In the case of the LM cake liner, I have found that what works for me is to be sure the application is not too wet. I test it by dabbing the brush on the back of my hand first. Then it is important to aim for the base of the eye lashes but to avoid the waterline. Requires a good tilted mirror that you can ideally sit with, which I never do because I am constantly harassed by small children, ahem. I gave it a shot once a day until I got the experience how to get it to work for me. I also was shown once by the make up artist how to do it when I bought the liner and watched a couple of youtube videos. Most helpful was having someone do it for me once.
The LM counter had a real makeup artist, as opposed to a sales associate, but she is only there certain hours, so it might pay to find out about that ahead of time.
For regular eyeliner I like the waterproof pencils from Chanel, but I find them not soft enough for tightlining. I have no experience with gel or liquid, but for a not very talented makeup applier such as myself, I find a brush and cake liner to be relatively forgiving.
