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Best Eyeliner for the Waterline
What's the Best Eyeliner for the Waterline that you've tried?
Marc Jacobs Highliners!
— Christine
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The new Urban Decay 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencils!! They literally stay all day. I have issues with my eyeliner running due to watery eyes, so I was really impressed with the one I bought. I’m going to go back and get them all now!!
I like these too! I’m really surprised since my eyes water so easily and smudge everything else. Though I really want to try the Marc Jacobs Highliners now!
Everything seems to fade really fast on me, the only thing that stays put is powder eyeshadow. So I apply it with a very thin liner brush on the waterlines. If I want a really intense look, I use a pencil liner first (Prestige Total Intensity is one of the longest wearing I’ve tried) and then add the powder shadow on top. I mostly use Bobbi Brown Espresso for that purpose, but if I’m using an eyeshadow palette, I’ll go for the deepest matte neutral in there to keep it simple!
Well, the one I’ve been trying out recently is the MAC Chromagraphic Pencil in Pure White and it seriously lasts all day in my waterline. That never happens!
I was really surprised by the lise watier one I picked up recently. really dark and it stayed.
I absolutely agree with Marc Jacobs Highliner! Sure it’s $25, but its worth it for all day wear!!
I really like wearing MAC Technakohl liner in Graphblack on my waterline. It last all day on me. MAC eye khol in Smolder is pretty good too.
Do you wear contact lenses by chance?
UD liners are the only ones that last all day and don’t smudge on my very watery eyes.
Without a doubt Marc Jacobs Highliners!! They glide on and really don’t budge. My waterline always drips after an hour of wear, even with shadow, but this just stays in place. It’s pricey, but really worth it.
Urban Decay 24/7 and MAC Eye Kohl
I still haven’t found a good waterline/tightline liner for myself. I like the L’Oreal Silkissme ones on the waterline, but my tight line seems even more sensitive.
The black one seems to be the only one that stays for me.
Nothing lasts all day on my waterline, but I get the longest wear from UD 24/7 pencils, especially Perversion. At least pencils are easy to touch up with. I have allergies that effect my eyes really badly, so most days I don’t line my waterline due to watering. (I take oral and nasal medications, a prescription eye drop, and an OTC eye drop. Some allergens just really set my eyes off and I get more sensitized as time goes on.)
*affect, not effect
MAC CHROMALINE
I have sensitive eyes and they’re prone to getting very watery if I wear either liner or eyshadow too close to the lashline. I’ll quickly end up with raccoon eyes. Not cool. However, the only liner I’ve found that works for my watery eyes is MAC Chromaline. The liner dries quickly and doesn’t move. It’s also great at combating my oily lids.
I have never had much luck with pencils staying on the waterline. I use either ELF black cream liner or Inglot gel liner in 77.
Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil! It’s also an automatic pencil, so I don’t have to worry about pencil shavings when I sharpen it. After decades of using many, many different liners, this is the only one that really holds up all day, regardless of conditions (ironically, pretty much everything wears like iron on my lids, but my waterline is Teflon…), and I’ve gone from one end of the price spectrum to the other. Plus, it’s only $3. The only “con” is that it’s often OOS in-store. The color range is narrow, as well, but since I only use black, it’s not an issue for me.
A lot of brands won’t even transfer to my waterline including Marc Jacobs and Ardency Inn. Stila Kajal pencils go on in one stroke and stay put all day but there are only 3 colors.
flormar ones! i’d love to try the ud 24/7 tho, but based on my own experience those!
Stila Smudge Crayon (the big chunky one). It’s unexpectedly easy to apply and stays forever — though it looks like it’s been discontinued. Of course. Sigh. Looks like you can still get black for the time being, though their midnight blue is my favorite.
On the non discontinued front, maybe MAC Technakohl? I enjoy Photogravure as a true brown/black crossover shade — not harsh nor hokey on me.
Maybe I’m alone in preferring to use my Marc Jacobs highliner on lashline, but it just… I would be weirded out putting it on my waterline.
The L’Oreal Silkissme in black works alright. I used to use Prestige and it wasn’t bad. I love Guerlain loose kohl. Even though it fades it still looks great.
I might have to invest in some MJ shades then. Nothing lasts more than a few hours without SIGNIFICANT fading for me and I don’t even have that watery of eyes!
I like the new U/D waterline pencil the best. But, I have only tried the black and I only use that for tightlining. Plus at the time, as far as I know they only come in dark colors and I prefer brighter shades generally on my lower water line. So, I like the MJB highliner and some of Chanel’s waterproof stylo twist up style pencils, and Urban decay 24/7. I’m hoping UD makes that waterline pencil in some light and bright shades soon.
