I have a love-hate relationship with liquid eyeliner. It hovers closer to love given that I’ve been proudly wearing a cat-eye nearly every day since middle school, and the only way to achieve a dark line and sharp wing is with a liquid. A wing has become my signature, I love the way it frames my small eyes, and the look gives a vintage flair to whatever I’m wearing. I also love that it makes me feel done when I’m just wearing a T-shirt or all my foundation inevitably wears off. It at least looks like I put in some effort that morning.

The hate part of our relationship simply comes down to one small fact: Liquid liner is a bitch to work with. You’d think after almost 10 years of daily use I’d have a better handle on it, but you’d be so, so wrong. Liquid liner is inky black and precise, yes, but it is also messy, flaky, runny, and has a mind of its own. The darkness of the ink actually works against you, while a pencil or gel can be coaxed into an even wing with a Q-tip, liquid must be drawn on exactly where you want it or things can (and will) fall apart.

My biggest gripe with applying my daily wing is how long it takes me to get ready. As someone who naturally is always behind schedule, it’s crucial my makeup routine is as quick as possible. I generally have my eyes down in less than five minutes total (that’s lining both eyes, cleaning mistakes, and applying mascara), but there are those days when the Liner Gods are just not on my side and it can take me up to 15 minutes to get my wings looking remotely like wings. Some days they just look like blobby lines, usually on a day when I’m running late and I just have to deal with it.

I’ve tried my fair share of liners, and have a few favorites at both high and low price points, but I’m always game for finding another champion. I generally steer clear of liners designed to help specifically with wings as I find them gimmicky, but the Revlon ColorStay Wing Line is the exception.

The ColorStay liner is a fairly standard looking pen liner with a felt tip applicator. The key difference is instead of the usual pointed tip applicator, this one has a slanted, chiseled tip. The slant allows you to create both thin and thick lines depending on how you hold it, and can help you get closer to the lash line.

The first time I used the liner I attempted to use the angle as a stamp, thinking it would make a great base as a wing, and I was very, very wrong. All that did was make a mess. Instead, I find it easiest to start from the inner corner of my eye with the liner horizontally against my eye. With the smaller end towards the inner corner of my eye, I then drag it out to create the line, and angle it up to make the wing. The is the opposite of how I usually do my liner (I generally start with the wing and then connect it), so I’m surprised this felt so intuitive.

The liner itself is really nice, too. It applies smoothly and is an opaque black. It doesn’t bleed or bunch up when applied in the same area. I also had no issues with it flaking or running throughout the day, despite the crazy polar vortex wind and my sensitive eyes.

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