Best Eye Liners: Revlon ColorStay Leads the Set

The best eye liners here are led by the Revlon ColorStay Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner, a 0.01 oz pencil with a built-in sharpener and a smudger cap that does two jobs in one barrel. If you want a fine liquid wing instead of a pencil line, the NYX Epic Ink Liner is the pick, with a flexible felt tip. One thing decides most regret with liners: format. Buy a liquid pen when you wanted pencil control, and you fight it every morning.

Best eye liners at a glance

How I screened these five liners

I compared the published listings side by side, not by putting anything on my eyes. That means I weigh what the data actually shows: format, size, stated colour, wear claims and where each sits on price against the others in this set.

Three things drove the picks:

• Format first. Three of the five are pencils, one is a mechanical gel pencil, and one is a liquid felt-tip pen. Format changes the whole experience, so I sorted the set by it before anything else.
• What comes in the barrel. The Revlon pencil is the only one here with both a built-in sharpener and a smudger described in its own listing. That earns it points a plain pencil cannot match.
• Price position with a real reason. The e.l.f. pencil is the cheapest of the five. I would not name a budget pick on price alone, so it also had to bring a usable format, and a retractable pencil qualifies.

What I cut from consideration was any pick whose only argument was a marketing line. The best eye liners in this guide each have a spec or a format advantage a reader can check, not just a bullet that says "long-wear".

1. Revlon ColorStay Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner — Best overall

The Revlon ColorStay is the most complete single pencil here, because the barrel carries both a sharpener and a smudger.

Best for: anyone who wants pencil control with a built-in sharpener Skip it if: you want a sharp liquid wing

The best eye liners for most people are the ones you can control on the first try, and a pencil is easier to steer than liquid. This is a 0.01 oz pencil in Black Brown, one of two finishes Revlon lists across a matte and shimmer range. What sets it apart in this group is the built-in sharpener for a pointed tip, plus a smudger to blend the line into a softer edge. No other pick here bundles both tools in the same barrel.

Revlon says the formula is transfer-proof, waterproof, smudge-proof and fade-proof, with up to 24HR wear. Treat that as the maker's claim, not a measured result. The listing also states the pencil is ophthalmologist tested and suitable for the waterline, which matters if you line inside the lash. It sells faster than most of the set, and it is the second-cheapest of the five.

The trade-off is precision. A pencil cannot cut the crisp liquid flick that the NYX pen can, so if a sharp wing is your daily look, this is not your tool.

Pros:

• Built-in sharpener keeps a pointed tip
• Smudger cap for a softer blended line
• Listed as suitable for the waterline
• Second-cheapest pick in the set
• Sells faster than most here

Cons:

• Pencil cannot match a liquid pen's crisp wing
• Only Black Brown listed here, not true black
• Needs sharpening as the tip wears down
• 24HR wear is a claim, not verified

2. e.l.f. No Budge Retractable Eyeliner — Best budget pick

The e.l.f. No Budge is the cheapest liner here and skips sharpening entirely with a twist-up barrel.

Best for: shoppers who want a creamy retractable pencil at the lowest price here Skip it if: you need a fine liquid line

This is the lowest-priced pick of the five, and it earns the budget slot on format, not just cost. It is a retractable pencil in black, so there is no sharpener to fuss with. You twist the tip up and go. That makes it a fast, low-effort choice for a morning routine.

e.l.f. describes the formula as creamy, ultra-pigmented and waterproof, and recommends it on the lash line, the waterline, or packed all over the lid as an eyeshadow base. The brand also states it is 100% vegan and double-certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny and PETA, which the Revlon and L'Oreal listings do not claim. At 10.9 g, it is a light, slim barrel.

The catch is that a creamy retractable pencil trades a little precision for that softness. It will not draw the hairline flick a felt tip manages, and a very creamy tip can move on oily lids without setting powder over it. For the price and the no-sharpen convenience, that is a fair swap.

Pros:

• Cheapest pick in this set
• Retractable, so no sharpener needed
• Vegan and cruelty-free per the brand
• Works on lash line, waterline or lid

Cons:

• Creamy tip can move on oily lids
• No fine liquid line possible
• All-day wear is a claim, not tested
• No stated warranty

3. NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Epic Ink Liner — Best for heavy use

The NYX Epic Ink is the only liquid liner here, and the felt tip is built for the daily cat eye.

Best for: daily liquid-wing wearers who reach for a felt tip Skip it if: your hand is unsteady with liquid

If you draw a wing every day, a pencil is the wrong tool and this is the right one. The Epic Ink is the single liquid pen in this group, with an ultra-precise flexible felt tip. NYX says every stroke is fluid and that you control line thickness by how hard you press, which is how a good felt tip should behave.

