Dazed’s senior Instagram editor Vanessa Hsieh chooses Tom Ford Beauty’s Eye Defining Pen as her Product of the Week
Vanessa Hsieh is Dazed’s senior Instagram editor who likes Bratz doll make-up and dressing for a perpetual Hot Girl Summer, despite living on the island embodiment of WAP. Here she shares her choice for Product of the Week – a weekly round-up of the Dazed Beauty team and wider community’s must-have buys.
WHAT IS IT?
Brand: Tom Ford Beauty
Product: Eye Defining Pen in ‘Deeper’
Price: £47
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
As someone who has worn winged eyeliner everyday for the past decade, believe me when I say no other eyeliner product has come close to the Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen. While daily practice is obviously a factor, I rarely ever have a bad eyeliner day using this, and when I get complimented on my make-up, most times people specifically refer to my eyes or eyeliner.
I used to watch a lot of YouTube fashion/beauty vloggers when I was growing up. Most of the time, I followed Asian creators because it was the one platform I could find products that I knew would work with my skin type, tone, and eye shape. Ironically, I actually found this product through one of the few non-Asian YouTubers I followed and had to go on faith that it would work for my eye shape. Impressionable as I was – I’m working on it – I watched sunbeamsjess switch from her go-to eyeliner to this and bought it the next time I decided to “treat myself” for finishing probably the most basic, inane task.
It’s fast-drying, applies like a hot knife through butter, and has better staying power than anything else in my life. The brush tip applies with the control of a pen, but stays wet as WAP. It’s also double-ended – make of that what you will.
“From that first glide-on stroke, I was hooked. If you want a no-fuss applicator with the precision of a pen, without the annoyance of it drying out after three uses, this is the product for you.”
With a £47 price tag for something I had spent a maximum of £7 on until I tried this, I was skeptical at first: how good could this really be? But from that first glide-on stroke, I was hooked – to the dismay of my bank account. Thankfully, even though I’m a heavy user, applying thick liner every day, I actually don’t have to replace this for 5-6 months at time so my account doesn’t take this hit very often.
If you want a no-fuss applicator with the precision of a pen, without the annoyance of it drying out after three uses, this is the product for you. I put it on once in the morning, forget about it, and it lasts through the night and even the day after when I’ve been bad and slept (or not slept) in my make-up. The only reason it’s a go-to item that I carry everywhere in my tiny Telfar is in case my strip lashes fail me and I need to reapply my whole eye on the go.
Not being dramatic but… It. Will. Change. Your. Life.
QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS
If this product was a film it what would be... Kill Bill: Volume 2 – although a race-flipped version where all the badass POC women aren’t killed.
Who would use it... Gogo Yubari. She doesn’t wear eyeliner in the film, but would really make her eyes pop in that infamous crying blood death scene.
If you had to communicate this product to aliens only using hand gestures... Swish and flick.
If this product was one of the astrological signs it would be... Scorpio, duh. Lines that would cut a bitch. (For legal reasons, I mean metaphorically).
