13 Best Pencil Eyeliners for Endless Smudgy, Grungy Looks
Spotting one of the best eyeliner pencils at the department store or drugstore is about as easy as spotting a cloud in the sky on a rainy day. Nearly every beauty brand offers one, but they're not all created equal. Tracking down an especially great eyeliner pencil can be as hard as finding a Hinge match who's not lying about their height.
There are countless ways to use eye pencils, but no matter what, Houston-based makeup artist Rose Siard sticks to a specific technique: "As soon as you draw your line, start smudging," she says. "I work one eye at a time so I have more blending time." And of course, the pencil you choose either makes this easier or harder to do.
Luckily, Allure editors and professional makeup artists have done the tough testing for you. We gathered up the best eyeliner pencils in one convenient place, with picks from brands like MAC, Revlon, and Gucci, plus drugstore eyeliners that look and feel just as vibrant and smooth as the rest. Consider this your shopping guide for the most colorful, long-lasting, shimmery, and intensely pigmented formulas on the market. All are easy to use, most are easy to smudge, and none of them will play a disappearing act on you until they're ready to wipe off with some makeup remover before bed.
Keep scrolling to find out which one of these eyeliner pencils you should be rimming your lash lines with, using to draw on graphic shapes, blending out as an eye shadow base, or trying the latest liner trend with.
Westman Atelier Eye Love You Eye Pencil
We'll say it: the Westman Atelier Eye Love You Eye Pencil is the closest thing to an authentic kohl eyeliner you can find in the US market. This creamy, no-skip liner glides onto the skin while creating precise, sharp lines that can easily blend out for a smudgier, smoked-out finish. There are two shades of this rich liner, including a true black named Khôl Noir (seen above) and a chocolate brown shade called Khôl Brun.
Chanel Le Crayon Yeux
New York City-based makeup artist Ingeborg loves the Chanel Le Crayon Yeux for its smokiness. The applicator on the other end of the pencil lets you smoke out the liner. But once it's set, it won't accidentally smudge. Your lived-in makeup look will stay intentionally sooty all day long.
Makeup by Mario Master Pigment Pro Pencil
An "absolute favorite" of makeup artist Rose Siard, the Makeup by Mario Master Pigment Pro Pencils marry intensity and effortlessness. "They blend easily and have a built-in brush for smudging, but once they dry, they set and stay in place," Siard says, raving about the long-lasting formula. Each pencil also comes with a sharpener, and the sharpener comes with a removable cleaning stick to ensure even sharpening each time.
Wet n Wild Mega Last Breakup-Proof Retractable Eyeliner
Siard also adores this Wet n Wild Mega Last Breakup-Proof Retractable Eyeliner, which she says performs very similarly to the Makeup by Mario Master Pigment Pro Pencil for a fraction of the price (though it's BYOBB — bring your own blending brush). The Best of Beauty Award-winning pencil earns its following by going on silky-smooth and actually staying put throughout sweating, humidity, and tears.
Pat McGrath Labs Permagel Ultra Glide Eye Pencil
This Pat McGrath Labs Permagel Ultra Glide Eye Pencil comes infused with silicone and feels velvety smooth as you line your lids. You can easily diffuse the color with a cotton swab for a smokier look, too. We love how the rich, long-wear gel eyeliner creates bold, defined lines in seconds.
MAC Eye Kohl
There's a good reason certain products stick around for decades: They work, and they work well, garnering countless fans like makeup artist Nydia Figueroa. "If you're looking for an eyeliner to create a sexy, smoky, and sultry look in a pinch, then I would go with the Eye Kohl by MAC," she tells Allure. "It comes in many colors, and I love to use this formula on the eyelid as a base for my eye shadows."
Ilia Clean Line Gel Eyeliner
If you love the intensity of gel eyeliner, but you prefer the control of a pencil format, Ilia's Clean Line Gel Eyeliner is the ideal combination. As if by magic, it's blendable only when you want it to be, setting once you're satisfied with the smudge. You can also use the precise, super-smooth tip to closely define your lash line without a hint of smokiness.
Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner
If you're on a tight budget with your beauty spending, there's great news: You don't need a designer eye pencil to get a gorgeous eye makeup look. Makeup artist Cara Lovello loves the long-wearing, longtime drugstore go-to Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner. The black eyeliner should be distributed to literally everyone who does makeup — it has won numerous Readers' Choice Awards — but Lovello is especially fond of the brown shade "for the perfect natural 'kitten' look."
About-Face Line Artist
Halsey's About-Face is no stranger to picking up Best of Beauty Awards — the brand's Matte Fluid Eye Paints were an incredibly worthy winner last year — so it's no surprise that the Line Artist gel eyeliners knocked it out of the park and picked up a 2022 award only months after their launch. We fell head over heels for the Brights collection, in particular — a set of eight highly pigmented, matte gel liners in a rainbow of bright, curated shades.
Fenty Beauty Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner
It's hard to believe that Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner is Fenty Beauty's first eye pencil considering it seems like it was made with the expertise of a brand that has lots of eye pencils under its belt. Well, sometimes the first time's the charm, because this creamy, intensely pigmented formula doesn't disappoint in any of its 20 matte, metallic, shimmery, and glittery shades.
Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Liner
"The gorgeous texture and stunning colors of this long-lasting, waterproof eye pencil make it one of my go-to formulas," Black tells Allure, adding that it's easy to apply for a smoked-out look or clean, graphic lines. As luxurious to use as it is to behold, it's a truly versatile pencil. "I also love it layered under powder eye shadow to add some drama," Black says.
Urban Decay 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencil
Let's be real: Eyes are delicate and temperamental. The skin around them is about as sensitive and fragile as it gets, and they can expel water at any given moment. Yet we still wield eyeliner dangerously close to our eyeballs to etch along our waterlines. Taking this into account, you need a liner that won't aggressively tug at your lids and won't disappear with the tiniest drop of moisture. That liner: Urban Decay 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencil.
Lancôme Le Crayon Khol
New York City-based makeup artist Stevie Huynh loves to use the Lancôme Le Crayon Khol eyeliner as a creamy base to amplify the pigment of powder eye shadows. Huynh swears by its wax-to-pigment ratio and blendable texture.