The finish is matte black, listed as waterproof and long-wear. NYX also notes it as a 2025 Allure Best of Beauty Winner in its own bullets, which I pass on as the brand's claim rather than my endorsement. This is the most expensive pick tied with the Wonderskin pencil, sitting above the two entry-price pencils.

Liquid is less forgiving than pencil. A shaky hand or a rushed morning shows more on a felt tip than on a soft pencil, and once a liquid line dries wrong you are wiping and restarting. If you can draw a steady line, though, nothing else in this set gives you that crisp wing, which is why it earns the heavy-use pick for people who line liquid daily.

Pros:

• Only liquid felt-tip liner in the set
• Flexible tip varies line thickness
• Matte black waterproof finish claimed
• Suited to daily wing wearers

Cons:

• Liquid is unforgiving for shaky hands
• Not usable as a soft smudged pencil
• Among the most expensive picks here
• Wear time is a claim, not measured

4. Wonderskin 1440 Longwear Eyeliner Pencil — Best premium

The Wonderskin 1440 is the pencil built to smudge, with a 30-second window to blend before it sets.

Best for: people who want a smokey pencil they can smudge fast Skip it if: you never smudge and want a hard line

This pencil is aimed at one look above all: the soft, smokey eye. Wonderskin's TruGlide Technology, in its words, gives a tug-free application, and the listing tells you to sharpen for a fine line or smudge within 30 seconds for a smokey finish. That timed window is the detail that separates it from the Revlon pencil, which uses a separate smudger cap rather than a smudge-then-set formula.

It comes in the shade Liquorice, at a listed 1.2 g. Wonderskin describes it as vegan, cruelty-free and BHT-free, and claims 1440 minutes of stay-put wear, which is where the name comes from. This is the priciest pencil in the group and the slowest seller of the five.

The weakness is that its main trick is smudging. If you only ever want a clean, hard line and never blend, you are paying the premium price for a smokey feature you will not use. For a smokey-eye habit, that same feature is the reason to buy it.

Pros:

• Designed to smudge within 30 seconds
• Sharpen for fine or blend for smokey
• Vegan, cruelty-free and BHT-free per brand
• Rich Liquorice shade

Cons:

• Priciest pencil in this set
• Slowest seller of the five
• Smudge feature wasted if you never blend
• 1440-minute wear is a claim only

5. L'Oreal Paris Infallible Grip Mechanical Gel Eyeliner — Best for families

The L'Oreal Infallible Grip is a mechanical gel pencil with the longest stated wear claim in the set.

Best for: a shared bathroom where a gel pencil suits several people Skip it if: you want the sharpest possible liquid flick

A gel pencil sits between a soft pencil and a liquid pen, and that middle ground is what makes it easy for several people to share. This one is a mechanical, twist-up gel liner in Intense Black at a listed 9.64 g. L'Oreal says it delivers even strokes with up to 36HR hold, the longest wear claim here, and that it is smudge-resistant and waterproof.

The barrel includes a blending tip, so one person can draw a clean line while another fades it into a softer look. That flexibility is why it lands as the family pick: it flatters more than one style out of a single pencil, and it sits mid-price, below the NYX pen and Wonderskin pencil.

Its drawback shows in the data. It is by far the slowest-moving pick here, well behind the others, and the listing states no warranty. It also cannot match the NYX pen for a razor wing, since gel lays down softer than liquid. For a shared shelf where nobody wants to fight liquid, though, a forgiving gel pencil is the sensible default.

Pros:

• Longest stated wear claim, up to 36HR
• Mechanical twist-up, no sharpener
• Blending tip for clean or soft lines
• Mid-price, below the pen and premium pencil

Cons:

• Slowest seller by a wide margin here
• No warranty stated in the listing
• Gel cannot match liquid's crisp wing
• 36HR hold is a claim, not verified

Pencil, gel or liquid: which format fits you?

Format is the single biggest fork in this category, and it decides more of your daily happiness than colour or price. Here is how the three shake out in this set.

1. Pencil. Softest and most forgiving. The Revlon, e.l.f. and Wonderskin picks are pencils. Easiest to steer, quickest to fix, best for tightlining and smudged looks. The Revlon adds a built-in sharpener and smudger in one barrel.
2. Gel pencil. A step firmer than a soft pencil but still steerable. The L'Oreal Infallible Grip is the one gel pencil here, with a blending tip for either a clean line or a faded edge.
3. Liquid. Sharpest and least forgiving. The NYX Epic Ink is the only liquid pen, with a flexible felt tip for a crisp wing.

If you are new to lining, start with a pencil. If you want a defined wing every day and have a steady hand, go liquid. The gel pencil is the middle path, and it is the one I would put on a shared bathroom shelf where several people want different looks.

How long does a waterproof liner really last?

