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With a good eyeliner and a little practice, you can get the perfect cat eye or any liner look you want.
The 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil from Urban Decay is our top pick for best eyeliner overall because it glides on smoothly to create many different looks and stays on for up to 24 hours.
Eyeliner is definitely a if-I-have-time beauty item, but man, does it makes a big impact when I use it.
While eyeshadow and mascara can draw attention to and open up your eyes, eyeliner defines their actual shape and helps make deep-set or small eyes look a little bit larger - at least, when wielded correctly.
Since there are so many eyeliners out there, we decided to make your shopping a little bit easier by rounding up the best choices in several different categories. So whether you like your liner subtle and natural, in which case, a traditional pencil is your best choice, or dramatic and winged out - reach for liquid or gel - you'll definitely start making time in the morning to use any of these picks.
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The Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil glides on without tugging, sticks around without smearing, and has a huge range of both wearable and fun colors.
Want a subtle, slightly smudged line? You got it. Want a winged cateye that won't smear or smudge? No problem. Want an eyeliner pencil in every color under the rainbow? Then you'll love Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil. The only difficulty is going to be choosing your favorite one out of the 45 shades.
Urban Decay is known for trendy, high-quality makeup with tons of pigment and unconventional names. You'll find a shimmery copper pencil called Smog, a matte gray pencil called Desperation, and a shimmery purple pencil called Vice, to name just a few. But the names are part of the fun with this premium brand.
The 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil is waterproof, so it stays in place even through the saddest movie or the happiest wedding. But it doesn't tug on lids or set in with a dry feeling. In fact, half of the ingredients are moisturizing for a creamy, soft feeling on your lids.
Once applied, you have around 30 seconds to gently smudge the line, if desired. After that, the color is set until you take it off.
More than 10,000 of the 15,300+ reviews on Sephora give it five stars — that's a lot of satisfied buyers. Happy customers praise the vibrant colors, smudge-free performance, and ease of gliding the pencil around the eyes.
Pros: Huge choice of colors and finishes, won't smudge, gentle on delicate skin, easy to use
Cons: Not a swivel-up liner, so you'll need a sharpener to keep the point honed
As the name suggests, this liner sticks around until you take it off, but that doesn't mean it's difficult to use or that it will tug on your skin as you apply. It glides on smoothly and blends out easily with the built-in smudge tip if you want a smoky look. But once set, the liner stays in place without running or smearing.
There are more than 6,000 reviews of this popular eyeliner pencil on Sephora, where the product holds a 4.3-star average out of 5. One pleased shopper summed up the words of many with her comment, "I have been using this eyeliner for years. Easy application, long lasting, no smudge. Simple and efficient!"
There are 19 colors to choose from including a few fun brights. Most are slightly shimmery, but there are some matte choices, including black.
Pros: Self-sharpening, has a built-in smudger, nice colors, waterproof formula
Cons: Most of the colors are shimmery, so if that's not your thing, your selection will be limited
Liquid eyeliner has a learning curve — there's no getting around it.
While it creates the most dramatic lines out of all the other formulas, it's also the easiest type mess up whether you apply unevenly, layer on too heavily, or smudge by accident. Stila's liquid eyeliner makes it a little easier, however, with its convenient design.
Much like a felt-tip marker, it's fairly easy to draw a line as thin or as thick as you want, and if you want a little flare, the marker makes it easy to achieve a cateye wing. The waterproof formula dries quickly, and won't smudge or smear once set. Stila's eyeliner is our top pick in our guide to the best liquid eyeliners too.
There are more than 6,100 reviews of the eyeliner on Ulta, and 90% of those reviewers said they'd recommend the product to a friend. Many buyers commented on how easy it was to apply the eyeliner and how long it lasted without running. On the downside, some did mention that it isn't easy to remove — which actually is a testament to the liner's staying power.
There are 11 colors to choose from, including black, dark blue, deep green, and several shades of brown. There's even an icy white shade for the daring.
Pros: Pen-like design makes it fairly easy to use for a liquid eyeliner
Cons: Not a huge color selection, may be difficult to remove
If you crave the dramatic look of liquid eyeliner, but despair of ever mastering the small brush or marker format, you'll love the ease of applying Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner. It's shaped like a traditional pencil liner and goes on just as easily.
The lux gel glides on smoothly, so you won't feel any tug or pull around your eyes. It goes on with a strong line, but if you want to soften it, go ahead and smudge it quickly. Once it dries, it's set until you take it off. The formula contains skin-soothing ingredients, including vitamin E and rosehip oil, so it nourishes your eyelids as you wear it.
This is one of the most popular gel eyeliners on Sephora, where it has more than 3,600 5-star reviews and an average of 4.3 stars out of 5. A few shoppers did complain that the eyeliner didn't last as long as they'd expected and that it was difficult to apply neatly. But for the most part, buyers love the way it doesn't run or smear once set and that it's easy to apply. They're also impressed with the 40-shade lineup, and the array of natural and bold looks they can create.
This basic eyeliner goes on smoothly and contains coconut oil to help moisturize your lids. While it's not waterproof, it does stay in place quite well, and you can achieve a wide range of eye looks depending on your preference.
With more than 1,800 reviews and an average of 4.0 stars on Ulta, this is undoubtedly a popular eyeliner. Buyers commented that the pencil was easy to use and goes on smooth, easy to blend out for great daytime and nighttime looks, and easy to remove at the end of the night.
On the downside, some reviewers did feel the pencil didn't last long enough or smudged too easily, and some said the color faded as the day went on. But, in general, how long the pigment stays on your skin is made up of factors like your skin's oil levels, if you rub your eyes, and more so the wear-time is always subjective.
There are 24 colors of NYX Slim Eye Pencil to choose from including white, teal, baby blue, taupe, and seafoam green.
Pros: Great price, many colors, smooth application
If there's one thing many women never leave home without, it's mascara. It makes your eyes pop and brightens up your face in an instant. We tested dozens of mascaras to find the best, and Chanel Le Volume Mascara is our top choice because it delivers long, lush lashes that last all day.
One of the major grievances I have with lipstick is that you apply it only to find your lips are bare the next time you look in the mirror. The solution is to amp up your beauty arsenal with a long-lasting lipstick that will stay put all day or night long.
In this guide, you'll find everything from cult favorites to drugstore steals. For luscious lips that last all day, read on in the slides below to discover our top picks.
Here are the best long-lasting lipsticks you can buy:
Blush can add some color to your cheeks no matter your skin tone. These are the best blushes we've tried.
The right blush can help bring an entire makeup look together, wake up your face on tired mornings, or reinstate some life on your cheeks after you've blotted out your natural color with foundation.
A good makeup setting powder must cut down on shine without caking, look natural but last for hours, mattify but enhance luminosity, and remain undetectable on most skin tones.
The right formula will lock your makeup into place and cut down on shine without mattifying you within an inch of your life or making you look cakey and overdone.
Hopefully this list of my five favorites will help you cut through the noise and find the one that's right for you.
Here are the best makeup setting powders you can buy:
Finding your ideal concealer shade is tricky, so we tested a bunch to find the best concealer you can buy.
The best formulas can make you look airbrushed with very little product required. I put a bunch of highly rated concealers to the test over several weeks. This list features my top five favorites.
