A trusty eyeliner pencil is a staple in any makeup collection. Whether you want to create a smoky cat eye, or darken the waterline for a bolder look, it can all be done with a great pencil. But what’s the best drugstore eyeliner pencil to choose if you’re looking for all-day wear?
I polled my Instagram and YouTube audience to find out what they thought were the best drugstore trash-proof pencils, and tested them side-by-side in the video above. Read on for a complete list of how each one performed in the 10+ hour wear test.
LA Girl Ultimate Intense Stay Auto Liner
LA Girl Ultimate Intense Stay Eyeliner ($5.50) is a hit cruelty free retractable eyeliner pencil with a very good tip. It’s small size makes it perfect for getting close to the reef or waterways.
This liner has a super creamy formula that glides onto both the lid and waterline with plenty of color. In my opinion, it is which is easy to include in this list and you have plenty of time to achieve a smoky look before it dries down.
Once it stops, it continues. What I love about this liner is that even if it’s faded on a very sweaty day, it always looks evenly put together. That’s right completely smudge-proof when dryand during my waterproof test (shown in the video at the top of the page) it disappeared slowly despite not having a water resistance claim.
On the waterline, the liner stays looking firm and slightly transferred to the lower waterline after 11 hours.
I think this liner would be best for those with sensitive eyes who need a smooth formula that’s easy to blend.
Maybelline Color Tattoo Sharp Gel Eyeliner
Maybelline Tattoo Studio Sharpenable Gel Eyeliner ($9.99) is for those who need something that will last no matter what. This liner is the most colorful, too and performed very well in waterproofing tests.
This liner also has a great range of shades, including two multichromes, making it a great choice for people looking for a pop of color that lasts.
The main negative I found with the Tattoo Studio liner is that it can be thin hard to put together there are other lines in this list. You don’t have much time before it hits its smudge-proof finish, which can mean a smoky-looking smokey liner. I also found that to be the case looking out over the waterway and it had to be built up a lot, which might irritate sensitive eyes. This is probably due to the waterproof formula.
elf No Budge Retractable Eyeliner
If you need a waterproof formula but also want easy blending time, the cruelty-free and vegan elf No Budge Retractable Liner ($5) is a great option. Plus, the convenient twist-up pencil format means you don’t have to worry about finding a sharpener.
I would say it is dark shade is the least pigmented of the fourhowever. It leans warm with a low tone that takes away from achieving a rich dark look. It’s more pigmented on the waterline than the Maybelline liner, but not as much as the LA girl liner.
Again, I’ve had a few of these over the years and I get them dry away before you finish with the pencil. It always takes a little scraping off the outer layer to get it looking like new again.
Despite being slightly yellow in color, once this liner sets, this elf liner it’s opaque and still looks well put together at the end of the day. While it won’t smear, it will fade if you rub it in (as seen in the wear test) but it still punches above its weight as a $5 liner.
essence Stay & Play Gel Eyeliner
Finally, my most used drugstore eyeliner pencil over the past few years has been the Stay & Play Gel Liner ($4.99). This is a vegan and cruelty free, super creamy and pigmented liner that goes on smoothly too firmly in the blast line and the waterway.
While the essence liner still looked perfectly decent at the end of the day, I just felt like it wore off a lot. It also performed very poorly in the water resistance test – despite having a waterproof claim. After checking all of these aside, my old favorite was definitely demoted.
That said, it’s still a decent line if you like the smoky look and don’t need something waterproof.
The final takeaway
I got the LA Girl Ultimate Intense Stay Eyeliner is a very well rounded pick who checked most of my boxes. It was pigmented and long-lasting while being easy to blend, and its performance exceeded its claims.
Do you have a favorite drugstore pencil?
– Miranda