Disclosure: I bought the smudge-proof eyeliner, the lipstick, and the gloss in this post with my own money, and nothing was sent to me. The Amazon links are affiliate links — they support this site at no cost to you. If something stops earning its spot in my bag, this post gets updated and I’ll say so. See our full affiliate disclosure.

If you’re like me, you’re on the eternal search for products that actually work. Mine has been a lifelong hunt for a smudge-proof eyeliner. I wanted a liquid liner that stays on the lash line instead of migrating onto my eyelid by lunch. Waterproof, long-wear, “24-hour,” it didn’t matter. They all did the same thing.

Lipstick had its own problem. Anything bright ended up on my teeth, or my husband wouldn’t kiss me because he didn’t want to wear it too. So I did what a lot of us do: lighter colors, or no color at all.

Then Taylor Swift kissed Travis Kelce on live television.

The kiss that sent me shopping

It was January 2024, right after the Chiefs won the AFC Championship. She leaned in, he leaned in, and when they pulled apart her red lip was perfect and his face was clean. How? I was online before the confetti stopped falling.

I have no proof of what she actually wears, but the internet reached one resounding verdict: Pat McGrath Labs MatteTrance lipstick. So I ordered two shades, one from Amazon and one from Sephora. I figured that if they made the best lipstick, maybe they had finally made a smudge-proof eyeliner too. A Perma Precision liner went in the cart.

Why cruise days are the real test for smudge-proof eyeliner

On a cruise, makeup goes on early for a port day and has to make it all the way to dinner. A smudge-proof eyeliner has to survive sunscreen, sea air, humidity, and a whole lot of squinting. Nobody goes back to the cabin to touch up. If a product can’t survive that kind of day, it doesn’t make my packing list.

The smudge-proof eyeliner: Pat McGrath Labs Perma Precision

Hands down, this is the best liquid liner I have ever used, and the first smudge-proof eyeliner that actually earns the name. Cream shadow, powder shadow, bare lid — it doesn’t matter. It does not smudge. It looks exactly as good at the end of the day as it did when I drew it on. I have never been able to say that about a liner before.

One honest caveat: the label says waterproof, and I still haven’t put that claim through a real swim. When I do, I’ll update this post and say so.

My verdict: I would pay the price and more for this eyeliner. I’ll never use another brand again.

Where to get it: Perma Precision Liquid Eyeliner at Pat McGrath Labs · check it on Amazon

The lipstick: Pat McGrath Labs MatteTrance

Also pretty amazing, with one technique. Put it on, give it a few minutes to set, then press your lips on a napkin to lift the excess. After that it is barely noticeable on anyone else, and it holds up through a meal. That makes it perfect for formal night or a specialty-restaurant dinner, when you don’t want to think about your lipstick between courses.

Now the disappointment. On two separate tubes, the lipstick itself came loose and slid out when I turned the tube upside down. The bullet gets messy and the tube gets messy. At this price that is a letdown, especially because the lipstick itself is wonderful.

My verdict: it works beautifully, but between the price and the hassle it is not an everyday lipstick for me. It’s a special-occasion lipstick: formal night, a big dinner, a day I know I’ll be in photos. The smudge-proof eyeliner does the everyday work; this is the one I save for the nights that matter.

Where to get it: MatteTrance Lipstick at Pat McGrath Labs · browse shades on Amazon

And the gloss

I also picked up the LUST: Gloss. It went on well and it was very pretty. But I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between it and any other gloss I’ve owned. Pretty, not special. I’d skip it.

Worth the money? The smudge-proof eyeliner, yes. The rest, it depends.

This brand is not cheap. But the eyeliner earned its spot in my bag on day one, and it has kept it. The lipstick is a yes for occasions and a no for every day. The gloss is a no. If you only buy one thing, buy the eyeliner — it’s the smudge-proof eyeliner I spent my entire adult life looking for.

A note on the brand (updated November 2026)

Since I first wrote this, Pat McGrath Labs went through a Chapter 11 restructuring in early 2026. It came out the other side in April with new backing, and Pat McGrath herself is still the creative lead. Both the smudge-proof eyeliner and the lipstick are still being made and sold, and they’re on the brand’s own site as I write this. Amazon stock for this brand comes and goes, though, which is why I’ve linked both places above.

More from my cruise bag: Cruise packing list for over 55 · First Caribbean cruise after 55? 7 things I wish I knew

Your turn: what’s the one makeup product you refuse to cruise without? Tell me in the comments — I’m always looking for the next thing that actually works.