Every liner in this guide is described as waterproof, and each carries a wear claim: up to 24HR for Revlon, up to 36HR for L'Oreal, 1440 minutes for Wonderskin, and long-wear matte for NYX. Those numbers come from the makers, not from any test I ran, so read them as promises to check against your own day.

A few things matter more than the headline hour count:

• Waterline wear is harder. The Revlon pencil is specifically listed as suitable for the waterline and ophthalmologist tested. Not every liner states that.
• Oily lids move product. A creamy pencil like the e.l.f. can travel without a powder set over it, regardless of the waterproof label.
• Removal is the flip side. A liner that survives a workout also needs proper remover at night.

The best eye liners for long wear are the ones whose format matches where you put them. A felt-tip liquid holds a crisp line on the lash line better than it survives the waterline, where a pencil often wins.

What the listings do not tell you about waterline use

Product pages leave gaps, and a few of them matter for eye makeup specifically. Know these before you buy so you can judge a liner the page does not fully explain.

• True shade. The Revlon listed here is Black Brown, not pure black, while NYX, e.l.f., L'Oreal and Wonderskin list black or near-black shades. If you want the darkest line, check the exact colour name.
• Finish. Revlon offers matte and shimmer options across its range, NYX is matte black. The listing rarely shows how a shade reads on skin.
• Sensitivity fit. Only the Revlon page states ophthalmologist tested and waterline-suitable. If you line the inner rim or wear contacts, that is the one detail I would weigh hardest.
• What is in the barrel. The Revlon bundles a sharpener and smudger, the e.l.f. and L'Oreal are retractable or mechanical with no sharpening. A page photo does not always make this obvious.

None of these are dealbreakers on their own. Together they explain why two liners with near-identical claims can feel completely different once you use them.

The verdict

Across price positions, the pattern is clear. At the entry level, the e.l.f. No Budge is the smart budget default: the cheapest of the five, a retractable pencil with no sharpener to bother with, and a vegan formula the brand certifies. It covers the basics without asking much of your morning or your wallet.

In the middle, the Revlon ColorStay Pencil is the overall winner and the one I would hand most shoppers first. It is the only pencil here that carries both a built-in sharpener and a smudger in one barrel, it is listed as suitable for the waterline, and it sells faster than most of the set. That combination of control, tools and a low price position is why it leads the best eye liners here.

At the premium end, the choice splits by what you draw. If you line a crisp wing daily and have a steady hand, the NYX Epic Ink is the felt-tip liquid to buy. If you live in a smokey eye, the Wonderskin 1440 pencil is built to smudge inside a 30-second window. The L'Oreal gel pencil is the family middle ground, forgiving enough for a shared shelf despite being the slowest seller here.

FAQ

Are the best eye liners always the most expensive ones?

The best eye liners are not always the priciest here. Our overall winner, the Revlon ColorStay, is the second-cheapest of the five, while the two premium picks cost more. Price buys format and finish, not automatically better wear. A creamy retractable e.l.f. pencil at the lowest price covers daily lining fine if you do not need a liquid wing.

Is a waterproof eyeliner worth it for everyday use?

A waterproof eyeliner is worth it if your line tends to smudge or fade by afternoon, or if you tear up easily. Every pick here is listed as waterproof, with wear claims from up to 24HR to up to 36HR. The trade-off is removal: waterproof formulas need proper remover at night, so keep that in your routine.

Which liner can I use on my waterline safely?

For waterline use, the Revlon ColorStay is the one whose listing states it directly: ophthalmologist tested and suitable for the waterline. The other picks do not make that specific claim on their pages. If you line the inner rim or wear contacts, choose a pencil designed for it and replace it regularly to keep it hygienic.

Revlon ColorStay or NYX Epic Ink: which should I choose?

Revlon ColorStay or NYX Epic Ink comes down to format. The Revlon is a soft pencil with a sharpener and smudger, easy to control and forgiving. The NYX is a liquid felt-tip pen for a crisp wing but far less forgiving. Choose Revlon for smudged, tightlined or beginner looks, and NYX for a daily defined cat eye.

What is the most common eyeliner buying mistake?

The most common eyeliner buying mistake is choosing the wrong format for your look. People buy a liquid pen wanting pencil softness, then fight it every morning. Decide first whether you want a smudgeable pencil, a middle-ground gel, or a crisp liquid wing. In this set, three pencils, one gel and one liquid cover all three habits.

Start by naming the look you actually wear most days, then match the format to it before you compare anything else. For the widest range of everyday looks from a single tool, the Revlon ColorStay Pencil is the safe first buy: it steers easily, sharpens itself, smudges when you want softness, and is listed as gentle enough for the waterline. Add the NYX Epic Ink later if a crisp daily wing becomes your signature. Get the format right and almost any liner in this guide will serve you well.

Last updated: September 7, 2026. Product availability re-checked.

This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.