Top 18 Eyeliner Pencils: Reviews & How to Achieve Perfect Liner
Finding an eyeliner pencil at Sephora or the drugstore is about as easy as spotting a cloud in the sky on a rainy day. Nearly every beauty brand offers one, but they're not all created equal. Tracking down an especially great eyeliner pencil can be as hard as finding a Tinder match who's not lying about their height.
There are countless ways to use eye pencils, but no matter what, makeup artist Rose Siard sticks to a specific technique: "As soon as you draw your line, start smudging," she says. "I work one eye at a time so I have more blending time." And of course, the pencil you choose either makes this easier or harder to do.
Luckily, Allure editors and professional makeup artists have done the tough testing for you. We gathered up the best eyeliner pencils in one convenient place, with picks from brands like MAC, Revlon, Gucci, and more, plus drugstore eyeliners that look and feel just as vibrant and smooth as the rest. Consider this your shopping guide for the most colorful, long-lasting, shimmery, and intensely pigmented formulas on the market. All are easy to use, most are easy to smudge, and none of them will play a disappearing act on you until they're ready to wipe off with some makeup remover before bed.
Keep scrolling to find out which one of these eyeliner pencils you should be rimming your lash lines with, using to draw on graphic shapes, blending out as an eye shadow base, or trying the latest underliner trend with.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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MAC Eye Kohl
There's a good reason certain products stick around for decades: They work, and they work well, garnering countless fans like makeup artist Nydia Figueroa. "If you're looking for an eyeliner to create a sexy, smoky, and sultry look in a pinch, then I would go with the Eye Kohl by MAC," she tells Allure. "It comes in many colors, and I love to use this formula on the eyelid as a base for my eye shadows."
$19
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Gucci Stylo Contour Des Yeux Khol Eye Pencil
If it's not the the Gucci Stylo Contour Des Yeux Khol Eye Pencil's ease of use that makes it worth the splurge, then it's the truly lovely colors that justify dropping a little extra on such a 'spency pencil. "This super-creamy eye pencil glides on smoothly and can be blended out into gorgeous, smoky eye looks," says makeup artist Robin Black, founder of Beauty Is Boring. She loves all of the staple shades but is "stockpiling extras" of less traditional hues like 04 Bordeaux and 06 Celeste, seen here.
$36
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Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner
If you're on a tight budget with your beauty spending, there's great news: You don't need a designer eye pencil to get a gorgeous eye makeup look. Makeup artist Cara Lovello loves the long-wearing, longtime drugstore go-to Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner. The black eyeliner should be distributed to literally everyone who does makeup — it has won numerous Readers' Choice Awards — but Lovello is especially fond of the brown shade "for the perfect natural 'kitten' look."
$9
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Makeup by Mario Master Pigment Pro Pencil
An "absolute favorite" of makeup artist Rose Siard, the Makeup by Mario Master Pigment Pro Pencils marry intensity and effortlessness. "They blend easily and have a built-in brush for smudging, but once they dry, they set and stay in place," Siard says, raving about the long-lasting formula. Each pencil also comes with a sharpener, and the sharpener comes with a removable cleaning stick to ensure even sharpening each time.
$22
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Wet n Wild Mega Last Breakup-Proof Retractable Eyeliner
Siard also adores this Wet n Wild Mega Last Breakup-Proof Retractable Eyeliner, which she says performs very similarly to the Makeup by Mario Master Pigment Pro Pencil for a fraction of the price (though it's BYOBB — bring your own blending brush). The Best of Beauty Award-winning pencil earns its following by going on silky-smooth and actually staying put throughout sweating, humidity, and tears.
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Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Liner
"The gorgeous texture and stunning colors of this long-lasting, waterproof eye pencil make it one of my go-to formulas," Black tells Allure, adding that it's easy to apply for a smoked-out look or clean, graphic lines. As luxurious to use as it is to behold, it's a truly versatile pencil. "I also love it layered under powder eye shadow to add some drama," Black says.
