I Tried the Viral Liner Rivalling Victoria Beckham Beauty’s. Here’s How I Got On
Main image – Courtesy of writer
When it comes to testing an eyeliner, the criteria is simple. It should define your eyes in a flattering shade; It should never feel scratchy; And it should stay in place until told otherwise.
I tested the ever-popular Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Eyeliner (£33 from Space NK UK/ $35 from Nordstrom US) a few years ago and whilst I had been blown away by its softness and ease of use, it was this that made our long-term relationship unattainable for me. The softness meant it needed to be sharpened after every use, so I’d have to painfully watch my luxurious purchase getting shorter and shorter by the day. Ouch.
Then I heard about Hildun Beauty through one of my favourite makeup artists – Hannah Martin – on Instagram. She often raves about the brand, particularly the Silk to Set Kajal Liners (£16 from Hildun Beauty UK), known as the ‘viral kajals’, and promise to do exactly the same smudgy, smoky-eye job as the Victoria Beckham liner, only at a fraction of the price.
Founded by Irish makeup artist, Suzy Griffin Dunne, Hildun Beauty is fast becoming one of the most talked about makeup lines in the industry, so I wanted to see if the eyeliner really was as good as the experts are saying. And how did it compare to VB’s Satin Kajal Eyeliner? Keep scrolling to find out.
The product details
The Hildun Beauty Silk to Set Kajal Liner comes in six main shades – Navy Nights, Noir, Emerald, Chocolate, Pecan and Chilli Chocolate. The brand promises zero tugging and all-day longevity.
Image – Courtesy of writer
Among other things, the product is vegan and cruelty free and has been both dermatologist and ophthalmologist tested, meaning it is officially safe to use along your waterline.
First impressions
I’ve said this before but at first sight, an eyeliner’s an eyeliner – am I right? As far as packaging’s concerned, they pretty much all look the same. So, when unboxing this one, it was business as usual. The proof would be in the colour payoff and the feel of it when I applied it.
Image – Courtesy of writer
My shade was Chocolate, a gorgeous brown, as I am fair and prefer not to use too much black around my eyes. I first applied it to my upper waterline and it went on like a dream. So smooth, so velvety. I didn’t have to press hard at all to get any pigment and I didn’t need to go over any bits. One swipe and my waterline was covered.
Image – Courtesy of writer
As soon as I blinked, it transferred to my bottom waterline. Personally, I didn’t find this an issue as I usually line that area anyway, but I can see how people who don’t want their bottom waterline touched would find it a bit annoying. To be fair though, it did transfer really evenly so, every cloud!
The colour was just right for me – enough to create a defined line but not too harsh and the brown helped to bring out my blue eyes. Next, I drew it along my top lash line, but only at the outer corners as I’m not a fan of lining the entire thing. Again, it was comfortable to apply and the pigment didn’t need any persuasion.
I used a small brush to smudge it out a bit to create a smoky effect and it was super simple to mould into place. Et voila! I was done. Easy peasy, no mess, no fuss.
My results
This eyeliner provides exactly what every girl wants – a smooth application with zero snagging or dragging and a really strong pigment that you don’t need to push hard for.
My look really does last all day and evening if I want it to but it’s also easy to change and mould if needed. There was a day when I kept feeling like I’d applied too much to my lower waterline so a few hours after application, I smudged it out a bit using a small smudging brush and it moved seamlessly to where I needed it to be. Talk about flexible!
When it came to using Victoria Beckham’s liner I struggled with the fact that I felt I needed to press down quite hard to get the most out of the shade which meant that it ran out more quickly. I sharpen the Hildun Beauty Silk to Set Kajal Liner once every three days, whereas I’d have to sharpen VB’s every single day.
Image – Courtesy of writer
Also, the more I sharpened VB’s, the looser the wooden casing became and eventually, the entire nib fell out. This hasn’t happened with Hildun’s, it feels sturdy and safe with each sharpen and it is now a guaranteed staple in my makeup bag – I absolutely love it.
What other users are saying
Some Reddit users seem to agree with me about this eyeliner being a great dupe for the Victoria Beckham kajal. On a thread asking for users’ thoughts on the Beckham product, grania17 writes, “try Hildun Beauty. Their eyeliners are so creamy. Apply like a dream.”
And over on the Hildun Beauty website, one user called ‘Miss’ writes, “bought based on positive reviews as an alternative to the VB pencil and not disappointed. I actually think this blends and stays better!” I absolutely agree.
Overall value for money
I am so pleased this eyeliner only costs £16. Spending anything over £20 on an eyeliner pencil has never sat right with me so spending £33 on the Victoria Beckham one was pretty painful even before I realised it wasn’t going to last very long.
I think £16 is totally doable for a great product like this – I use it every day and get the results I want from it. No smudging and no endless sharpening. Yes, there is a bit of transference to the bottom waterline if you line your upper waterline but if you can cope with that then it’s a bargain.
A good dupe for the Hildun Beauty Silk to Set Kajal Liner would be the Zoeva Velvet Love Eyeliner Pencils which are also affordable at £19.50 from Zoeva UK /$22 from Zoeva US and super soft to use. But if I had to choose between the two, I have to say, I’d choose Hildun.
The takeaway
This eyeliner is a smooth operator, but not too smooth that you have to walk on eggshells to use it. It’s got a gorgeous, creamy pigment that doesn’t budge, but it will budge if you ask it to. And it’s got some really great shades, at least one of which will suit everyone.
Where eye makeup can sometimes take forever, this eyeliner makes the lining part super quick and convenient. And there’s zero need to go over any parts. Just draw one speedy line and it’s there until you take it off later. All this for £16 honestly had me asking – what’s the catch? And I’m pleased to say, there isn’t one.
Get Glowing!
