They’re my preferred eyeliner formula! I like that they take awhile to get through, and they seem to come in an assortment of colors and finishes. The downside are whenever you’ve found a great formula performance-wise but then it ends up prone to drying out too quickly over time!
— Christine
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
What I love about them is that they actually contain more product than twist ups, and they also generally take longer to dry up than those, too. These are the type I usually buy.
The one downside has to be the sharpening, which leads to some lost product and possible sharp edges. Other than those two faults, I still love them for their color and shade variety that most twist ups don’t offer!
They come in more colors and finishes, which is fun. But I can never get a sharp line at the end!
I think pencil eyeliners are some of the easiest/ least fussy eyeliners to use, and I love that they come in a variety of colors. What I dislike is that it can be hard to find a formula and shape that is “just right”; some are too thick to get a precise line, some are too creamy to get a consistent and clean line, and some are dry enough that it’s hard to get an even deposit of color. What’s more, there often seems to be a lot of inconsistency in formula between colors within one brand.
Agree with everything Sarah said! I’ll add one more plus – lots of different finishes.
Pencil eyeliners have slowly started to fade in my routine. For a winged look, I definitely prefer a liquid liner. I used to be a big fan of eyeliner in the waterline, but at an eye exam the optometrist showed me how traces of eyeliner end up as tiny “dirt” on my cornea, I kind of have up.
I still like using a pencil eyeliner to add a thin line of definition at the lash line, I love how it makes my hooded eyes pop.
But I hate how difficult is to find the perfect formula. The issue is that I like stiffer pencils, that can apply a precise thin line. I don’t like creamy soft pencils that people usually use for smudging; I don’t want to smudge, I just want to line and be done. But still, I don’t want a pencil so stiff it hurts my eyelid or color doesn’t go on.
Given that I like stiffer formulas, one love is that pencils can last years. And they are also usually cheap (even from higher end brands), or at least end up very cheap cost per use.
My absolute hate to this day is pencils that don’t sharpen well. Common… we’re making pencils for writing and make-up for hundreds of years, if the pencil is hard or messy to sharpen clearly there wasn’t enough product development.
I also like when they sharpen… sharp… not dull. Again, I have hooded eyes so for me is essential to get the thinnest line possible.
I do love most lines come in an awesome array of colors, but I still hate how difficult is to find that perfect brown shade for me… that one that makes eyes pop, but still looks kind of natural, that emphasizes the look without being harsh as a black, that matches the color of my eye. When I used to tightline my waterline I also hated I couldn’t find a good nude, that suited my complexion. Most brands either have a white or shimmer nudes, or the formula was to creamy (and my waterline hates creamy products, they move, look odd).
Ana Maria, if you have access to Wet and Wild, they have a couple dark brown eyeliner pencils that I really like. Not as soft as Urban Decay 24 hour liners, but they don’t hurt your delicate eye tissue to use.
I love pencils for amping up a look. I find a thinner line on top of a matte e/s on my lower lid really helps to brighten and make my eye colour pop.
I have trouble finding a good formula and when I do, it ends up discontinued or formula change.
I can never seemingly sharpen those with a plastic housing properly so I waste product.
I also find it difficult to obtain optimal point. I could put my pencils in my fridge, but I guess I am both lazy and forgetful.
I love them for defining the lower lash line ( and sometimes also the inner line) and add a touch of colour to an everyday look. having dry under eye zone, the pencil glides much better than sn eyeshadow applied with a small brush. What I don’t like is the sharpening (I prefer automatic line) and the fact that they tends to smudge a bit on particular weather conditions (very hot and humid or cool and windy)
I like how easy they are to use and the great variety of colors they come in. I dislike when I pack one for a trip (back when travel was a thing) and I don’t realize until I get there that it needed sharpening and of course I didn’t pack a sharpener.
What I like: Very versatile, unlike pot gel liners, no brush or extra tools are needed, you can apply it straight on. They come in many different colors and finishes. Very versatile, unlike liquid liners, can be used as an eyeshadow base, or smoked out.
What I dislike: Sharpening and losing product that way. The formula drying out. And finding a good formula can be difficult for my hooded eyes.
LIKE: Pencil is my favorite type. They’re easy to use, compact, and come in a huge variety of colors.
DISLIKE: Ones that are too creamy and don’t set end up transferring into my crease (hooded eyes). I hate formulas that tug. It can be tough to find ones that last in my waterlines.
I like how easy they are to apply and the depth they add.
I don’t like when they smudge to the corner.
Generally I don’t use pencil eyeliners (hooded eyes, wear glasses), but I do have a couple of pencil ones.
I think these are the best as they are the easiest to apply and blend, should you want them too. I think they last a lot longer than any liquid eyeliner.
The downside is sharpening them, as sometimes the shape of the pencil doesn’t quite fit the makeup sharpener you have or the pencil colour breaks.
Pencil liners are my liners of choice. I love everything about them except the need to sharpen. If some company could invent a sharpener that would make the pencil tip look just like it does when it’s new, they’d have a real winner on their hands!
I have wondered that every time that I sharpen my eyeliners, why has no one made a sharpener that will sharpen the pencils back to their original shape! It sounds simple enough, maybe it’s not?
I love all the fun colors, but I don’t use them quickly enough…so months go by and they just dry out. It’s so disappointing.
I don’t like them but like them better than liquid which looks so phony on me, I line my eyes with eyeshadow everyday abs I love it!
Pencils are my first choice too. Love the ease of use and range of colors. Downside is sharpening. Maybe the next question is, what is the best pencil sharpener you’ve been able to find?
I love the colors of course and that you can have sparkly eyeliners because I can’t wear sparkles anywhere else really. But as everyone else has mentioned the sharpening of them is a sticking point, the others dry out too fast.
I totally agree with most of the opinions regarding the pencil liners – for me, they are usually more pigmented and easier to apply than those you twist up. I also love a nice and sharp point!! I recently purchased my first Wayne Goss Kohl pencil in Precious Opal. It is so beautiful and creamy. The perfect inner and outer rim application. The only thing I haven’t been able to test is longevity yet. This Covid thing still has me on minimal makeup duty 💁🏻♀️ #lovewaynegoss
I find the wooden pencils you have to sharpen last longer in terms of drying out. My favourite is Lise watier
I no longer wear eyeliner pencil because it’s too hard to remove. It looks nice on other people but I value my lids and lashes too much to wear it myself.
I use pencil eyeliner 90% of the time, I find it the easiest to work with and that I can depend on the quality ones to last a while. The con is when they dry out, especially when they quickly dry out! I also think some are easier to sharpen than others!
I love the soft look not as harsh.. I hate the sharpening and when they dry up
Con hard to do a winged look and not as defined.