Review: Kate Super Sharp Liner vs Etude House Drawing Show & Proof 10 vs L'Oreal Lineur Intense

This is probably the oddest (in terms of the brands I selected) eye-liner comparison of all blogs. But I thought it would be a waste to not review these four eye-liners and I was too lazy to do four different posts so I decided to do a comparison. I'll be comparing a Japanese eye-liner: Kate Super Sharp Liner (far left), two Korean eye-liners: Etude House Drawing Show (second left), Etude House Proof 10 Gelquid liner (third left), and a North American eye-liner: L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense (right).

First is a comparison of their tips. As you can see, the first two are quite fine, with the first one (Kate) the finest. The fourth one may look the least fine, but instead of a brush it's actually a felt tip so it's easier to control. You can see what I mean in the picture below:

From left to right: Kate, Etude House Drawing Show, Etude House Proof 10, L'Oreal Lineur Intense

Thickest: the third one, Etude House Proof 10 Gelquid liner, actually turns out to be the thickest. The brush itself holds onto too much eye-liner when you take it out, and when you press it against your eyelids the brush opens up, giving the thick line you can see above. You can also see the difference in intensity of color as you draw the line. 

Thinnest: this is a tie between Kate Super Sharp Liner and Etude House Drawing Show. The only qualm I have with these two eye-liners is that because the line is so thin I have to apply it multiple times before I can get a decent color. L'Oreal Lineur Intense, with its felt tip, gives the next thinnest line. 

Blackest: this one actually goes to L'Oreal Lineur Intense. Second is Kate Super Sharp Liner. 

Most smudge-proof: [Edit Nov 1 2014]: I initially rubbed the eyeliners on my hand to determine which one was the most/least smudge-proof, but then realized today that would be an inaccurate representation because my eyelids are much oilier than the surface of my hand, and eyeliners don't smudge because I've been rubbing my eyelids vigorously, they smudge because of the oil. So I have since removed that picture. From using these 4 eyeliners, I would say the staying power for all 4 eyeliners are about equal. But some smudge onto the bottom of my eyes giving me dark circles (and I already have natural dark circles) or they flake off so I can just pick them off from my face and remove them easily. Obviously I prefer eyeliners that stay on my eyelids forever, but if I had a choice I would prefer them to flake off instead of smudging and giving me embarrassing dark circles. The most smudge-proof is actually L'Oreal Lineur Intense because it never smudges, it only flakes off so I don't have to worry about any dark circles. Kate Super Sharp Liner smudges off after 3-4 hours. 

Hardest to make minor fixes: Etude House Proof 10 Gelquid Liner. I don't know about everyone else, but I always make mistakes with my eye-liner despite using one for awhile now. The Etude House Proof 10 Gelquid Liner has sparkles in the liner that likes to stick to skin, making the eye-liner impossible to fix once its on. This eye-liner is also waterproof, which may explain how hard it is to make minor fixes once you've applied it. 

So in summary:

• If I want a thin AND super black line, I would choose Kate Super Sharp Liner [Edit Nov 1 2014] It smudges onto my lower eyelid after 3 hours!! 
• If I want a thicker AND super black line, I would choose L'Oreal Lineur Intense felt tip
• I would NOT choose Etude House Proof 10 because the brush sucks, it's hard to control, the intensity of the color changes as you draw it on your eye, and is impossible make minor fixes.
• I would NOT choose Etude House Drawing Show because even though it offers similar thinness, it is not as dark as Kate Super Sharp Liner and with the line as thin as it is, I need the color to be as black as possible.