I love this eyeliner! I'd never used liquid eyeliner before this because I was scared my hands weren't steady enough to apply it. But I applied this for the first time - in a moving vehicle - and it went on perfectly with no mistakes! It's easy to make a winged eyeliner look too.

Guess what? I'm soul-crushingly bad at applying eyeliner, yet Milani's Eye Tech is somehow awesome enough to transform a total klutz into a cat-eyed Amazon goddess (or at least it makes me feel like it, which is good enough for me). Yes, this is the one drugstore eyeliner you MUST have if you're at the end of your rope, because it is a total game changer.


The applicator is soft enough not to drag at your eyelid, and deposits color with perfect evenness and a lovely fine line. Yet it's not so soft that the brush squishes and gets pigment all over the place. I think it's the perfect length for comfort as well (that's what SHE said...). In fact, I have yet to poke myself in the eye with this, which is really rare for me!


I tried Prestige's liquid liner before this, since everyone always says it's the best drugstore liquid liner, but I could never get a line with it that wasn't wobbly. I think the big differentiator here is in the shape and comfort of the brush or 'pen' you hold to apply the product. The Milani pen is, well, shaped like any other long pen, and it's easy to hold in the awkward position that applying eyeliner necessitates. In contrast, the Prestige pen is some kind of weird mutant alien cone shape. I'm sure makeup pros can use it with ease, but I cannot, and therefore I am sticking with Milani from now on!


In comparison to the much-touted Milani Liquif'eye pencil liner, it's easier to get a precise line with Eye Tech Extreme. Eye Tech bleeds less at the *corner* of your eye than Liquif'eye, and transfers less color down under your eye over the day. Liquif'eye smudges more easily when touched directly, and is so soft that you sometimes leave crumbly bits of product on your eyelid/lashes when applying. There is also less loss of product with Eye Tech since you don't have to sharpen it. They're both tough to remove, but Vaseline normally works when all else has failed. Overall, I think Liquif'eye is better if you want a smudgy kohl look, and Eye Tech Extreme is better if you want a precise line.


As usual, Milani delivers incredible value for their price. I don't know how they do it, but I really hope they don't stop. I can find Milani at some Walgreens and CVS locations, so they are probably in some Duane Reade stores as well. I think they also sell online. Unfortunately, I have never seen this brand while traveling outside the US.

Okay, here is the scoop on the Eye Tech eyeliners:

If you have the long typical pen-length black plastic eyeliner, you have the *Eye Tech Extreme*. It is touted as being waterproof, long-wearing, and non-feathering.
If you have the short 2/3pen-length gold metal eyeliner, you have the *Eye Tech*. It is touted as being smudge-proof. That's it.

If you notice, the Eye Tech Extreme does not state that it's smudge-proof. Good thing they did not promise it would be smudge-proof, because it definitely smudged onto my lower lid after a few hours. Mind you, not smudged as bad as say pencil or gel eyeliner, but definitely a noticeable grey coloring.
Is it waterproof? Yes. But if you rub the Extreme under water, it will smudge - BUT it will stay wherever you smudged it. Which essentially makes it waterproof since it doesn't float/flake off somewhere else.
I'd say this is an exact dupe of Stila's Stay All Day Eyeliner, with the same amount of smudgeyness.

Now, about the regular Eye Tech (the shorty with the gold casing) - it's not waterproof (will come off with water + rubbing) but it is DEFINITELY 100% smudgeproof. I've worn Eye Tech for 20 hours straight and came home with zero smudging. The only downside is if you rub your eyes HARD (and I do mean hard, like seeing stars hard), it will flake off.
How smudgeproof is the regular shorty gold cased Eye Tech? I apply a somewhat oily slippery sunblock onto my eyes, and 1 minute later apply the Eye Tech eyeliner on. AND IT STAYS ON. No moving whatsoever afterward. It's great.
I have noticed one strange attribute about the regular Eye Tech eyeliner. After I apply it, it leaves a strangely cool/cold sensation where the eyeliner was applied. I'm thinking this formula has a specific ingredient in it that creates this "cool/coldness" to prevent the eyeliner from smudging and hold it intact. It was strange at first, but I'm definitely used to it now.
Also, for people who say theirs came out watery, you either didn't shake it or you actually got a bad eyeliner. So first shake it! And if that doesn't work, return it ASAP!

So I guess whether the regular *Eye Tech* or *Eye Tech Extreme* is better for you depends upon your needs.
If you have a tendency to be oily and need to not look like a zombie panda, get the regular shorty gold-case *Eye Tech*.
If you don't have a history of having problems with liner transferring but are looking for waterproof black eyeliner, the *Eye Tech Extreme* is for you.

But for me? Eye Tech, the shorty gold case, is my favorite.

P.S. Both come off easily with warm water + facial cleanser.

- EDIT 1/30/2013 -
To be honest, the Eye Tech Extreme (black plastic) is easier to use towards the end of the pen's life. Using the Eye Tech (the gold one) is like fighting the pen to disperse the last of the ink. UGHHHH. Okay. My love goes back to the Eye Tech Extreme more than the regular Eye Tech.

I'm in the process of testing the most popular drugstore eyeliners, mostly those that are touted as being very black and waterproof/smugeproof, so if that's what you're looking for, feel free to check my profile for further reviews/comparisons. As of writing this review, this is my first review among the many many drugstore eyeliners I have purchased for this purpose.

