I like trying on new makeup and beauty products, but I actually do not use many items on a regular basis. (And since becoming a mother, I don’t even wash my face regularly anymore.)
I am also very particular and picky when it comes to the stuff I put on my face.
As such, there are only a couple of items I consider “HG” (that’s “holy grail” in makeup talk) — specific items I never stray from, and would absolutely devastate me if they were ever to become discontinued.
And last night, I was crushed to learn that my favorite eyeliner of all time, the MAC Liquidlast in Coco Bar (a dark brown), has been discontinued. 😥
I’m not sure if I have especially oily skin around my eyes or what, but believe me when I say that I have tried practically every long-lasting eyeliner out there and have found NOTHING to have the staying power of MAC Liquidlast. (Yes, even primer and setting with powder doesn’t help with other eyeliners.) I apply it with the MAC 266 Brush and have gotten so good at the application that I can even create smudgy, blended effects with the goopy liquid liner.
I have been using the MAC Liquidlast for over five years now.
And last night, when I realized that my current tube is running low, I went online to place a replacement order…
Only to discover that the only color that is available on the MAC website is the jet black color. I checked other online retailers to find the same. And upon doing a web search, I found out that MAC had announced the discontinuation of my HG eyeliner back in December 2010. 😯
(Seriously. Is there a website or service where you can enter your favorite products, and they will alert you when it is about to get discontinued so that you can stock up? Anyone?)
The only place where I could find another tube to Liquidlast in Coco Bar was on eBay…and they were demanding $43.69 for it 👿 (regular price is $17.50).
Look, I understand the basic concepts behind supply and demand. I know that whoever has these tubes — NIB, no less! — still in stock can command a hefty price for them. But that was just ridiculous.
So I spent another two hours trawling the web for any other store/seller that might have it in stock.
No dice.
I told J I wanted to cry. (And in my frustrated, hormonal state, I really was ready to start crying.)
He rolled his eyes and told me to just buy the damn eyeliner off eBay for $43.
I refused. “It’s the principle!” I told him.
But, by midnight, I gave up. I sheepishly asked him if he would mind if I could spend $43 of his hard-earned money on a tiny tube of eyeliner, and he agreed.
Although a new tube of Liquidlast only contains 2.5 ml (or 0.084 oz) of product, it usually lasts me anywhere between 4-6 months.
That means that I have another few months to find a replacement eyeliner. I have read that the Milani Infinite Liquid Eyeliner is comparable to the MAC Liquidlast, but that the formula is also a bit thinner. Additionally, the swatches I have seen online makes it seem like the dark brown dries in a shiny finish (and not matte like the Liquidlast).
Does anyone have any good suggestions for an eyeliner — pencil, gel, liquid, whatever — that lasts and lasts?
Has an HG product ever been discontinued for you? How did you deal with it?
ETA:
I have tried the Milani Infinite Liquid Eyeliner, and I am happy to report that it works JUST like the MAC Liquidlast did! Click here for more details.