I only put pale pearly off-whites like Sephora’s Blonde Ambition or matte pale beige like Nyx Miracle Pencil in Light on my waterline because my eyes are on the smaller side, so I’m no expert on this! When I do a dark smokey eye, I’ll use Sephora’s Baby Blues. The Sephora Contour Pencil formula stays on fairly well, but I wouldn’t mind a better lasting alternative!
EDIT: but I do use pitch black on my upper tightline! Been using Nyx Slide On Waterproof pencils forever in Jet Black. Works great but still begins to feather into my inner eye area after several hours because of my watery allergy eyes. Trying Sephora Contour Matte pencil next!
I have never found one that lasts very long on me. The UD 24/7 left a haze on my contact lenses which had to be replaced. Right now I am using one by L’Oreal – Pencil Perfect in Ebony. It doesn’t last long but it doesn’t cloud my lenses – whew!
I AGREE!! I can’t use the UD liners in the waterline because of the hazing. Many others I have tried have faded or really irritated me.
I would be very anxious to hear from contact lens wearers about the urban decay waterline formula.
Yep, Marc Jacobs!!
and I use Hourglass mechanical gel pencil for tightlining upper lid. I love everything about it from a tightlining standpoint (I do not use it for lining.). I know it’s a complete miss for some, but I loves it! LOVE. Did I mention I love it??? Total HG for that purpose alone and it’s very BLACK and it has wicked holding power on me.
I’m waiting for my wallet to be okay with me getting the Marc Jacobs Highliners, until them I’m using the Tarte Inner Rim Liner.
I like UD 24/7 Asphyxia on my waterline, it never smudges and I can still see quite a bit of it 8+ hours later.
100% Agree with you Christine! I am a waterline kinda gal, so I have tried my fair share from high end to drugstore. And the Highliner is by far supreme. I haven’t used anything else since!
The Nars Larger than Life pencils! They seem to last the longest for me.
Someday, I’ll actually get to try a deluxe size Marc Jacobs Highliner… because I will hide it from my daughters! For now, I’ve been using KVD pencils and I’ve been happier with those than the UD liners I own.
Love the highliner pencils as well. I’ve had issues with two recently and had to return them because they weren’t even swatching. A Sephora artist had to open a few boxes to find one that actually was able to swatch. About todays after I saw that they had been removed from Sephora online and now they are no longer in stores. Is anyone aware of what the issue was and whether they are being reformulated?
I wear contacts & wear a lot of heavy eye makeup- “Arab style” if you will.
I also do make up for many Indian & Arab brides.
I find these liners to be the best on the waterline-
Styli-Style- Line & Seal Eye – Semi-Permanent eye liners- gorgeous colors that really last
Elizabeth Arden’s Smoky eyes pencils- Black violet & Mulberry are especially gorgeous on hazel & brown eyes. Yes, I know EA is an ‘old lady’ brand but did you know Charlotte Tillbury helped develop these pencils for EA?
Prestige- Total Intensity eyeliners and Back to Black Party Proof eyeliners, all gorgeous & fairly inexpensive.
Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencils- They really do last 12 hrs!
L.A. Girl USA Gel Glide Eyeliner Pencil- Black Amethyst is stunning on brown eyes, 19 colors & only $5 a pencil!
Another vote for Marc Jacobs. But the price is painful!
I love the Bourjois Contour Clubbing eyeliners!
I have tried a lot of things and have very sensitive/watery eyes. Only Charlotte Tilbury’s Rock n Kohl works.
I love my MJ Highliner in Blacquer!! It’s super black and stays in my waterline 🙂
Christine, have you noticed that MJB Highliners are all out of stock/removed from Sephora and his website? Are they reformulating?
They have yet to get back to me when I asked.
NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner. It lasts all day, wonderfully pigmented, and most importantly, doesn’t smudge up my contact lenses. Marc Jacobs gets second place. I’ve also had really good luck with GOSH Velvet Touch eyeliner in their nude shade.
One of my favorite YouTubers Tarababyz said the Sephora Gel liners are good too. Has anyone else used them and agrees with that opinion? I would like to purchase about 3 or 4 new liners just for the waterline but I do like to try different brands. I love some of the colors that Sephora puts out which is why I am looking at that particular brand. Any and all input would be appreciated.
Agree with Marc Jacobs!
Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner! I got a sample from Birchbox, otherwise I would have never even known about the brand. I could not believe how long this eyeliner lasted in my waterline…lasted all day, even through rubbing my eyes. I even had trouble removing it with a makeup wipe and then with a cleanser! It really stays put.