Since I was 16, I have never left the house without eyeliner on. So I have experimented with different products over the years and here are my favorites.



Pencil Liner : Clarins - $22


Drugstore liner: l'oreal intense - $5-7. I like the mineral shade and it does not rub off or smudge.


Pot liner : MAC Fluidline Blacktrack $15. You will need an angled brush to put it on, and it does smudge & rub off if you keep touching your eyes. But it is very easy to put on and looks good.

Liquid & gel liners are the best for true-wear, but yes they are a little more difficult to apply -just like anything else! - takes practice.

However, I like to use pencil liners - I like Cover Girl the best,


because it has that rubbery thingymadoodle on the opposite end, very useful for smudging purposes AND if you run it across a same color eye shadow, then across the line you just drew, it has ultimate staying power. AND it's inexpensive!! Gotta love it!

Urban Decay's 24-7 eyeliner is great. For absolutely no-budge eyeliner Milani's Infinite Liquid eyeliner wins, but you have to have a steady hand to apply. It's almost too hard to remove (even with makeup remover)!

Another vote for Urban Decay 24/7! It comes in lots of colors, and stays on great.

I also like Sephora's own brand of waterproof liner.

This one looks very interesting. Might have to look for it.


Right now I'm using the ulta brand. It's ok. Nice, but always looking for "the" one.

I have found that liquid eyeliner stays on longer. You have to give it a minute to dry but it works very well.

I've been using eyeliner since high school- to the point that I don't even look like myself without it.

My favorite is the Almay crayon contour. As much as I love makeup, I haven't ever found that an expensive type works better than this one. I do, however, second the suggestion to get an eyeshadow primer- that makes a HUGE difference. I wasn't much of a fan of the urban decay one, because it dried out pretty quickly- although it looks like they changed the packaging- the Too Faced one is working well for me so far.

I use Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. There is a little learning curve for applying a gel liner and you have to give it a minute or so to dry after you apply it. But after that, it lasts and lasts as long as you are just briefly touching your eye. If you really rub you eye, it will start to flake off.

Estee Lauders Double Wear. No smudge and lasts!

I've learned the hard way over the years that I can't wear many pencil liners because of an allergy of mine to lanolin. Pencils frequently rely on lanolin or lanolin derivatives to make smooth line. If I use one of these products, my eyes become gummy & mucus starts clouding up my vision, my eyelids puff up & then the skin scales off them & starts peeling, like from a sunburn. I discovered that even "safe" eyeliner brands would change their formulas occasionally, or the ingredients would vary by color or make & model, leaving me facing this same old problem.

So I gave up & turned to liquid eyeliner. This has turned out to be a good decision. I use Sephora's house brand. It did take some practice to learn how to paint my lids & my hand needs to be steady. I prime my lids first with a Smashbox product. The liner is a bit damp after it is first applied -- so I am in the habit of putting it on early, then blow drying my hair immediately afterward & turning some cool shots of air on my eyelids.

Milani Eyetech liquid liner. It's like a marker so it's easier than most liquid liners to apply. It works better for me than the smashbox cream, and it's cheap. You can get it at CVS/ drugstore. it's in a gold tube.

I use this and love it. It applies like a dream.