravitated towards the hue Sadgrl, a matte cobalt blue.

I never wear color in my makeup. I’m more of a soft glam girl, so this was a new journey for me. I applied all my base makeup, including my favorite About-Face Cheek Freak Blush Balm, and created a graphic liner look with the liner. Keep in mind that I applied my foundation to my eyelids but set them with a setting powder (currently using Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder) because my eyelids can get oily throughout the day. 

From there, the application felt unmatched. The eyeliner glided with ease and created straight lines that barely took any real effort. The pigment is also what I call a one-swipe wonder, meaning the pink shade just needed one coat to show its vibrancy and I didn’t feel the need to layer additional pigment. I wore this graphic look all day and through the night, and once I got home it was still intact. As for the removal process, I worried it would put up a fight since it seemed so resistant — however, with just a pea-sized amount of my Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm, the formula broke down and melted away with ease.

This liner really passed all the tests for me. Its color range is incredible; it’s easy to use, and the pigment is truly the star of any makeup look. The About-Face’s Line Artist Longwear Gel Eyeliner may have officially converted me into an eyeliner girlie and I’m super proud of it. You can purchase this liner for $13 on ulta.com.