As a beauty reporter, being pleasantly surprised by a product is one of my favorite things, especially when it’s an industry underdog with an accessible price tag. This was my experience when I tried the af94 Star69 gel eyeliner, an under-the-radar cosmetic that, upon first swipe, proved itself to be a true hidden gem that I now use nearly every day.

Walmart

There’s understandably a lot of skepticism surrounding celebrity-founded brands — I too have been guilty of extra criticism towards these ventures, especially when it comes to beauty. So when I received a sample of the Star69 liner and learned that the af94 brand belonged to pop singer Halsey, I almost didn’t bother. However, I quickly ate my words when it applied like literal butter to my lids, with a type of ease and level of control that I typically don’t find with eyeliners of this consistency.

Historically, creamy-feeling liners, though amazing when it comes to a drag-proof and skip-free application, make it difficult to achieve defined points or skinnier lines because the texture is too soft. The Star69 eyeliner, on the other hand, is actually a gel formula, so you get that super opaque and pigmented payoff without compromising on definition or tugging on delicate eyelid skin.

Other well-known eyeliners I’ve seen that claim to share a similar formula are the Bobby Brown Perfectly Defined gel eyeliner, priced at $36 a tube, and the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On pencil, priced at $23.

Another benefit to this smooth and lightweight gel-based composition is its exceptional staying power. Once this matte-finish eyeliner dries down, it doesn’t budge for water, sweat, or even excessive rubbing. I’ve worn it in the dead of Los Angeles summers, to dance classes, and it’s still remained impeccably in place, even better than liquid-formula eyeliners, which used to be my only liners of choice.

Tessa Flores/HuffPost

But this steadfast performance doesn’t mean I can’t manipulate the product to achieve a soft cat eye on those days when I don’t want such a harsh look. Before it dries down, I’m able to smoke out the liner a bit into a wing with a fine eyeliner brush to help diffuse the edges, and then I run a clean, thin brush beneath the line I’ve just created to make a pointed wing.

As I mentioned earlier, I received my first Star69 eyeliner complimentary in the deep brown shade Leather Bound. However, I liked it so much ended up purchasing the jet black (Atomic) and navy blue shade (Myzul) on my own (there’s a total of five to choose from). You also don’t need a sharpener because it has a twist-up packaging design that automatically sharpens with each turn.

Available at Walmart starting at just $8 a pop, a few reviewers have also chimed in below to share the reasons why they also adore this lesser-known eyeliner.

Promising Walmart reviews:

“This eyeliner just glides on like silk and the color is amazing. It makes my brown eyes just gorgeous , I’ll definitely buy it again and again.” —sharon

“love the no sharpening and the color is nicely pigmented (I purchased the dark blue) Goes on smoothly and is waterproof. The price is great and the product is better than eye pencils that I’ve paid triple the $ for.” —jacqueline

“This eyeliner is awesome, it doesn’t smudge and it does glide on smoothly. I am a big fan of a good eye line and I’ve used Mabelline liquid eye liner and a Wet and Wild pencil liner for years. This product is worthy of a repeat buy!! And that’s a big statement from me cause I’m a eyeliner fanatic and I don’t write reviews, but I looked it up for my coworker and was telling her about it!! Worth the money.” —sarah

“LOVED IT!!!!! I wore the green, yellow, and white liner to a concert and IT STICKS!!! It was out doors and hot, it’s didn’t smudge at all. They’re true to color.” —Ash

Get it from Walmart for $7.92+ (available in five shades).

The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.