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My 10 Favorite High-End Eyeliners
Reader Rashmi wanted to get a list of some of my favorite eyeliners, particularly high-end shades, and I’m happy to oblige! I tried to go for an assortment of colors and finishes, but also some less “basic” shades, so you won’t find any staples like black on this list. You can see swatches of my list here. I can’t wait to hear what eyeliners make your top ten!
- Tarina Tarantino Spark of Envy — no favorites list is complete without this shade of bluish-teal
- Urban Decay Pistol — a warm taupe
- Sephora Snakeskin Dress — an olive green
- Sephora 5th Avenue — a deep, dark warm gray
- Marc Jacobs Beauty Intro(vert) — a brightened pop of jade green
- Marc Jacobs Beauty Th(ink) –a deep, dark purple
- Urban Decay Deep End — a brightened blue
- MAC Lord It Up — a gold-shimmered brown
- Urban Decay Scorch — a golden brown
- Sephora My Boyfriend’s Jeans — a cool-toned, bluish-purple
I have just one Tarina Tarantino eyeliner, in Kanzashi, and I really like it!
I love TT’s eyeliners <3
Sephora’s Snakeskin Dress is beautiful. Will have to check it out.
Hope you like it, Lily!
I feel cliche, but I do adore Urban Decay liners!! So many different colors, creamy and pigmented, and stay put so well! Deep End is one of my top favorites too. I also love Ether, Electric, Freak, and Abyss. Oh and Junkie. Gosh, they’re all pretty great.
Excellent list! Been wanting to try a Tarina one! I’ll check it out!
If it works, it works!
I don´t tend to use many colored eyeliners, so my favourite is MAC´s Feline pencil. I tried other “really black” liners, for example Perversion from Urban Decay but nothing stays put on my eyes as Feline. Love it!
So glad you found an eyeliner that works well for you, Ivana!
If this were ‘my’ list I’d add the Smashbox Limitless Waterproof Eye Liner 🙂 I’ve always wanted to try UD eye pencils by the way, whenever I see swatches they look so creaaaaaaamy!
Any particular shades?
Here are my favorites that come to mind:
Tarina Tarantino Spark of Envy Hyperliner (nothing compares to my love for this one)
Mac Designer Purple Eyeliner (I feel like I always get compliments on this one)
Tarina Tarantino Ultraviolet Hyperliner
Tarina Tarantino Sparkling Ammunition Eye Dream Hyperliner
Sephora Good Mood Eyeliner (really impresses me!)
Jordana Charcoal Definition Eyeliner
Jordana Espresso Last Eyeliner (the perfect matte brown)
Urban Decay Mushroom Eyeliner
Tarte Rainforest Black Eyeliner
Pixi True Teal Eye Pen
Pixi Copperglow Eye Pen
obviously my list also includes drugstore picks too…
Love Sparkling Ammunition and Good Mood, too! 😀
I need all of these in my life!
You gotta try a few, Sabrina 🙂
I like Tarina Tarantino in pencil form too. My 2 favs:
1. Amethyst Android – blueish purple with a bit of shimmer
2. Puppeteer – warm reddish brown with a bit of shimmer
Favourite gel liner
YSL Effet Faux Cils is my latest favoured gel eyeliner formula. It’s sooo smooth to apply. A far superior formula to MAC fluidline or BB gel liner which were my go-to’s previously.
1. Cherry black 05 – black with a hint of red pearl, pulls burgandy purple on me
2. Black bronze 03 – black with goldish pearl, pulls dark mossy green on me
Honestly, I could have just put all of her eyeliners on my list, LOL! Felt like that was a bit like cheating, though.
Sephora make such great liners, I have one of their former line the flashy liners in purple, blue and olive and they are all perfect.
I’m so in love with the Sephora Eye Contour Pencils!
I love Sephora’s liners – Diving in Malaysia, Surfer Babe, Tango Nights and Galaxy Girl are the ones I have and they are so fabulous. Interestingly, they cost less than the drugstore GOSH liners I buy and I love those too, especially Metallic Brass. Sephora’s Jumbo Liner Pencils (like UD 24/7 Shadow Pencils but BETTER) are among my most favourite liners of all because they work as liners or as shadows or shadow bases. For true “high end”, I really love MAC Powersurge Eye Kohl…such a good colour for me.
So funny but I don’t think I have half of those Sephora ones, lol!
Well, you need to go out and get ’em. I got Surfer Babe last summer, when I’d gone in looking for a MUFE LE pencil you’d shown here. Then I saw Surfer Babe which was identical (if not nicer) and cost about half as much. So I got 2 – Diving in Malaysia as well.
