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Anyone who has ever worn eyeliner knows the struggle.

You leave the house with sharp, crisp wings … and by mid-afternoon it's transferred into your crease, smudged under your eyes or faded into something that resembles yesterday's mascara.

And don't even get me started if you have oily eyelids, or hooded or Asian eyes like me.

WATCH: Sarah Marie Fahd demonstrates a K-beauty blush placement. Post continues below.

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YB | K-beauty blush

For years, I've cycled through liquid liners that promised "24-hour wear" and "smudge-proof formulas", only to find myself constantly opening my phone's front camera to check if it had transferred or smudged.

Eventually, I'd basically accepted that a truly long-lasting liquid liner just wasn't realistic for me.

And then I went shopping in Japan and found my perfect match.

The best long-lasting, smudge-proof eyeliner is…

The Canmake Lasting Liquid Liner — currently on sale at YesStyle for $14.10 (down from $18.80).

Here's the product in all its glory.

This eyeliner is only $14! Image: Supplied.

If you're not familiar, Canmake is one of Japan's most loved drugstore beauty brands. It's known for affordable, high-performing makeup that consistently sells out in stores. But interestingly, this liner isn't hugely hyped online (yet), which is probably why I'd never really noticed it before.

Until I saw it flying off the shelves in Tokyo.

On a trip to Japan last year, I watched women of all ages (high school students, office workers and even older ladies) reaching for this exact liner and dropping it into their baskets without hesitation. So, naturally, I bought one. 

Since then, I've worn it through sweltering Aussie summer days, sticky humidity in Hong Kong and Japan, long festive-season nights involving too much food and drinks, and full work days when I unconsciously rub my eyes while staring at a screen for hours.

Whatever the situation, it literally Has. Not. Budged. For reference, this is my makeup after a 15-hour day.

My eyeliner has not budged all day. Image: Supplied.

The second it hits my skin, it sets. The pigment is rich and even in one stroke, and once it dries, it stays exactly where you put it.

What has really impressed me is it's long-wearing without being impossible to remove. It doesn't smudge from sweat or humidity, but when you use warm water and super gentle friction at the end of the day, it softens and washes away.

It comes in four shades — Black, Bitter Choco Brown, Greige and Sepia Greige — which makes it easy to customise your look. I especially love the brown and greige tones because they're perfect if you want definition without that super harsh jet-black effect.

Another standout feature is the ultra (ULTRA!) fine 0.1mm brush tip. It makes drawing precise wings so much easier, whether you prefer a barely-there flick or a bold cat eye. It's also amazing for tightlining — you can fill in the tiny gaps between lashes, and getting into the inner corners is effortless, too. 

The tip is super thin. Image: Supplied.

And apart from looking good, the formula also deserves a 10/10.

It contains hydrating ingredients like rosehip extract, panthenol and sodium hyaluronate, which means it doesn't dry down in that tight, crackly way some long-wear liners do.

Honestly, I didn't expect a $14 spontaneous purchase to outperform eyeliners five (or more) times more expensive. Canmake, take my money.

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Feature image: Supplied.