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Top Eyeliner Reviews By Type
Which Type Of Eyeliner To Use?
Liquid Eyeliner
Liquid eyeliner is considered by most to be the ultimate eyeliner – as nothing makes quite so crisp a line, or makes other people visibly jealous at your wing’s superior sharpness. It is, though, a tricky technique to master, and that’s why some people aren’t so keen.
As we explain above, if you’re a beginner you should build up your skills a little before you try liquid. Because once the liner is on, it’s not coming off without a fight. So you’re definitely going to need some practice before diving in.
However, once you have your confidence up and have developed a steady hand, you should definitely consider it. Once you do you’ll be able to branch out, because it’s about more than just cat eyes. With liquid you’ve got a fine tip, which is perfect for creating swirls, double liner wings and more. For the eyeliner master with creative flair, nothing can compete with liquid.
1. Marc Jacobs Magic Marc'er Precision Pen Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
Pros
- Sharp, Defined Lines
- Great for wing flicks
- Smudge Proof
- Designer Quality
- waterproof
- Long-wearing
- List Item
Cons
- Learning Curve Using Liquid Eyeliner
2. Napoleon Perdis Neo Noir Liquid Eyeliner
Pros
- Precision Brush For Super Fine Lines
- Longwearing
- Waterproof Formula
- Suitable For Contact Lens Wearers
- Ophthalmologically Tested
Cons
- 1.2ml
- Learning Curve With Brush Pen
Gel Eyeliner
More forgiving than its liquid counterpart, but just as exciting. SImilar to liquid, with gel you can use a thin brush to create smooth designs, and have greater control than a pencil.
The big advantage with gel eyeliner over liquid is that it doesn’t set instantly, giving you a little time to make corrections. If your hand shakes, you can remove and reapply, or you want to smudge it out just a little to create more of a smokey eye, you have the time. But once it sets, it sets like stone, so no worries there.
Applied with a brush from a small pot, gel eyeliner is definitely a versatile and easy-to-use option that yields incredible results.
3. Napoleon Perdis China Doll - Eyeliner Yin
Pros
- Smudge Proof
- Long-Wearing
- Easy To Apply
- Sets To A Highly Pigmented Finish
Cons
- Sets Quickly
4. SHE Gel Eyeliner Black
Pros
- Innovative Gel Formula
- Applies Smoothly
- Dries To Slight Shimmer Finish
- Can Be smudged for smokey eye look
Cons
- Less Defined Lines
Pencil Eyeliner
The old faithful of the eyeliner world, pencil eyeliner is a staple in any young girl’s beginner makeup kit. It’s probably the eyeliner that you learned how to do wings with in the first place! Especially if you just followed our guide above. A great starting point, it’s simple, easy to use and won’t be too much of a challenge to achieve a fun look.
But, because it is after all only a pencil, the consistency and texture mean you won’t get quite as neat and clean a line. Still, while you’re finding your range and getting over your nerve, pencil is an invaluable training tool and something beginners should consider before jumping up to gel or liquid.
They’re not only for beginners though: if you’re after a smokier look or just want a touch of soft colour along your lash line, pencil is definitely the eyeliner for you.
5. Ardell Lash Boostier Liquid Eyeliner Onyx
Pros
- Sharp, Defined Lines
- Perfect For Winged Liner
- Long-Wearing
- Waterproof
- Intense Black Colour
Cons
- Limited To Sharp Lines And Cannot Be Used As Eyeshadow
6. puroBIO Cosmetics 23 Pencil Eyeshadow Aquamarine
Pros
- Easy Application
- Creamy Texture And Pigmented
- Long Wear Performance
- Water Resistant Formula
- Can be used for Waterline
Cons
- Not As Blendable As Other Pencils
Eyeshadow Liner
If all else fails, or if you just realised you ran out of your other product, eyeshadow is a trusty backup. In fact, used properly the results you can achieve can be truly great in their own right.
Stick to matte colours when you start out with this technique. It’s the easiest way to get yourself accustomed, and if you’re feeling bolder later on, you try shimmers, glitters and more.
Using the right brush to ensure proper application is killer when using shadow as liner, but if you combine a good eyeliner brush with pigmented shadow you should be able to achieve some impressive looks.
7. Napoleon Perdis Loose Eye Dust
Pros
- Metallic, Eye-popping Effect
- Lighter Shades Can Be Used To Dust
- Canister Dispenser
- Dual Voltage
- Brilliant Shimmering Highlights
- Long Lasting
Cons
- Canister Hard To Use For Some
8. Napoleon Perdis Color Disc
Pros
- Pigment Rich
- Smooth Application
- Easy To Blend
- Long Lasting
- Sparkle, Shimmer, Matte Or Metallic Finishes
- Paraben Free
Cons
- No Applicator Included
Eyeliner Stickers And Adhesives
OK so after all of our technical guidance, it might seem odd that we would recommend stickers, but we simply cannot deny how great these are. Removing the need for skilled application and practice, these easily-applied decals are revolutionising the eyeliner process!