That’s how I got Surfer Babe too! I went in looking for a dark blue eyeliner and came out with Sailor Suit and Surfer Babe. Fairytale is also on my wish list (like I need yet another teal!) but they are SO creamy and pigmented, I just can’t help myself!!
I love when you do lists like this! Thank you. A short cut to finding great products. A have a couple on the list…but not many…
What are some of your favorites (that aren’t on my list)?
I’m guessing if UD’s Honey wasn’t gone it’d be on your list? Certainly is on mine.
Yes, definitely!
ha yeah you could do an entire separate post on top 10 black eye liners 🙂
My favorites in no particular order:
UD Stash
UD LSD
MUFE 12L
Buxom Black Pearl
MUFE 6L
UD Mars
Sephora Flashy Blue
UD Mildew
Tarina Tarantino Spark of Envy
Tarina Tarantino Cute Robot
Right? There are SO many awesome black eyeliners these days!
Love UD Mars!
Mars is quickly becoming one of my favorites! I also really love Dolce & Gabbana Peacock #3, but not quite as much as MUFE 12L & TT Spark of Envy.
My favourite is Urban Decay Ransom <3
Great pick, Kate!
I bought two of Tarina Taratino’s eyeliners (Spark of Envy and Cute Robot) on sale when they exited Sephora. I really like them! I wish they have a wider range of colors.
I’m tempted to buy Marc Jacobs’. Intro(vert) just for the name.. I know it’s punny but as an (extreme) introvert, I feel the need to have it haha 😉
They have a good range, but they could definitely add more!
I get a LOT of compliments by strangers when I wear Intro(vert), actually! It’s more unusual than you’d think. 🙂
Any pink eyeliner that you recommend?
Are you looking for like… a fuchsia pink or a light pink?
a fuchsia pink
You might have the best luck with Stila’s Stay All Day – I know they just released a fuchsia pink!
I was stoked about Stila’s eyeliners until I found out so many horrible things regarding the color not lasting, formulation bring awful, except for black, and it bummed me so I didn’t drop $20 Figuing I could create it with eyeshadow or pigment! But MUFE’s Aqua eyes in Fushia pink 13L, Urban decay’s 24/7 in Woodstock, both pencils, and then UD 24/7 waterproof liquid in Woodstock, Sephora Colorful 24 hour wear in Lovesong, the Sephora set called 12 shades of Samba, $49 for 12 12hr long wear pencils, includes a flashy pink called romantic comedy and 11 more greats, and lastly I could think of another liquid liner; MUFE Aqua liner in 9 Iridescent Fushia. Also check out the Gazing Eyeliner from the 2014 Pantone collection! It’s beautiful 🙂 I hope that helps!!!! ❤️
I love UD’s liners – Deep End is amazing 🙂 I *really* want to try Tarina Tarantino’s stuff! I tried ordering some, but her site broke as I was halfway through, so I might have to try again another time 😛 I so wish we had Sephora here – every time you use that My boyfriend’s Jeans liner I want it so much 🙂
I think my favourite liners are probably UD Demolition (because matte brown is so good for everyday/office, and UD Junkie (first coloured eyeliner and UD product I ever tried, and I am still in love to this day). I don’t have a very impressive collection, to be honest!
What a bummer! Sorry to hear it broke while you were trying to check out!
I’m gonna try again when payday rolls around 😉
I really want to get Glamorous Thief – I love blue…I love shimmer, and how appropriate is the name for a makeup-loving rogue like me?!
Hey Christine!
I got TT Spark of Envy, Sephora 5th Avenue and Sephora Snakeskin Dress thanks to you. I love them!! <3
Great list!
Woohoo!! Total must-haves. So glad you love ’em, too!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaa for the list …
n shame shame on me for having onlyyyyy 2 and that too when I claim m ur biggest fan … by weight n volume 🙁
Its 2.30 here n m spending another hr or two to see swatch n figure out ….
aahhhhhhh
first let me thank u ….
biggggggggg bigggggg thank u dear xoxo 🙂
u can imagine my excitement
Happy to help! 🙂
My top ten ….
I cant imagine my life without ysl jade black … its gel liner 🙂
can I cheat and add more gel liners ?
2. Bobbi brown ivy
3. Mac undercurrent
4 . T T spark of envy
5 . Ud lucky
6 . Ud covet
7. Mac float on by
8. Mac minted
9. Mac blooz
10 . Bobbi brown violet shimmer ink
Great list, Rashmi!
Spark of Envy, Deep End and My Boyfriends Jeans are so gorgeous!
They are so fun to use!
Hi Christine! TT Spark of Envy is a gorgeous color! I haven’t tried the TT line, but really like UD and MUFE liners for their wearability. I have oily skin and seem to have a lot of smudging with other brands. How do you think TT compares?