$22
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Fenty Beauty Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner
It's hard to believe that Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner is Fenty Beauty's first eye pencil considering it seems like it was made with the expertise of a brand that has lots of eye pencils under its belt. Well, sometimes the first time's the charm, because this creamy, intensely pigmented formula doesn't disappoint in any of its 20 matte, metallic, shimmery, and glittery shades.
$22
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Burt's Bees Defining Retractable Eyeliner
Here's another one of the best drugstore picks on this list. You may think of shea butter and jojoba oil as must-have ingredients for body lotions, but they're also among the reasons why Burt's Bees Defining Retractable Eyeliner glides on so smoothly. It deposits creamy, vibrant color, even in the more neutral of its six available shades.
$10
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Ilia Clean Line Gel Eyeliner
If you love the intensity of gel eyeliner, but you prefer the control of a pencil format, Ilia's Clean Line Gel Eyeliner is the ideal combination. As if by magic, it's blendable only when you want it to be, setting once you're satisfied with the smudge. You can also use the precise, super-smooth tip to closely define your lash line without a hint of smokiness.
$26
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Elizabeth Arden High Drama Eyeliner
As the name would suggest, this creamy liner delivers all of the drama to your eyes, complete with a felt tip at the bottom for blending out perfectly smooth lines or a soft, smoky cat-eye. To top it off, High Drama Eyeliner's wax-based, waterproof formula promises to hold tight for 16 hours. We love the moody amethyst and lush navy.
$22
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Jouer Slim Crème Eyeliner
This Best of Beauty Award-winning velvety pencil deposits the richest pigment; the built-in sharpener whittles the perfect point. Once described by Allure editors as "the slinky boho Isabel Marant dress of your makeup bag," Jouer Slim Crème Eyeliner in Matte Brown is a long-lasting, twist-up pencil that's far from a basic brown eyeliner. The shade is a perfectly balanced chocolate brown that gives you all the lure of an easy-to-wear neutral and all the coolness of gunmetal, in a superb matte finish.
$16
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Lancôme Le Crayon Khol
New York City-based makeup artists Benjamin Puckey and Stevie Huynh love to use the Lancôme Le Crayon Khol eyeliner as a creamy base to amplify the pigment of powder eye shadows. Huynh swears by its wax-to-pigment ratio and blendable texture.
$26
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Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner
Not only does it boast dozens of different technicolor hues in shimmer, matte, and satin finishes, but Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner is also incredibly simple to use for perfecting more dramatic looks. The gel formula is as buttery as a pencil gets and lightweight on lids.
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Chanel Le Crayon Yeux
New York City-based makeup artist Ingeborg loves the Chanel Le Crayon Yeux for its smokiness. The applicator on the other end of the pencil lets you smoke out the liner. But once it's set, it won't accidentally smudge. Your lived-in makeup look will stay intentionally sooty all day long.
$30
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Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Waterproof Liner
In 2017, Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Waterproof Liner won the Best of Beauty Award for best waterproof liner, and we're still madly in love with it. The long-wearing, smudge-proof formula is known to outlast the hottest of yoga classes, dates, and summer days.
$33
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Urban Decay 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencil
Let's be real: Eyes are delicate and temperamental. The skin around them is about as sensitive and fragile as it gets, and they can expel water at any given moment. Yet we still wield eyeliner dangerously close to our eyeballs to etch along our waterlines. Taking this into account, you need a liner that won't aggressively tug at your lids and won't disappear with the tiniest drop of moisture. That liner: Urban Decay 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencil.
$22
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Pat McGrath Labs Permagel Ultra Glide Eye Pencil
This Pat McGrath Labs Permagel Ultra Glide Eye Pencil comes infused with silicone and feels velvety smooth as you line your lids. You can easily diffuse the color with a cotton swab for a smokier look, too. We love how the rich, long-wear gel eyeliner creates bold, defined lines in seconds.
$28
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Clinique Quickliner for Eyes
Puckey calls Clinique Quickliner his tried-and-true favorite for its long-wear formula. The classic liner has a sponge applicator on the other end for on-the-go smudging. Plus, you don't have to worry about sharpening this one — just twist the top to dispense and get back to creating your liner look.
