The Absolute Best-of-the-Best Eyeliners

Eyeliner has to be my most loved makeup product…or one of them, at least. I have been OBSESSED with winged liner for a really, really long time now, and I’ve tried soooo many eyeliners over the years in the quest to get the perfect wing. Let’s be honest…so many of them just plain suck, but these three are amazing.

The reason I love winged liner, and just eyeliner in general, is because you can use it to really accentuate your eyes. My eyes are a little on the small side, so I try to make them pop as much as possible! I even did a tutorial on winged eyeliner in four easy steps over on my blog.

Eyeliner is one of those things that’s either really good, or really, really bad. There isn’t usually much of an in between. Normally when I buy new makeup, if it isn’t super great, I can usually make it work until I finish it up, but not with eyeliner. To have your liner look good, the liner has to actually be good.

I guess that makes me kind of an eyeliner snob! I only use the best of the best, and one of these three is always in my makeup bag.

1. Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner ($22)

I keep purchasing Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner over and over again because it never fails me! It has a thin felt tip and a fine point, so you can easily get a nice sharp wing with it without trying too hard. By kind of laying it on its side, you can drag it and quickly line along your lash line as well. With the opaque black formula, you never have to add a second coat, either, which is so nice! I’ve also noticed that if you keep the cap snapped on really tight, it lasts for months. I hate it when an eyeliner dries out after just a couple of weeks, but you should never have that problem with this one.

2. The Balm Schwing Liquid Eye Liner ($17)

I’ve tried a bunch of stuff from The Balm lately, and I’ve loved every single thing, including Schwing Liquid Eye Liner in Black. I think what I love so much about it is how pitch black and matte it is.

I love the look it gives me, and I’ve never tried another liner that does the same thing. Schwing has a felt tip, which is my favorite type of liquid eyeliner tip, but rather than it being like a marker, you dip it into the bottle and the product coats the applicator.

In my opinion, it’s a little harder to use than Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eye Liner just because you need to wipe off a little of the excess on the edge of the bottle to have the right amount to get a really crisp line, but it’s not too complicated.

Still, if liner isn’t your thing, it may make things a little more difficult, but if you’re a liner junkie, you NEED TO TRY THIS ONE. The opaque matte finish is to die for!

3. Makeup Forever Aqua XL Waterproof Eye Pencil ($21)

As for pencil eye liners, Makeup Forever Aqua XL Waterproof Eye Pencil in M-10 can’t be beat! I recently reviewed the entire line and fell in love with these, especially the black one.

I mainly only ever use these on my tightline and waterline because they actually stay put. It’s so hard to find an eyeliner that doesn’t move, especially when your eyes water as bad as mine do. You also don’t have to sit there scraping your eyeball trying to get decent color payoff. You get a smooth application in one pass. I love all of the colors they have available too. You can really make some fun looks with these!

My picky eyes have been obsessed with all three of these eyeliners, and they’ve never failed me! What eyeliner has earned a first class seat in your makeup bag?