SS11: Armani brings us the ultimate black eye pencil

I'm not really too sure what to call this product - on the box it's simply called "Spring 2011 Eye Pencil", the UK website refers to it as "Day-Proof Colour Pencil" and the US website calls it "Long Wear Waterproof Eye Pencil". Identity crisis aside, however, I'm just going to refer to it as Probably the best eye pencil in the world.

Imagine someone asked you to create your ultimate eye pencil. You'd want it to apply super smoothly, with no pulling or tugging required. You might want to be able to smudge it a bit after applying, but then you'd want the result to last all day. You'd want the colour to be rich and pigmented. And if you wanted it available in black, brown or green, this would be it!

I must admit that I have a few eye pencils in my collection already which I thought were the ultimate eye pencils before I met this one. The Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil, for one, Shiseido's Smoothing Eyeliner Pencil is another, not to mention Armani's own Smooth Silk Eye Pencil. But they pale into the background in contrast to this beauty.

This glides on so smoothly and gives such rich colour that it feels like I'm applying gel liner, if it came in an easy pencil format. Virtually no pressure is needed when applying it and there's enough time to blend out the line if I need to after applying, but once it sets it lasts all day, withstanding even a vigourous rub from the baby when she decides to investigate my eye lashes.

As for the colour, the black shade (number 1) is a real Priest Black, to quote Father Ted. I don't need to trace over the line again and again to build intensity - one stroke gives a really deep, rich black. It doesn't fade to a dull, charcoal finish as so many black pencils tend to do and the contrast of the rich jet really brightens my eyes, even after a sleepless night.

The other shades available are a cool dark brown (next on my shopping list) and a mossy green. Now if they'd only add a navy blue to the lineup, I'd be set for life.