Alright so this Anthony Davis eyeliner thing kept popping up on my feed. People going crazy about what products he actually uses. Me being me, I had to figure this out myself. No trust in those fancy articles, you know? Gotta test with my own eyes.
The Starting Point Was Straight Up Garbage
First, I dug out all my junk. Had pencils, liquid liners, gels… stuff buried in drawers for years. Figured, hey, maybe the magic is already here. Wrong. Used this old pencil liner – went on patchy, smudged after like 10 minutes. Looked like a toddler drew it. Gels were worse. Thick, clumpy, impossible to get a clean flick. Felt like wasting time. Scrapped the whole “shop my stash” idea fast.
Hitting the Stores & Testing Like Mad
Went downtown. Target, Ulta, even the drugstore. Grabbed anything labeled “long wear” or “precision.” Started testing right there. I don’t care about looking weird swatching my hand.
Here’s what happened:
- Cheap Liquid Liner: Brush was flimsy. Pigment? Weak. Took three layers just to see it. Skipped.
- Mid-Range Pen Liner: Dried out halfway through trying a wing. Just stopped working. Infuriating.
- High-End Gel Pot: Smooth application, amazing color payoff… then it cracked after an hour. Flakes all under my eye. Nope.
Felt stuck. Every single thing had a dealbreaker. Either bled, faded, or was impossible to control. Almost threw my hands up.
The Breakthrough & Obsession
Then I remembered seeing a tiny feature on Anthony ages ago – something super plain, no brand flash. Found it deep in some basketball forum. Said he uses a simple drugstore liquid liner with a stiff brush tip, nothing fancy. No name dropped. Just described it.
Back to the drugstore I went. Pulled out every drugstore liquid liner with a stiff brush. Started testing on my hand again. Wiped, rubbed my wrist raw checking smudge resistance. One stood out. Felt cheap, packaging was boring. But… it worked.
- Brush Tip: Hard plastic. Stiff. Perfect for stamping that sharp wing. No fraying.
- Formula: Jet black instantly. Didn’t fade grey. Dried down matte and tight.
- Staying Power? Cooked dinner (greasy!), walked the dog (windy!), and slept in it (accidentally, okay!). Woke up… wing was still locked in. No bleed, no flake. Couldn’t believe it.
Turned out to be some random brand. Felt stupid I ignored it before because the packaging looked cheap. Screw spending $50 when $8 gets it done better.
Final Verdict & Why Fancy Doesn’t Mean Jack
So, the big reveal everyone thinks is some celeb secret? It’s not. Dude apparently just uses a solid, no-frills drugstore liquid liner with a stiff felt tip brush. Probably whatever gets the job done reliably on the road. No mystical potions, just basic tools used well.
Took me all this messing around, wasted money on garbage, got frustrated… only to land right back at the drugstore counter. Feels obvious now. If you want that sharp, stays-put Davis look? Skip the hype crap. Find a liner that dries fast, has precision control, and holds. Price tag means nothing. Found mine, finally. Done.
