I was in pursuit of a good waterline brightener for a while before I found this one. None of the other contenders I experimented with quite hit the spot. I'm fair-skinned with warm undertones (approximately NC15) and not pale or cool-toned enough for white pencil to look convincing; Benefit Eye Bright (pale pink) was too cool; Stila Kajal in Topaz and similar "nude" shades were too dark. Vow is described by Illamasqua as a "cool apricot yellow", but it's not noticeably cool, to me anyway. Swatched on white paper it's a light creamy buff shade that's perfect for my colouring but would probably suit most people with fair or fair-bordering-on-medium complexions, except for those whose undertones are very obviously cool. The effect isn't harsh but eliminates redness in a very pseudo-natural way, making this a great shortcut to looking awake, perky and naturally pulled together. I mainly wear it on the waterline, but it also works well at bringing light to the inner eye corners, the cupid's bow and the browbone.

Colour aside, the formula of this pencil is another point in its favour. Illamasqua Medium Pencils aren't specifically marketed as long-lasting products, so I was prepared for some maintenance to be necessary. I've been surprised to find that on my waterline this lasts the duration of an average day (barring tears, heavy rain etc) without needing a touch-up. I have sensitive eyes and wear contact lenses, but have experienced no irritation at all. My success with this shade has meant that I now own another colour in the Medium Pencil (Fidelity, "milk chocolate brown") and am considering others, so the clear cap for the minimal black-and-cream packaging is helpful for distinguishing between colours in my stash. It's not inexpensive, but nor is sampling and rejecting myriad other eyeliners, drugstore or otherwise. Overall, a staple, a secret weapon, and highly recommended. Available in the UK at selected branches of Debenhams and illamasqua.com, £13/1.5g.

Illamasqua is finally in Melbourne! Yay. I bought this for my water line, as white pencils are much too stark. It's a nice off white creamy colour and it is perfect! The only downside is that it wears off after several hours, but I can deal with that.

Illamasqua's Medium Pencils are liners in a traditional sense, but the interesting thing is that all shades seem to be eye- and lipsafe. Which is great from both a creative (red eyeliner, anyone?) and financial aspect, since there is no differentiation between eye- and lipliners. So far, I only own one shade, but I would definitely consider their impressive range of light and pastel shades if I were a makeup artist.

The colour I own is Vow, which is described as a cool, apricot yellow on their website. I agree with the cool, but I fail to see any apricot in it. I specifically bought it to use it on my lower waterline. Any white liners were to harsh, Stila's Topaz was too unnatural. Vow is ideal. Its toned-down yellow cancels out any redness on the waterline, making my eyes look wider and rested, yet still natural. But aside from that, I was very pleased to discover that there were other uses for this particular shade, at least if you have fair to medium skin (I myself am very fair).

It makes a good, if somewhat dryish base on your eyelids (similar to Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage), eliminating redness the same way it does on the waterline. It can be used a step before your highlighter to emphazise your eyebrows (similar to Benefit's High-Brow), lifting the area a little. Or, if you have a really red blemish, you can dot it on to make a great corrector before you conceal it.

As you can see, this particular shade is incredibly versatile. The consistency isn't very hard, nor very creamy (like UD's 24/7 liners) which means that it sits in the happy middle. It doesn't need sharpening very often, I had it for weeks before the end has become too small and blunt to use. This has become very quickly a staple in my stash. I'll rebuy this until it becomes discontinued or I'll kick the bucket! :-)