The 13 Best Eyeliners, With Picks From Makeup by Mario, Stila, Charlotte Tilbury, and More (2024)

Our Top Picks

Formula: Liquid | Shades: 8 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This eyeliner has been popular for ages, and we can see why. It’s everything you would want a liquid eyeliner to be: easy to apply, pigmented, fast-drying, smooth, long-wearing, and easy to remove. Highlights include the packaging—it's easy to hold and navigate the wand effortlessly—and it glides across eyelids with ease. The small felt tip applicator allows you to create thin, precise lines or build up the eyeliner for a thicker, more dramatic result. Just one swipe provides a rich color payoff with a matte finish, and the formula dries completely within seconds to prevent smearing. Once applied, it doesn't smudge or run, and it's easy to remove with just a few swipes of a makeup remover.In addition to how well-performing it is, we love that it’s offered in eight different shades, which isn’t super common in liquid liner formulas.

Formula: Liquid | Shades: 5 | Cruelty-Free: No

Finding a high-quality eyeliner doesn’t require a trip to a department store or the need to spend a lot of money. The drugstore has options, and this one from Maybelline is our favorite. The fine-tip felt applicator is easy to apply with no skipping or dragging, and the pigmentation is bold. We appreciate that the formula dries almost instantly (this helps us make sure the liner doesn't smear). Once set, it takes on a matte finish, which remains smudge-free for hours and comes off easily with a remover. It’s also suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers and has been tested by dermatologists and ophthalmologists. A high-performing product at such an affordable price—this one is easy for us to recommend.

Formula: Pencil | Shades: 11 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Our editors and beauty lovers adore this eyeliner. Aside from the stunning shade range of 11 colors that feature unique neutrals and gorgeous jewel tones, the formula is creamy and workable. It comes with a sponge-tip smudger on one end of the pencil, lending itself to a wide range of looks. For example, it can be smoked out and manipulated to provide a diffused finish, or it can be used for sharper, more defined makeup looks. It doesn't dry down immediately, but in this case, we think that's a good thing—you have a minute to work with it. The only con: It can slide on oily eyelids. If you have oily eyelids, consider applying an eyeshadow primer first to avoid slipping and sliding throughout the day.

Formula: Liquid | Shades: 2 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This popular liquid eyeliner is an editor favorite and has been a staple on the market for years. The small brush tip applicator makes creating precise definition easy, and it provides full pigmentation in just one swipe. It glides on effortlessly, dries down almost instantly, and remains smudge-proof as you wear it. After testing it, we had nothing but good things to say about the application and loved almost everything about how it wore, minus a tiny bit of cracking on the outer corner of the eyes.

Formula: Pencil | Shades: 6 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

A creamy eyeliner pencil that glides across the skin with ease and can be manipulated to create different types of looks is a makeup bag staple. We love this one because, in addition to being offered in several elevated neutrals, it features a creamy formula that can be applied in a solid line or can be smudged out for a blurred effect. The formula doesn’t need to be layered, and it delivers full pigment in one swipe. It applies on the skin and waterline without tugging or pulling, and once set down, we had no issues with running. The only con worth noting is that it can smudge, mainly when used on the waterline.

Formula: Gel | Shades: 7 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Some people find that using a small eyeliner brush and dipping into a pot gel liner is much easier than applying liquid and pencil formulas. If this sounds like you, we can’t recommend this gel eyeliner formula enough. It comes in a variety of vibrant shades on the brand’s website, which is awesome for those who love experimenting with color, but the jet-black shade is timeless and definitely something worth investing in if you consistently wear black eyeliner.The formula is soft and insanely pigmented right out of the pot. It glides onto the eyelids with ease, and it dries down very quickly once applied. Even better: It sets to a matte, waterproof finish and stays fully intact as you wear it. Despite the incredibly rich pigmentation and wet formula, it was easy to remove. It's worth noting that it can be a bit tricky to get used to. We recommend starting with a tiny amount of product on your brush and slowly building up in order to maintain a mistake-free application.

Type: Pencil | Shades: 5 | Cruelty-Free: No

While this formula comes in multiple colors, it’s actually the two brown shades that have us sold. An exceptional brown liner can be hard to find, but celeb makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic's line offers two, including our beloved “The Perfect Brown”—which is truly just that. We also like how it comes with a brush on the other end for achieving a flawless (and intentional) smudgy finish. This brush effectively blends liner up and out without removing pigment for a truly smoky eye.

Formula: Pencil | Shades: 8 | Cruelty-Free: No

If you’re someone who likes to tightline—aka line your waterline—you need an eyeliner that is pigmented, and, most importantly, long-wearing. This one is fantastic for the waterline because it has a very smooth formula that’s like a hybrid between a gel and a cream, making it soft to use in delicate areas. You don’t need to apply much pressure at all to yield incredible color payoff, and once applied, it sets down completely. The formula is also safe for sensitive eyes, suitable for people who wear contacts, and has been tested under ophthalmological control.

