Being subscribed to multiple makeup channels on YouTube, I was more than aware when the They’re Real! Push-Up Liner by Benefit was released this summer. I was disappointed to realize it was not as great as it was made out to be.

Benefit claims that the Push-Up Liner is the first ever long-wearing, waterproof gel liner pen that lasts through 24 hours of wear. It advertises statistics that read, “In a consumer panel survey on 32 women after 2 weeks: 91% said it was long-wearing, 81% said it was waterproof, and 88% said it hugged the lash line and 84% said eyes looked visibly larger.”

The Push-Up Liner was a craze! Every makeup guru tested it out, and almost all of them recommended viewers to buy it, praising the compact packaging and long-lasting formula.

After watching the eyeliner in action and hearing all the positive reviews, I couldn’t help but buy it. I picked one up at the Ulta in Natick for $24.

It comes in one color: a matte black. When I first tested it on my hand, I was excited by how truly pitch-black the formula was. I’m one that seeks after the darkest eyeliners, and this one was blacker than any I’ve ever owned.

Before I start, I must acknowledge the fact that, like many Asian women, I have been cursed with monolids. Monolids are when the eyelids don’t have a visible crease, and it usually entails a more difficult process of applying eye makeup. For me, this means I have to apply eyeliner in a very specific way or else it will fold under my lid, and the eyeliner will not be seen. My rigid method of applying eyeliner causes there to be more interference with the product, so it’s harder for it to sustain.

When opened, the pen has an angled AccuFlex tip that is designed to easily access the lash line and produce a precise line. It feels like soft silicone, and it’s quite flexible when used. The bottom of the pen can be turned to dispense product out the top.

The eyeliner pen format with the special tip is something new. It’s a little different than applying gel liner with a brush, but it shouldn’t be much trouble to adjust to for those who are experienced with applying eyeliner.

When applied, the eyeliner glides on extremely smooth, delivering an opaque mark with the slightest touch, and the product seems promising. It gets right past the eyelashes and right to the lash line without trouble.

It’s only until you try to touch up or add a second layer that it exposes its flaws. With the addition of more product, the existing eyeliner flakes off, leaving empty spots in the line. It takes quite a bit of effort and diligence to scrape off and apply eyeliner until you reach your desired look (or at least it did for me).

Wearing it throughout the day, I found that though most of the eyeliner stays on, the edges quickly begin to feather away, and dried bits of it tend to chip off every once in a while. There were times I’d look in the mirror and discover my wing to be completely gone.

It required constant check-ups and re-application. The Push-Up Liner doesn’t stay on for 24 hours, but it does make you worry about it 24/7.

I wouldn’t repurchase this product. It has A+ packaging, from the sleek, travel-friendly design to the innovative AccuFlex tip, but the eyeliner stored inside is mediocre.

Maybe the formula is effective for people with less complicated eye shapes, but for me, the They’re Real! Push-Up Liner was simply disappointing.