However, we don’t actually recommend you use these in place of eyeliner: as good as they are, they’re not super long lasting like say liquid eyeliner, but they do provide an amazing back up for the days you’re running late, you’re without your full make up kit or you just keep messing up!
Using them is easy: simply measure the size, cut the sticker/adhesive to the appropriate length and place it gently into position over your lash line.
9. Ardell Demi Wispies Self Adhesive Lashes
Pros
- Waterproof Adhesive
- Water Resistant
- Natural-looking, Glamorous Eyelashes
- Blends Easily With Eyeliner
- Paraben Free
Cons
- High-Maintenance
- Limited Number Of Uses
10. Ardell Duo Adhesive Dark
Pros
- Great For Lashes
- Water Resistant
- Smudge Proof
- Long Lasting
- Paraben Free
Cons
- Must Buy Lashes Separately
Top Eyeliner Tips and Advice
Sure, eyeliner can be a scary tool if you’re not used to it: not only is it killer for your look, but you need to work intricately and you’re waving a utensil right next to your eye!
Especially if you’re in a rush, it’s not only difficult, but it’s nerve racking. And we’ve all know this story: you’ve got minutes left till you need to leave the house, you’ve spent 15 minutes blending your eyeshadow to perfection, and all that remains is the eyeliner. Then the anxiety sets in …
You start drawing your line, but a few strokes later you realise that while one of your wings is perfection … the other one is a complete mess. Why exactly people find eyeliner so hard to apply is hard to say, maybe it’s working so close to your eyes: whatever it is, many of us struggle to get those wings even. Whatever it is, with our top tips we’ve got you covered.
Eyeliner Tips For Beginners
First of all, take a deep breath, try to relax, and rather than panic just think about how great things will be when you’ve mastered eyeliner! It may take a few tries, but in no time you’ll wonder what on earth you were worried about.
You might have already been using an eyeliner stencil, but for the best results, it’s time you learned to go freehand. Most people tend to begin pencil eyeliners, mainly because they’re easy to find and they’re cheap.
It might make sense to start with something affordable, but we don’t think they’re necessarily the best choice for beginners. There are a few other alternatives to consider, for those not ready to take the big leap straight to liquid eyeliner.
By smudging a dark eyeshadow along your lash line, you can give the illusion of eyeliner without even using any. This is a good start to give you an idea of how you might want your eyeliner to look, and means that at first you don’t need to be waving any pointy objects in front of your eyes.
Asd soon as you’ve mastered the eyeshadow trick, it’s time to upgrade to a gel formulation, applied with a thin eyeliner brush. You’re probably already accustomed to using a brush on your eyes, so it shouldn’t be too much of a jump. And once you’re doing this, you gradually move on to more intimidating techniques as your start to feel braver and your hand steadies: and you’ll be ready for liquid before you know it!
How To Draw Perfect Eyeliner Wings
The winged eyeliner look is the holy grail of eyeliner techniques. You can bet your bottom dollar that when most people say they want to learn how to use eyeliner, what they’re really wanting is to perfect their wings.
That’s because it’s not easy: it takes knowledge, skill and practice to perfect. But with our tips and little application on your part, you’ll have it down in no time. We believe in you! So … let’s get started.
Prepare the canvas
Like any artist, making sure your canvas is ready is crucial. In this instance, the canavs is the area around your eyes, so make sure that they are clean and free from any residue. Just a basic makeup remover, applied to a cotton pad, will be fine to softly sweep away any remaining makeup.
You need to continue this process out towards the sides of your face so that the area where the wing is applied is ready too. Whether you apply your eyeshadow before or after your eyeliner is up to you. Applying this after means you avoid having to re-do it if you get your eyeliner wrong. But if you’re bold and apply first, you can gauge whether your shadow is making the eyeliner look faded, or is dulling the sharp edges you need for the desired effect.
Carefully line your lashes
Carefully draw a thin line from your inner eye corner to approximately two-thirds of your eye, stopping at the outer third. Keep close to the lash line. When you’re ready to complete the job, this technique allows you space to execute a smooth, even wing.
If you’re struggling to line it up, you can even draw dots at small intervals along the lash line, and then connect them with the liner, which should help you to achieve a straight line. Try it out and choose whatever works for you.
Use Dots To Guide You
Depending on your eye shape, how dramatic a look you’re going for and how sharp you want your wing to be, place a dot where you want the tip of your wing to be. This will then act as a guide for the rest of the process, so be sure to give this some careful thought and try to imagine your final look.
A thin-tipped brush or eyeliner pen can be used. Just place a tiny dot at your desired height and angle, and of course aim to make both equal so that your final wings are as symmetrical as possible.
