Eyeliner solutions

When I first started wearing make up, eyeliner was my number one thing. Never went anywhere without it.  As I got older, I started hating how it looked on me because I didn't know how to wear it right. I always just used a cheap stick of black eyeliner that you can buy at CVS for about a buck. While that may be okay when you're 15/16 years old, as I got older I realized it was always running and I looked so unnatural with these black lines over my eyes. While that may be a "trend" for some (Taylor Momsen), for me, I felt like an idiot, as do most people, I think.

Then, my friend gave me her MAC eyeshadow (Beauty Marked) that she never used, it was a really dark, dusty purple that looked almost black. I like this color because I have a green tint in my eyes so the purple-ish color really brought out the green flakes in my eyes. If you use this, find which one matches your eye color best. I threw out all my dollar stick-eye liner and started using that shadow. All I do is lightly wet a slanted brush (mines on the other end of my eyebrow brush). This probably isn't what it's supposed to be used for, but I use it anyway. Then, I dab it in the eyeshadow and just slowly swipe it atop my eyelid, right on my eyelash line. Sometimes, depending on the amount of water, this would be dark so I would use my finger to smudge it a bit. I found this LOOKED better and LASTED much longer because it doesn't run.
Alas, three days ago I lost my MAC eyeshadow. I've tried using other eyeshadows that seem to not do the trick. I remember a couple years ago in a magazine it suggested that if there is no eyeliner, try using your mascara. I did that. It worked better than a cheap stick of eyeliner but wasn't really as pretty as the MAC eyeshadow.
Although the shadow is, what I think, a bit too high in price ($14.50 for 1.5 g), it works. I have yet to find a comparable result with a less expensive product but I'm on the hunt!