Remember back in May when Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande released their epic music video for “Rain on Me?” We’re still drooling over the futuristic outfits and graphic eyeliner. And now we know exactly what eyeliner held up getting literally rained on. Haus Laboratories is about to roll out its new gel eyeliner called the Eye-Dentify Gel Pencil Eyeliner. There are a whopping 20 shades with metallic, shimmer and matte finishes, including, of course, the ultra-white (called Aura) the pop stars are rocking in the video.
I love colorful eyeliner so I had to get the details right from Sarah Tanno, Lady Gaga’s makeup artist and global artistry director of Haus Laboratories. Over Zoom, of course, Tanno walked me through the not-at-all-boring basics and the bold bright shades in the collection. “We wanted to have you completely covered for all your basics that weren’t too loud but would give you an option other than your typical brown,” she said.
Burn (a maroon) is one of her favorites, as is Sculpture, a terracotta brown. She’s especially excited about the metallics. “I’ve been on the hunt as a makeup artist for years to find this super metallic pencil that almost looks like a liquid foil,” she adds.
Image: Haus Labs.
There are so many colorful eyeliners on the market, what makes these special? Well, when Tanno says they’re transfer-proof, she means, they’re transfer-proof. That’s not easy to create in a creamy gel liner. “They usually transfer quite a bit because of the emollients but I’ve gone swimming with these liners on and not a smudge,” she says. That’s something she thought about while working with the Haus team to make these liners. The long-wearing formula makes them great for those with monolids or hooded eyes who usually deal with a lot of transfer.
“That’s why the dry-down time is quite quick,” she says. “Because customers were asking us, like, ‘I have hooded eyes but I like to wear colorful eye makeup or big black eyeliner but it always transfers.’ Once these set, they’re not going to move.” Of course, if you have especially oily eyes, you can pop on an eyeshadow primer first to ensure your look is locked in.
Because we’re going to be wearing masks for a long while, eyebrows and eyes, in general, are having such a moment. Tanno does see people spending more time on those features. She’s loving layering these liners like she did for the “Rain on Me” video. “I’m really into the double liner right now or pairing a matte and metallic,” she says. “I think it draws more attention to your eyes. You can do it in your everyday wing shape or do a classic liner.”
Tanno likes to wear them just like she’s building an eyeshadow look. “You don’t have to be a skilled makeup artist to do this,” she says. “It’s what Gaga and I always think about when we’re on the hunt for a certain formula or a certain product. These liners are very tried and true to the way Gaga and I like to do makeup. That’s high-impact and fast. We want you to be able to trust it so it doesn’t move, especially for her, someone performing on stage, or going on a red carpet and then to a party. Something that’s really going to last.”
And last it does. I took a page out of Tanno’s book (hey, she knows what she’s doing) and attempted to layer two liner colors on top of each other for a bold eye look to wear with my daily mask. I prefer brights and pastels so I chose Priscilla (a matte pastel blue) and Royale (a metallic yellow gold). I’m not a makeup artist but I found them really easy to use. They glided on my eyes easily and didn’t smudge. When I messed up, because of course, I was able to fix up my line with an oil-based makeup remover. They’re so pigmented, you don’t have to go over the same spot more than once to get a truly opaque line.
I wore the look for hours sweating in my mask and there wasn’t a drop of blue on me. That’s seriously impressive. My only complaint is a personal preference. I want even more pastels and bright hues. I’m dying for a bright pink in this long-wearing formula and also a lavender. I don’t wear brown or black eyeliner very often but I know most people do. Because no look is complete for me without pink, I added a little shadow to the inner corners of my eyes. I can’t wait to see the brand add more to the line.
Pick up the Eye-Dentify Gel Pencil Eyeliners on August 4 on Amazon for $18 each.
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