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What do you look for in the perfect pencil eyeliner?


What do you look for in the perfect pencil eyeliner? Share your must-have qualities!

Creamy enough to glide on and deliver opaque color in one stroke without drag but not so creamy that you end up with smudges beneath your eye an hour later. I like twist-up mechanical pencils best, just because you don’t waste product by sharpening.

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nicole Avatar

waterproof is a must, long lasting, very pigmented. I dont really need smooth since i use it on mostly my waterline it gets smooth from the water

Carrie Avatar

I look at how opaque it is, first and foremost. If I have to keep dragging/smudging it along my lash line, it’s going in the trash. Then longetivity. I put make up on for work and when I’m taking my lunch, I don’t want to look like a raccoon!

Tigress Avatar

Creamy, yet not smeary is super important. I detest liners that drag, skip, or pull. I also detest liners that smear or transfer. Pigmented, twist up is ideal. Plus points if it comes with one of those tiny tip sharpeners at the end.

Yazmin Avatar

Long lasting, easy to apply, i hate pencils that are so stiff that they drag. Also ones that sharpen well, so i dont have shards of wood in my product, vivid colours.

Meredith Avatar

I LOVE Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner Pencil in the color Perversion (released in the 15th anniversary collection) It is creamy enough to glide on, and blend but it is stays ALL DAY (& is waterproof!). And I have REALLY oily eyelids, it’s the only eyeliner that does not crease. That eyeliner is my holy grail, and what I look for in other eyeliners 🙂

wendy h Avatar

Very soft and creamy but not break easily.
V Opaque
I give up on waterproof.. Even the famous UD pencil liner is not really waterproof on me.

Mariella Avatar

Exactly the same things as you, Christine, including the twist up packaging. I feel the same about shadow pencils – I love UD’s 24/7’s but HATE sharpening them both for the mess and the waste.

Jakara Avatar

My perfect liner would go on smooth and creamy! The color would be very opaque and long lasting. It also won’t smudge and be affordable and easy to locate such as Urban Decay zero!

heidi Avatar

I also prefer twist up. Glides easily (partularly in my waterline. Long lasting. Smudgable when first applied but then stays put. Preferably waterproof. I like ulta’s pencils as well as UD 24/7

Mary Avatar

I hate pencil liners because on the Tyra Banks Show a specialist said it causes wrinkles faster because of the tugging on the skin and the skin of the eye is so sensitive but she did say if you do use pencil always pull the skin tighter from the corner then apply it. But I’ll use Urban Decay 24/7 in Zero. I like other colors but I’ll use a fluidline before a pencil so I really don’t invest in them

Dorna Avatar

The main thing is opacity and no smudging. Usually if I wear liner in my waterline, I set it with shadow in my lashline so it won’t travel sound (thanks kandee johnson!)… so it’s generally an issue of opacity. UD liners don’t smudge at all, while Stila kajal liners are REALLY pigmented but they are more prone to smudge. I prefer the opacity of Lancome le krayon khol, and there is minimal smudging.

Melissa Avatar

My perfect eyeliner must be creamy (no tug/no pull) and long-wearing. I swear by Physician’s Formula Organic Wear 100% Origin eyeliner in Black Night Organics. Unfortunately for me, they are getting harder to find in the drugstores. I am currently using two with one unopened back-up. They do have them on their website, so I will order a couple more before they decide to discontinue them….which always happens to me.

Carrie Ann Avatar

I just want it to glide on, last all day and then remove easily with soap or makeup remover. I hate it when an eye liner is too hard and it skips when you try to apply it.

Kathy Avatar

I look for the names Urban Decay, StyliStyle or Prestige. I need something that will stay, doesn’t smudge after it’s set, doesn’t need to be layered to get coverage, can be used as a color base if I need for it to and doesn’t cost over $20 per pencil. Creaminess is nice as well ;-). These brands do that. If anyone knows of another line that does it as well, I’d love to know what they are!

I line eyes with a brush instead of the pencil to cut down on skipping.

meme Avatar

I like UD’s 24/7 and the new Tarte Amazonian Clay waterpoof liners. But I only turn to liner pencils when I am in a hurry and not that fussy about the outcome look. They are too all over the place – I prefer my Bobbie Brown gel liner 1000 X over..then when it dries if I want to smoke and smudge a little out come some pencils. A perfect pencil has to have a super DARK non transferring, long lasting black in the collection for starters. Keeping it’s tip sharp at least through doing 2 eyes and hopefully maybe 6 is key before I have to waste time and $ to sharpen it. it has to be smooth – no skipping allowed. It has to be one that won’t break off in hunks.

studiodummies Avatar

I like one that doesn’t hurt – like make you have to pull n’ tug at all, good color pay-off – I hate having to go over things a bunch of times, soft but not gonna break easy and smear all over the place – i like mechanical pencils too b/c you don’t have to sharpen them.

Tania Avatar

I hate twist up pencils – for some strange reason I feel like I go through them way faster than I do pencils, I think they put less product in them! When I’m looking for a pencil, I love ones that are creamy and easy to use, I find that UD’s pencils almost feel like liquid liner because they go on so smoothly and don’t take long to apply!

Roxann kay Avatar

The very best eyeliners are made in Germany. Since I found that out it makes it easier to shop. Also, Italy seems to make the best baked powders

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