If you are only going to try one Japanese cosmetic product, without a doubt it would have to be a liquid liner. Japanese liquid liners are the best in the world (I know many prestige French brands source their eyeliner brushes and formula from Japan!) and very affordable from the Japanese drugstore.
A super fine liquid liner is either black or brown is very popular makeup look for Japanese woman, so there are literally hundreds of liquid liners to choose from in your average store. Every Japanese brand will have at least two or three liquid liners on range, and there are even some brands that specialise only in liquid liners.
It has been hard to choose only five in this category, but here are 5 of the best Japanese drugstore eyeliners.
K-Palette Real Lasting 1 Day Tattoo Liquid Liner 24hr ¥1,200.
A precision matte eye pencil that lasts all day .
K- Palette’s famous waterproof liquid liner has been the best selling liquid liner for 4 consecutive years (K Palette official website) . It is water proof, sweat proof and sebum proof, so this eyeliner stays put even in this crazy thypoon weather! The superfine brush easily creates a precise, clean line, that is richly pigmented in colour so you can achieve a dense line with one flick.
Available in three colours: Super Black, Brown Black and Deep Brown.
D.U.P Silky Black Eyeliner WP ¥1,300.
Super fine liquid liner that has subtle shine.
The newest release on this list, the D.UP Silky Liquid eyeliner also has a super fine brush, so that you can achieve the super fine line that is the most popular way for Japanese woman to wear eyeliner. The formula is richly pigmented, and dries with a nice light shine. This D.UP liquid liner also boasts very good staying power, it has no problem staying in place until the end of the day.
Available in three colours: Raven Black, Natural Brown and Brown Black.
Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner Super Keep ¥1,000.
A great budget liquid liner .
A cult favourite among the Harajuku girls, Heroine Make Smooth Liquid eyeliner to create their signature makeup styles. Again, a fine brush style with a long wearing waterproof formula. This is a great budget eyeliner, with reasonable staying power for the price, although not as long wearing as K-Palette and D.UP.
Available in three colours: Raven Black and Bitter Brown.
Integrate Look at those cat like eyes ¥1,200.
The ultimate Tokyo girl liquid liner.
Integrate “Look at those cat like eyes” liner is incredibly popular in Tokyo, in fact I have never had so many people recommend the same product to me! This liquid liner is easy to use, has a precise retractable brush and richly pigmented formula with great staying power. When you place the cap on the liner the brush pushes back into the pen, which is a great feature, as it means that the brush doesn’t dry out and it always ready to draw, no need to shake or draw practise lines.
Available in two colours: Super Black and Deep Brown.
Mote Eye Liner ¥1,200.
The perfect entry level liquid liner, with an easy to use brush.
For those who are still a little shaky with their liquid eyeliner application, then the Mote liner is the perfect product to practise with. The brush is super fine and very easy to hold for a steady grip. The colour is less pigmented than some of the other liners featured here, so it’s a little more forgiving for novices, and great for daytime when you want a more subtle, less graphic effect.
Available in three colours: Black, Brown Black and Natural Brown.
Where can you buy these liquid liners in Tokyo?
All of these liners are available at Japanese drugstores like Matsumoto Kiyoshi or Tomod’s.
This is getting me excited about shopping in Tokyo!
Lovely post! I am really enjoying that D. U. P. liner, but now I really want to try that Mote one after reading your review! 🙂
My name is Melissa Ferrier and I am interested in your liquid Japanese eyeliner my email address is melissa.ferrier@comcast.net