I am a black eyeliner obsessive. I will try any variation, from felt tip pens to gel pots to creamy kohl pencils. Be it drugstore or prestige, I've experienced most on the market. #NoShame. Therefore, when MAC's Rollerwheel liquid eyeliner, which resembles a pizza cutter, began popping up on the Instagram feeds of MAC artists, I knew it had to be mine.
I was eager to try this intriguing eyeliner device, which looked dangerous yet delightful as it hugged the lash line and created a flick. Despite all the sexiness and intrigue, I remained skeptical, since I don't usually put something resembling a weapon near my eyes.
But more critically, I was perplexed as to how, exactly, the Rollerwheel would… work. That's because I often use precise and pointed eyeliner pens to draw the wing, and then connect the flick with an over-the-lashline line. Was the Rollerwheel up for this basic task?
I purchased the matte black version the day it went on sale via the MAC site, even though the brand often sends me samples of products to play with and write about, if we're disclosing fully here. I couldn't wait to put the Rollerwheel into action, since I can legit predict how my day and night will shake out based on how bunk or how dope I draw my flick while getting ready in the morning.
I used the Rollerwheel this morning. Was it the sum of all my eyeliner hopes and dreams? Or did it lead to a bunk flick? The answer is complicated.
I started out like I always do — drawing the wing on each eye first.
So far, so good. I kept pointed cotton swabs on hand to fix or "edit" any mistakes, like I do with any liquid or flick-seeking black liner.
This is the first line drawn by the Rollerwheel. It was too thick and pretty uneven. But that's nothing a black liner vet such as myself couldn't fix. I blamed myself for being a novice with an innovative design and moving to quickly.
I attempted to clean up some of the excess thickness.
What a mess I made! The product probably wasn't fully dry when I went to clean up the line and it lead to smudges. I had to "erase" multiple splotches and pretty much start over. Execution was not seamless nor did I love it.
Since I have to go to a concert tonight, I made the executive decision to revert to one of my eyeliner pens to do my left eye. I wasn't bailing on the Rollerwheel. I just didn't have time to clean up another inky mess or to really practice with the challenging design.
I did, however, return to the Rollerwheel to "fill in" and darken the line created by another liner, since its pigment and formula are ace. Because black liners often "skip," I always retrace the lashline once or twice darken any light spaces. The Rollerwheel excelled at that task, since the wheel is precise and clings to the lashline, which is a notoriously tight space.
Here is the end result, which was a hybrid of the Rollerwheel and one of my NYX liquid liner pens.
My take on the Rollerwheel after a single use is that it's going to take a decent amount of practice and patience to get used to it. I'm not abandoning it, but it's certainly a product I will experiment with when I can commit additional minutes.
But I'm a liquid liner veteran and even I struggled. If you are a beauty noob, this tool isn't for you. And even if you are seasoned with the flick, you too will endure a trial and error period. I promise.