I find it wears a little better than UD/MUFE – they’re all very close for me – but TT displaced both brands as my favorite, actually!
Yay!! This review just comes on time for me, as I was considering to get myself some good eyeliners with interesting colours! I love all the colours, thank you Christine for this review!
My pleasure, Liyeun! xo
Like you, I love Urban Decay Pistol and I also think Nars Via Veneto andStila eyeliners are really nice!
I like Stila’s too!
I have to be UD all the way, despite liking the MUFEs as well esp. the 13L (champagne) + the forget the number violet. New UD fave is mainline. Other faves include lust, mars. junkie. psych sister, ether, + desperation. You have me jonesing for some TT, but the only local carrier in Boston, acc. the TT site, is oob (out of business). Does this mean that we have to order form her site? I guess we net out the sales tax, if there’s none available in MA!
I love Mainline and Mars!
I think most of it is online now 🙁
Great list!!
Thanks, Cindy!
I love posts like this! I enjoy seeing what Christine ‘ s favs are. And I love reading the comments because I always get some great suggestions from what readers share!
Thank you, Kristi! I love getting suggestions from readers!
The TT looks amazing!
It is my go-to!
Eyeliners are always so tempting but I try to avoid buying them because I don’t like the feeling of rubbing a pencil over my lids. They seem too delicate for that. The only eyeliner I have is Zero, and that too because of two Urban Decay sets. I like liquid eyeliner, otherwise I prefer using an angled liner brush to draw a line of eyeshadow instead.
On the lid, I like liquid or cream, too, as it is a nicer feel. I always love pencil for lower lash line, though!
Thats awesum list .. I am bowled over by all of these beautiful liners. I want to add UD liners in my list and Sephora too.
Can I request to share a similar list with drugstore liners, it will be a great help for a colored liner lover like me.. who cant go for high end liners . 🙂
I will try! I’m not sure I can come up with 10, but we’ll see!
I like Sephora and Bourjois eyeliners…I am yet to try UD though…Loved your list hun 🙂
Thank you!
I was surprised not to see MAC Undercurrent on here! That seemed to be a Temptalia favorite 🙂
I prefer a lot of other teals to it now 🙂
I gotta get me some Tarina Taratino eyeliners! I tend to get discouraged with eyeliners and rely on gel liners and e/s since nothing stays for long on my oily face. I like Laura Mercier’s canard gel liner, Sephora’s Suede Shoes (shimmery med. Blue), Sephora’s Good Mood (shimmery green), UD’s Mainline & Sabbath and Mac’s Powersurge. I’m medium dark and I love teals, bronze, golds and green liners. Now that everyone has offered some great ideas, I’m on the hunt!
How does Sephora’s last on you, Erica?
For pencil liners: Rimmel kohl pencils, their colors are gorgeous. For black liquid liner, maybelline line stiletto. 🙂
Fun picks!
In the description for Marc Jacobs Beauty Think, I think you misspelled “deep” as “depe.” 🙂
I don’t wear pencil liner exceptionally often because I can only wear it on my lower lash line (won’t last on the waterline), but a few of my favorites include:
Tarina Tarantino Crystal Gun (used on inside of lash line to brighten eyes)
Tarina Tarantino Blue Robot
Tarina Tarantino Spark of Envy
Estee Lauder Blackened Sapphire
Estee Lauder Blackened Plum
L’Oreal Silkissime eyeliner in Highlighter (gorgeous metallic peachy color…sort of like UD Sin in eyeliner form!)
I’m also a fan of MAC’s Blacktrack, though I don’t know if we count that as high end. I almost only wear it winged on my upper lash line now or as a base, though – I realized awhile back that intense black eyeliner is overwhelming on my lower lash line due to the shape of my eye and fairness of my skin. Navy and taupes are far more
Fixed! Thank you 🙂
I usually only wear it on my lower lash line as well (more often than not, if it’s on my waterline, it’s more by accident, lol!), but I LOVEEEEE it.
I would personally count MAC as high-end, since it’s not drugstore/mass. I know it’s not “true” high-end, but then if we get technical, we’ll be here all day 😉
Very nice having the link to the swatch gallery!
Thanks!
Have you tried Pixi’s Endless Silky Eye Pens? They’ve officially bumped Urban Decay as my favorite eyeliner. I’m obsessed and have like 8 shades.
I think I’ve tried a couple, but I can’t remember for sure!
No one has mentioned Clinique’s inetense eye liners. I was sad to see Intense Sable was a limited edition. I love all the intense colors especially midnight, ebony and aubergine. The color is very deep . The pencils are soft which allows for a good thick line but bad because the pencils don’t last long.
Clinique’s eyeliners are underrated!