Controversial Cult Fave: Is Lancome Artliner Really Worth The $30 Price Tag?

As you may have noticed, we are big fans of finding out whether an expensive product is really worth the cost and actually lives up to its hype–that’s what Controversial Cult Fave is all about. When I heard about how great Lancome Artliner is from our trusted writer Liz on our best liquid eyeliner guide, I was excited because I absolutely love liquid liner, and this one sounds amazing…and then I saw the price. It costs $30.50, which is kind of a lot, even for us, beauty junkies. But in the name of science, I went out and grabbed it at Sephora to figure out if the quality outweighs the steep price tag.

What It Claims

Here’s how the Lancome website describes Artliner:

The #1 liquid Liner on the market!
This effortless liquid eyeliner features a unique combination of two film-forming polymers that make every look last. Rich, deep, luminous color pigments offer the most intense color, and its uniquely shaped foam tip pen allows for precise shaping and defining of the eyes.

I love long-lasting products, especially when it comes to the delicate eye area that can become easily irritated (and negatively affected long-term) when you tug on it or have to remove smudges often. I also love rich, deep, luminous pigmentation! You’ve got my ear, Lancome.

On Sephora, Artliner has a 4.5/5 star rating–very high considering 1,123 have reviewed it, which is considerably more than most products have.

What It Looks Like

This is the packaging:

Shiny! And here’s what its applicator looks like:

How It Works

First of all, here’s what my eyes look like sans liner (and also what I look like when I first wake up, so be nice). You can see what shade my eyelids’ skin is and that I don’t have naturally dark lashes.

As for other makeup I wore, I had on:

• MAKE Soft Focus Corrective Duo – Conceal/Set
• MAKE Satin Finish Blush in Geisha
• bareMinerals Complete Color Corrector
• Whole Foods Organic Vanilla Honey Lip Balm

It was very easy to apply! It’s my preferred type of flexible ink tip that dispenses the perfect amount of product. It’s a little more watery than the formula I’m most used to (Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner), but that also makes it a little more forgiving if you mess up. But how did it last?

Not bad, right? It’s faded a bit at the inner parts, but other than that, it’s pretty solid. It didn’t smudge or flake underneath my eye, either, which is a huge plus for me. I even fell asleep on the train this morning (not a normal occurrence, I swear), so my eyes leaked more than normal, and there was still no smudging, so that’s great.

So, Is It Worth It?

With regard to how it fades, it is great. It didn’t bleed under my eyes, which is very important to me because I hate having to tug on my under eye skin (plus, it causes wrinkles). Over the course of 6 hours, it just looked a bit faded and lighter towards my tear ducts, which I generally expect.

All in all, Lancome Artliner does live up to the hype. Is it the number 1 liquid liner on the market? I haven’t tried them all yet, so I can’t say for sure, but I can tell you that it’s as great as it promises. That said, if you don’t wear liquid eyeliner often, I would skip it because, after a few months, liquid liners have a tendency to get a little dry and clumpy anyway. If you rarely wear liquid eyeliner, get a less pricy formula (we have a whole 16 other options on our liquid liner guide).

That said, I absolutely recommend it to anybody who takes their liquid eyeliner game seriously. Personally, I wear liquid eyeliner every day and really need a formula that lasts well throughout–and doesn’t necessitate me touching up my under eye concealer every three hours–so I think I will be adding this to my very, very short list of amazing and necessary products to keep in my rotation at all times. If you love having the perfect cat eyeliner, definitely give this one a go.