Eyeliner technique has changed surprisingly little over the last 10,000 years—take the 1340 BC bust of Nefertiti, festooned in a thoroughly modern cat eye—but that doesn’t mean finding the right formula is simple. An Amazon search yields more than 4,000 pencils, pens, and pots.
To find the best eyeliners, we interviewed makeup artists and cosmetic chemists, researched hundreds of formulas, and tested 45—spanning drugstore, mid-range, and high-end brands, across kohls, gels, liquids, and even wing-shaped stamps.
We found five winners: an affordable liquid wonder, a foolproof pen for cat-eye beginners, the best drugstore pencil money can buy, a creamy and intense twist-up, and a nuanced range of stunning colors, plus a few great alternates. We hope one of these will become your new go-to.
