Finally Say Goodbye to Racoon Eyes with Benefit's They’re Real! Xtreme Precision Liner
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below."
Some products that we've tried have stood the test of time and remain our faves to this day. In our series 10/10 Would Recommend, we're giving the final word on well-known products that we fully stand behind.
The Product
Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! Xtreme Precision Liner, a waterproof liquid eyeliner that promises 12- to 24-hour smudgeproof wear.
The Stats
The Price: $24
Year It Came Out: 2022, the latest offshoot of Benefit's extremely successful They're Real! Mascara line
Featured In: Allure
What Does It Do?
A spinoff of Benefit's cult-fave They're Real! Lengthening Mascara, the Xtreme Precision Liner boasts a superfine, tapered 0.1-millimeter tip. It comes in two waterproof, quick-setting shades, Xtra Black and Xtra Brown, with 24- and 12-hour budgeproof formulas, respectively.
The tapered tip also offers up a customizable yet equally vivid eyeliner look — whether razor-thin or thick and dramatic — making it a solid pick for those who need no-compromise versatility in their liquid liner.
Why Do I Love It?
Decades as a beauty editor have put me at the forefront of the latest and greatest innovations, and eyeliner leads the pack of products I continue to be really picky about. This is largely due to the fact that I spent a good chunk of my career in Asia, where the mascara and eyeliner industry reign supreme and where only the best of the best survive a very, very exacting market.
By best of the best, I mean a high-precision tip, great pigment payoff, buildable and light-wearing feel, and the holiest of holy grails, a formula that's utterly smudgeproof. Except when you need to remove it late at night, of course, at which point this so-called perfect liner should come off as effortlessly and satisfyingly as my pushup bra does at the end of a workday.
Let me get into the thick (and thin) of things:
Tapered Tip
They're Real! Xtreme Precision Liner manages to tick all those boxes and then some; I also love how the length and tension in the tip are literally just right for crisp, controlled line-drawing each time (tips that are too long or floppy = a mistake waiting to happen).
Its 0.1-millimeter tip is also the only one I've tried stateside that's able to contend with my trusty K-Palette Real Lasting Liquid Eyeliner with a 0.05-millimeter tip, one of the thinnest available in Asian markets. They're Real! offers more maneuverability, however, and is easier to pivot when you need a firmer tapered line that's thick on the lash area but thins out at the flick. Needless to say, if you're a cat-eye stan like me, this tip makes shaping your liner so much easier and the upwards flick line crisper and more defined.
Smudge-Proof Supremacy
To be honest, the number of times I've been fooled by a so-called smudge-proof formula is one time and one messy photo-op too many. Needless to say, we've all dealt with budge-proof promises in our time, but many actually disappoint and fall short of those actual claims. If you have oily skin, live in humid weather, or have monolids or hooded eyelids, a formula that stays put becomes even more crucial — and They're Real! is aces on that front.
With these liners, you basically have a few precious nanoseconds to change your mind before the formula sets firmly on your lids for the rest of the day. A good micellar wipe or soaked cotton pad, however, cleanly and easily removes any mistakes without the need for vigorous rubbing, which, as someone with sensitive eyes due to allergies, is a huge plus.
The Xtreme Black shade touts a 24-hour smudge-proof duration, while the Xtreme Brown lasts for 12 hours. I tested both shades during a two-night K-Pop concert in Vegas, events that can get really high-octane and/or emotional (#IYKYK). My average time spent at the venue: ~4 hours. I left both times looking like everything had just been put through the wringer — my hair, my sneakers, my heart and soul — everything except for my eyeliner, which was still as sharp, pristine, and fleeky as the moment I applied it that day.
It’s worth noting that I was especially impressed with how the brown shade gave an opaque, solid line, i.e. no transparency whatsoever, which for some reason is harder to find with non-black eyeliners these days. I’ve now been using it in lieu of my regular black liners more often whenever I’m in the mood for a more natural everyday look.
Light-Wearing Satin Finish
Anyone else hate shiny eyeliner? OK, hate might be too strong a word. Almost always, though, the only reflective thing I want noticed is my sparkling wit and personality, and maybe just a bit of lip gloss and highlighter on the cheekbones — everything else just makes more sense when it's slightly matte. I also have combination skin that skews slightly oilier on the lids, so shiny liner tends to get sticky and/or melts off after a few hours anyway, serving up that dreaded walk-of-shame smudge.
Luckily, They're Real! 's formulation dries down to this lovely satiny stain that offsets beautifully against any eyeshadow texture you wear it with, whether matte, shimmer, or even glossy. And as mentioned, the opacity is also buildable, meaning you can go as bold and graphic or as delicate as you want. Chef's kiss!
The Final Word
If you've been on the prowl for a reasonably priced, hardworking, versatile liquid liner that stays as long as 12 hours without giving out, They're Real! Xtreme Precision Liner is an amazing pick. It's a straightforward formula that doesn't budge once it's set, and the pen and tip make drawing the perfectly sharp line a cinch. Just like the rest of the guys in Benefit's They're Real! Portfolio, this is a simple yet spot-on product that, yes, quite literally fills in any gaps you have in your eye makeup arsenal.
Shop Benefit They're Real! Xtreme Precision Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
You Might Also Like
