Image via Sephora
There are always those few products on the market that get a lot of hype. Youtube gurus to professional makeup artists to the regular consumer often agree that a certain item is a must-have, and can go on and on about how wonderful it is. This cult status can not only be annoying to those who haven’t tried the said product, but it can create some skepticism as well. However, there should be absolutely no doubt about Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils. All the claims are true: they’re creamy, pigmented, and have staying power, as well as a fab color selection. For many, these pencils are the standard, and many liners are often compared to the quality of these (and often fall short!). I agree. I’m firmly in the “love these” camp, and consider them an HG product.
The first of these famous pencils that I had the pleasure of trying was the simple Zero, humbly listed as “black” on Sephora’s site. The swatch they include is actually pretty true to life as well, which is rare for a digital image. In my personal use, I found this to be a dark, rich, demi-matte, but not as dark or matte as it’s cousin, Perversion.
The formula of this range of liners is really top-notch. They feel so creamy and smooth, but I’ve never had any trouble with them migrating. The pigment is excellent as well. Zero applied excellently to the lash line without pulling, dragging, or skipping, I got the color I desired in one pass. The liner also showed up richly on the waterline as well.
Another factor that boosts Zero’s ability to leave a lasting impression is how amazingly it wears. On the lash line, this wore like a dream for an unprecedented 10 hours. It looked 100% freshly applied at that mark-not a hint of fading, smudging, or migrating. The line was still rich, black, and solid. Stunning! Wear on the waterline was not as mind-blowing, but still impressive compared to other liners on the market. It was still pigmented and strong on the waterline after an hour; however the color was a little bit patchy. It was holding up, but looking patchier, by 3 hours. It began to wear away at the 4 hour mark, and was completely gone by 5 hours.
The full-size liner comes with 0.04 oz of product, which is average. The full-size, however, is quite large (lengthwise), but they’re thin, so I imagine storing them is no more challenging than with the much more petite travel/sample size liners. The wood and label of the pencil is tinted the same hue as the color. In this case, the exterior is black, with silver lettering identifying the brand, product, and color name. Zero comes with a silver cylindrical cap and a silver end. I really like that the brand color-matched the pencil itself to the pigment. I think it’s convenient and also quite cute and different. However, UD pencils are notoriously tricky to sharpen, because they are so creamy. When one does sharpen the pencil, some product inevitably gets shaved off as well. I hear freezing the pencil before sharpening is useful in combating this. These retail for $19 USD, which seems pricey, but I believe it’s worth every penny in the quality you get out of these. UD is a cruelty-free brand. However, their parent company, L’Oreal, does not share their cruelty-free stance.
Color: 4.5/5
Wear: 5/5
Formula: 5/5
Packaging: 5/5
Price: 4.5/5
Wow Factor: 5/5
Overall: 4.8 (A)
Recommend: 100% absolutely, to everybody. Everyone could use a great, wearable black liner, and Zero delivers in all areas.
Urban Decay products are available at department stores and at specialty shops like Sephora.
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