When I wear ‘proper’ eyeliner (not shadow-as-eyeliner), I use one of two formats: gel liner (my favorite) or a mechanical twist-up (the only one I’ve had luck with). There’s been a lot done with eyeliner in the past two decades but when I saw these new-fangled roller eyeliner releases, I got EXCITED.
Roller Eyeliner – What Is It?
The three roller eyeliner products on the market appear to use the same idea. A wand that has a small, foam disc on the end that rests in an ink-like liquid liner when the tube is closed. The disc is thin and has a small radius to facilitate easy application.
It isn’t the first time, after all, that I have been excited about the intersection of beauty and technology or beauty and engineering. What’s more amazing is that all three I’ve found consistently receive 4/5 star ratings on their respective sites.
Could it be that it isn’t just a gimmick!?
Nudestix
First, I saw NUDESTIX Rock n’ Roller Easy Eyeliner Ink. Samantha Ravndahl mentioned them in some format of hers and I was blown away. Then I saw them in an Instagram ad and…I was blown away again. I was so excited, in fact, that I made a point of showing this brilliant take on an eyeliner applicator with my could-not-be-more-disinterested-in-makeup husband. Even he thought it was neat; it reminded him of something used in metal fabrication.
There are three colors: ever practical black, Bronze Patina, and my favorite – Golden Rosé. I keep catching myself telling myself, “That’s totally wearable enough for work.” Honestly even writing that out gave me a twinge of temptation. And then I remind myself that not only does it run $24… I’m on a No Buy.
MAC
It seems that MAC did the roller eyeliner thing first, but evidently the memo reached me via Pony Express. Slightly cheaper than the Nudestix offering at $21, it comes in four options: matte black, shiny black, royal blue, and brown. It doesn’t excite me as much, but if you’re a MAC loyalist … there ya go. I find Cobalt to be an interesting pick for the only, “exciting,” color in the bunch but hey – I’m no creative director, what do I know?
Revlon
And thennnn I saw that Revlon had one. It ranges between $9-11 and is accessible AF at Target and the like. I’m super shocked – they have great ratings and really interesting colors! Like MAC, they have two black options; one is sparkly. As for the other two, they have a metallic Mulberry shade, and a rich, greenish, jewel-toned blue. The swatches are so pretty that I can’t believe these colors are drugstore, frankly. If they had a gold or rose gold option I would be pretty damn tempted to break my No Buy for it – especially if I could catch it on sale + with a coupon.
The Bottom Line
Are you excited by these new roller eyeliner products? I’ve definitely saved the Nudestix one to a wishlist. I may buy the Revlon one if I end up in a gift card situation. I haven’t been excited about the idea of playing with a new product in a while; these three companies have nailed it with something novel that, based on the videos I’ve seen, also looks practical.