PRO'S:
*This eyeliner is extremely user-friendly. Use the point to draw a thin (and smooth) line and/or for creating a very precise wing; or lay it at an angle for a thicker (and smooth) line (the more you angle the felt applicator towards the lash line, the thicker the line will be).
*Doesn't skip
*Very black and deposits rich, deep black color with ease, so no need to go over the line again and again to get a very black line
*BUT! if you want it even blacker, you can go over it again and it won't flake or peel or remove the previous line you drew. The first line is very black as it is, so a second application does deepen it just a bit to achieve something like the blackest blackest black.
*Is not Harsh! My apprehension with liquid liners (esp black) was they were always so harsh-looking compared to pencils and gel-liners of equal or greater pigmentation. This liquid liner I do not need to soften by topping it with a black shadow due to it not being harsh-looking at all.
*Packaging. This is actually a pro and con, because there is a con to the packaging which I will talk about in the CONS section of my review. But the PRO is how sleek it is, and I love the black with gold lettering. Reminds me of Dolce & Gabbana, whom's beautiful black and gold packaging in most of their makeup line, purse line, and their winter runway clothing designs, are the sole reason I wanted (and finally got) a black leather purse with gold hardware. I love this packaging, it's very expensive looking, and looks like it could have been a product by D&G.
*Long-wearing, transfer and smudge resistant. (not transfer and smudge-proof, however)
*Doesn't flake and color stays true.

CONS:
*While I love the black/gold look of the packaging, what I don't like is that I can't put the cap on the other end of the liner during application (i.e. as you can with most pens that have a cap). No matter how many times I use this liner, I still take the cap off and attempt to place it on the other end of the liner, only to be reminded that the design doesn't allow for that. I have to set the cap down somewhere during application, which means I have to make sure it's in on a level or in a secure place so it doesn't roll off somewhere and get lost, and if that were to happen, the eyeliner would eventually get ruined due to not having a cap.
*This eyeliner IS NOT WATERPROOF/SMUDGEPROOF/TRANSFERPROOF It is water-resistant and smudge resistant and transfer resistant, though. So basically after a good 4-5 hours I'll have a little bit of grey/black smudging in the outer bottom corner of my eyes, and after about 6 hours I'll have a little bit of greyish transfer/creasing on my crease/browbone. Nothing horrifying or anything, though, but still, the liner would probably be perfect in my book if it were "proof" rather than "resistant."

As far as how it is on the waterline, so far it's my favorite product I've used on my waterline. It doesn't dry out or irritate my eyes, it doesn't run everywhere, it lasts a good while (6 or so hours), and, as is the case with application on my upper lashline, it doesn't look harsh on my waterline either. This product has been great for my waterline, I feel, because it's water/smudge/transfer resistant rather "proof", therefore I get very good rich color and staying power and the wet tissue of my waterlines can breathe so it isn't uncomfortable for me to use this liner on this tissue at all.

I definitely recommend this product, out of the many many drugstore liners I have purchased for my purpose of comparing them all, this is not only the one I find myself reaching for the most, it's also my favorite.









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I am not a fan of liquid eyeliners since I find them annoying and difficult to apply, but not with this one! It glides on smoothly and once dry, it doesn't budge! I applied it and rubbed my eyes to see if it would come off or fade, and it didn't, the color was still black as ever and no flaking/cracking! My only complaint is that I wish the felt tip was shorter so I'd have more control when applying it. The packaging is also very convenient, no need to unscrew the top off and hold the bottle with one hand and the brush with the other, the pen design is great!

I'm a fan. This eyeliner doesn't bother my sensitive eyes or flake like some others. The pigment is very dark black and doesn't streak when applying. The felt tip applicator has a nice tapered tip which makes it nice for thin or thick lines. It stays in place quite well, but it's easy enough to clean up with a damp q-tip if you make a mistake.

I have found my HG liquid eyeliner. It's amazing! It's opaque, super black, stays put, doesn't streak, and DRIES MATTE. I love that it isn't shiny like every other liquid eyeliner that ever existed!! Definitely a must have! I'm just waiting for it to dry out super fast now because everything else about it is fantastic. I've only had it for a week, so I'll come back and edit this when it does end up drying out. By the way, I bought this at CVS for $8.. not too bad.

UPDATE: This liner was bought November 16, 2012 and it's just now drying up this week of February 3, 2013 with everyday use.

I LOVE Milani eye products. I am an avid user of liquid eyeliners. I have EXTREMELY oily skin & don't use eye primers when I only wear eyeliners. This eyeliner is verrrry black. & very very VERY easy to apply. The felt tip is so handy & fine, I love it. Making a wing is super easy. My issue is that the staying power honestly wasn't good. I was sad since the color & application & cost was way better than Physician Formula's booster eyeliner, which is my current favorite. But in the end, it smudged everywhere. continued >>

I Love this eyeliner! I am a long time liquid eyeliner user. I have probably tried almost every available h/e and d/s liquid e/l. This one is perfect. It is very black and has great lasting power. The best thing about it IMO is the brush. It has a super fine tip, making it so easy to get a thin, fine line. I would especially recommend this to anyone having difficulty using liquid e/l or making a wing, the tip makes it a breeze! I already bought a backup and I'm going to buy more.

Milani makes really good eye makeup!! Like the infinite eyeliner, this eyeliner has great staying power! Smudge-proof, sweat-proof, and water-resistant! I find this eyeliner to have better precision than the Milani infinite liquid eyeliner but not the same waterproofing since the Milani extreme eye tech is only water-resistant even though it claims to be waterproof. It is pretty easy to remove with a wet cloth!! I use this eyeliner everyday but sometimes alternate with my stila stay all day eyeliner...


Pros:
Long wearing
Sweat proof and smudge proof
True black color
Easy precision
Great alternative to Stila Stay All Day Liquid eyeliner


Cons:
Not waterproof, just water-resistant
Can tend to smudge/run in the inner and outer corner of the eyes


4/5 because it is not completely waterproof...