Auto-Graphique Eyeliner

2 Reviews

1. 

   sincereSeagull9

   Reply

   Would I buy this product again? Yes. I did already-twice.
   First of all I will start from the colour. Usually with other eyeliners I find they look great while drying but then afterward colour become dull and matt. Not with surratt. The black remained lustrous as if still wet which I love.
   Secondly – the brush. As I mentioned I already i bought two refills but the brush from the original packaging is as good as new. I never even had my make up brushes last that long and especially not the eyeliner brush. To be fair, I am not the best at taking care of them but I treat my surratt exactly the same.
   The eyeliner lasts very well too. Ofcourse by the end of the day if you start rubbing your eyes it will smudge but other than that it will not embarrass you in public.
   And I prefer the non waterproof make up in all my products, as I feel it is hard enough to take it all off in the evening anyway without it being waterproof. And if the make up is good, suitable for the skin- it shouldn’t run in normal conditions.

2. 

   panickyDingo2

   Reply

   The design of the pen is really neat and reminds me of a fountain pen, and the brush tip is very fine. I’d like better ink. It takes a long time to dry, compared to some of my other liquid pens, and it’s not waterproof like Stila’s. Is it worth the high price? Well, let’s say you buy the pen for $42 and really like it (it comes with one ink cartridge). From then on, you only have to buy refillable ink cartridges for $18 apiece. So you don’t have to buy the whole pen every time and you don’t throw away as much plastic. There are economical and environmental benefits.

   I like the brush a lot. It’s a synthetic hair brush, not a felt tip marker, so it feels more like a calligraphy instrument and lets you make a very thin line, or build up the line thicker for a dramatic cat eye. Shu Uemura makes a similar liquid liner pen that is refillable.

   It comes to you in a box in pieces that you assemble…with no instructions. Thanks, Surratt.

   HERE’S HOW TO PUT IT TOGETHER:

   Under the cap, you’ll see a brand new white brush that will become black once you’ve installed the ink cartridge and the ink fills the brush. To assemble, there is a plastic wand (I can’t think of a better term for it) that you push into the end of the cartridge that has the metal ball in it. That pushes the metal ball bearing down inside the cartridge, and the ball stays there – you can hear it if you shake the pen. Once the ball is dislodged and the pen’s assembled, the ink will flow through that wand into the part of the pen that contains the brush. Screw the pieces together so the ink cartridge is hidden. This may sound like a lot of work if you’re used to buying easy, already assembled pens like Stila All Day Waterproof for $22.

   I do like the brush a lot. I like precision and appreciate skinny brushes the most. The ink is a very good dark black, but it takes longer than my Stila pen to set, so I have to be careful during that time not to disturb my line while the ink dries. On the plus side, the ink doesn’t irritate my sensitive eyes at all. Urban Decay’s liquid eyeliner actually burned.

   The ink might be water-resistant but it’s definitely not waterproof. The eyeliner will last through a shower if I don’t wash my face with cleanser. But on wet skin, it will smear all over if rubbed. So I doubt that it would hold up swimming. The ink is NOT 100% smudge-proof. One morning I extended a wing out for a dramatic look, and it looked perfect when I left the house. A few hours later I noticed a small dirty spot on my face. I realized that during a phone call, I had leaned forward on my desk with my hand on my face. There was a faint black smudge going out from my eyeliner toward my temple. It didn’t ruin the line I’d drawn, but I had to cover what looked like a bit of soot on my face with concealer. I wasn’t going for a chimney sweep look and was a little disappointed that the ink had smudged because the pen was $42, and I expected better. Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner smudges, too, but at least it’s cheaper.

   Once dry, I still think the line stays better than most, but if I use eye drops or rub my eye, it will gradually wear off my inner corner, so I have to tote the eyeliner around in my bag for touch-ups. I do this anyway with my other pens, but my Bobbi gel liners in the glass ink pots don’t require touching up during the work day; the line tends to stay even if I use eye drops, touch my face, etc. With a liquid liner like Surratt’s, it’s imperative to use a primer such as Nars Smudge Proof Eye Base or Urban Decay Primer Potion. It held up very well with Kiko Cosmetics Long Lasting Stick Shadow as a base.

   I really like the look of the Surratt liner when it’s applied very thinly, which is only possible to do with skinny brushes like this. And when I apply a very thin line of eyeliner, it looks more natural and stays better because it’s not applied as high onto my eyelid as a cat eye would be. When the line is thin and just filling in the lashline, with no wing or flick, it is less likely to smudge. It’s also less likely to bleed into the tear duct and pool around the waterline. I’ll continue to use it for that natural, classic look, and when I run out of ink, I won’t throw the whole pen away. I like the refill idea. Maybe at some point they’ll offer different ink colors or make a waterproof ink.

   If your standard every day look is the dramatic feline eye, you might as well stick with the standard felt-tip marker types and save a few bucks. If you already love your eyeliner, there’s no reason to switch to this. If you want to create a thin line, Surratt’s brush is better than most eyeliner applicators.

   I should note that Clinique’s Pretty Easy pen has a similar brush and it comes assembled. It also costs less ($19.50) and I prefer Clinique’s ink.

   Ingredients of the Surratt Ink:

   Water, Butylene Glycol, Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer, Beheneth-30, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Sodium Hydroxide, Simethicone, Sorbitan Palmitate. Sorbitan Laurate, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Sorbitan Trioleate, Sucrose Palmitate, Black 2 (Ci 77266).