Formula: Gel | Shades: 5 | Cruelty-Free: No

It’s safe to say that no one likes runny, smeared, or faded eyeliner, which is why finding a long-wearing formula is so important—especially if you’ll be wearing it during special events or long days. This is a great long-wearing option because once the waterproof formula sets down, it locks into place and doesn't budge until you wipe it away with makeup remover. We like that the formula is meant to be used with an eyeliner brush, allowing you full control over how much product you use. It dries down quickly, and once set, it wears excellently—no smudging, smearing, or fading. And despite its waterproof formula and long-wearing formula, it isn't difficult to remove.Our only gripe with this formula is that you might need to apply a second layer in order to get full, even, pigmentation, but considering that it’s easy to layer and the color payoff is still really nice, this isn’t a major con for us.

Formula: Liquid | Shades: 1 | Cruelty-Free: No

Achieving sharp, even winged eyeliner is one of the biggest makeup technique challenges that many people face—it’s difficult! That’s why products like this one, which find innovative ways to help us achieve the eyeliner look we envision, are so great. This product comes with a double-sided wing-shaped stamp—one stamp for the right eye and one stamp for the left eye—as well as a regular liquid eyeliner to finish the look and line the eyelids.In terms of the application process and the effectiveness of the stamp, it went pretty smoothly. A tool like this will take some trial and error to get perfect, but we loved how evenly the stamp applied the product and how well the shape worked to create the wing. While it looked nice, and the formula didn’t budge, it did create a bit of a tight sensation on our eyelids.

The accompanying liquid liner didn’t provide the smoothest application across the lash line, but we were ultimately able to achieve a pretty look. There are some minor flaws to this product, but considering how effective the stamp is, we think it’s a fantastic option for winged eyeliner beginners.

Formula: Liquid | Shades: 1 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

If you have sensitive eyes or you’re really cautious about the ingredients in your beauty products, this is a fantastic liquid eyeliner for you. It has a simple ingredient list free from potential irritants, and the formula has been ophthalmologically tested for sensitive eyes.It performs beautifully, too. The felt tip applicator and long handle make applying the eyeliner with precision easy, and it dries down quickly and is completely transfer-resistant. It felt comfortable as we wore it, and a few swipes of makeup remover dissolved it effortlessly. The one con is that it did take a bit of building up in order to achieve jet black color payoff, but all things considered, this isn’t a dealbreaker for us.

Formula: Pencil | Shades: 5 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Eyeliner tends to be one of the more tricky makeup items to apply, which is why finding one that makes application practically effortless is a win. This one is great because not only does it have a mechanical pencil-style design with an incredibly fine tip, but the formula also glides on without tugging or dragging in the eye area. During testing, we loved that it provides an intense color payoff in one stroke and dries down quickly to a budge-proof finish. It’s easy to remove, too, making the entire process of using it from start to finish a breeze.

One thing we wish we could change: The way the mechanical pencil works. Once you click it up, you can’t retract the product, meaning that you have to be careful about not clicking up too much at a time. And because the pencil is so incredibly thin, it is prone to breakage if you’re not super careful. But as long as you’re conscious of this and only click up a tiny bit at a time, it’s still a great product to have in your makeup collection, especially if you like to draw precise lines.

Type: Liquid | Shades: Black | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This eyeliner is one of our favorites for three simple reasons. First, the brush tip—it’s flexible but not too flexible, and it makes tracing a precise line or thick cat-eye as easy as a flick of the wrist. Second, the formula is inky black and rarely requires retracing. And finally, the longevity: We’ve worn this eyeliner through rain and sleet and have even fallen asleep with it on (oops), and it does not budge.

FAQ

• Which type of eyeliner is easiest to apply?

  Perfecting your eyeliner—no matter what style you go for—takes practice. If you’re a newbie to eyeliner, we recommend going for formulas that are more forgiving, like a creamy pencil. You’re more likely to see jagged lines or smudges with a pigmented liquid eyeliner than you are with a pencil liner that can be diffused and easily remedied if you make a mistake.
  

• What eyeliner is best for contact lens wearers and people with sensitive eyes?

  According to Dr. Davidson, people who wear contact lenses or have sensitive eyes should be a bit more discerning about what eyeliner they use. She recommends avoiding waterproof eyeliners as well as formulas made with talc, sulfates, BAK (benzalkonium chloride), and BHA.

  “Those that wear contacts should gravitate towards liners that have natural ingredients, like castor oil—a triglyceride with antimicrobial and antibacterial properties—as well as hyaluronic acid for hydration,” she adds. “Always be sure to patch test before applying by adding a small amount of product to the lid margin and keep an eye out for a reaction.”

• Is it bad to wear eyeliner on the waterline?

  People have been wearing eyeliner on the waterline for many years, but it’s not typically recommended by eye doctors. According to Dr. Davidson, it’s best to save wearing eyeliner on your waterline for special occasions and avoid doing so on a regular basis. “The waterline houses the meibomian glands, which are critical in maintaining the natural balance of the ocular surface tear film,” she explains. “Dysfunction in the meibomian glands can contribute to dry eye disease; women who wear eye makeup have a higher prevalence of dry eye disease.”