Complete The Shape Of The Wing
OK, it’s time to start winging. Draw a line from the dot directly to the outer corner of your eyo. You want this to be sharp and neat: this will be the bottom of your wing. Don’t freak out if you don’t get it right the first time, just use a Q-tip with makeup remover if you need to clean it up a bit.
Any kind of kind of eyeliner is fine for this step, so whether you’re a beginner with a brush or an expert with liquid, you should hopefully have no issues.
Fill In The Gaps
Believe it or not, we’re almost there! Now you just need to apply the finishing touches and create the wings themselves. So long as you followed our tips above to the T, you should be ready to execute wings strong enough to take flight!
To achieve a perfectly clean line we’d recommend starting out with a closed eye. Draw a more angled, sweeping line, and then connect it up to where you’ve finished in the outer third of your eye, again taking your eyeliner from the dot.
Once this is executed and you’re happy with the shape, all that remains is to colour in the space. Try to use small strokes, and draw them all in the same direction. And that’s it! Congrats, you just drew yourself your first (perfect) set of wings.
Best Eyeliners For Different Eye Shapes
Everyone’s face shape is different, and so there is no one way that will work with every eye and face shape. The basics above still apply, but depending on your look, you will need to adapt, and practice to perfect your wings. Fear not though, because there isn’t a face shape known to mankind that wings can’t work on: it’s just about finding the most appropriate style for you and then perfecting it!
- Close -set eyes: A white or nude eyeliner on your inner corner will open them up and make them appear wider apart.
- Wide-set eyes: By creating a smaller, upturned wing, you can create the illusion of closer set eyes.
- Hooded eyes: By creating a thicker outer third, you can draw the wing with your eyes open to see where it lines up visibly.
- Monolid eyes: You should draw your wing with your eye open (despite our advice above, sorry!), so that you can see where to end the line.
- Round eyes: If you have round eyes, you can give your eye some depth and shape by creating a more defined triangle wing.
- Almond eyes: You guys make me jealous – you can pull off any wing look!
Eyeliner Tutorials
If our advice above is not enough for you (boo!) don’t worry: the internet is literally overflowing with guides and tutorials on how to master all manner of makeup techniques, and of course these feature wings pretty often.
So if you want more ideas for inspiration, your keen to experiment, or if you just want to become a certified wing master, we curated some of the best tutorials on the web so you can keep on flying!
Tina Yong's "12 Common Eyeliner Mistakes You Could Be Making"
If you haven’t heard of Tina Yong, then there’s a good chance your dwellings are located under a rock somewhere. This super popular beauty YouTuber knows how to get you through the eyeliner journey. If you’re wondering where you’re going wrong or maybe just want a bit of visual coaching before you start working on that line, getting to know Tina is the way to go.
TheMakeupChair's "Eyeliner Tutorial: 5 Steps"
At 90 secs long and with pretty much everything you need to know to execute the perfect wing, there is literally no excuse for you to not watch this video. It somehow manages to cover the fundamentals of creating a winged liner look in no time at all, but if you want more you can easily carry on down this rabbit hole: there’s a whole channel full of videos containing more in-depth lessons, and more advanced techniques.
ThatsHeart's "9 Easy Eyeliner Hacks for Perfect Winged Eyeliner"
What Is Tight-lining With Eyeliner?
Ok, if you’re squeamish, look away now! Tightlining is undoubtedly the most cringe inducing of eyeliner techniques, and for those who don’t enjoy working near their eyeballs, frankly, a terrifying prospect. It is the practice of applying eyeliner underneath your lashes, on the exposed area of skin between lash and eyeball. If you’ve ever heard the word “waterline”, this is it.
Use a pencil eyeliner, and carefully and safely, slightly melt the tip of the pencil using a lighter before applying. This makes for a smoother application, and means your less likely to scratch or damage your eye if you make a mistake. Bonus!
Tight-lining makes your lashes look fuller. If you use a light or white colour, you can make your eyes look larger and more awake: especially effective for smaller eyes and hooded eyes (or if you were out on the town last night and need to hide it!).
What Are Eyeliner Tattoos?
Eyeliner tattoos are the most hardcore eyeliner solution by far. It’s definitely not as popular as its lash and brow counterparts, but it’s still a possibility if you’re really not keen to experiment. However, in our opinion, a permanent solution seems like a shame, and if you ever want to change your style you will be stuck with a hefty bill to remove them.
If you’re the type of person who likes experimenting with different shapes and colours, eyeliner tattoos are not for you. Also, you need to be very careful that you find a reputable cosmetic tattoo artist who really knows their stuff, as unlike with our techniques above, one mistake here and it’s game over.
Also not for those who frighten easily, as having a tattoo gun applied right next to your eye will be nerve racking to say the least.
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