It has been said that liquid eyeliner can smell your fear. Breathe—you've got this. With a steady hand and these easy-to-use formulas, sharp wings and flicks are just a swipe away.
Half the battle of liquid eyeliner is getting your angles right. The wand of this inky black eyeliner bends and snaps to adjust to your eye shape, making cat-eyes easier than ever.
Lancôme GRANDIÔSE Bendable Liquid Eyeliner, $32, sephora.com
Both the felt-tip and tube of this eyeliner are tapered, which makes it so easy to control for sharp and straight lines. The true-black color stays put for hours but is easy to wash off at the end of the day.
L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Liner Noir, $9.99, ulta.com
This waterproof liner formula is thin but pigmented, which means it applies quickly and doesn't ever feel dried out (until it's empty, of course).
Marc Jacobs Beauty Magic Marc'er Precision Pen Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, $30, sephora.com
The Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in black is a cult favorite among liquid liner fans, but it's her brown shade that we really love. It's still richly pigmented and dark, but it won't look as severe on women with blonde hair or pale skin.
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Mad Max Brown, $20, sephora.com
If you're looking for a black liner with a slick and shiny finish, this is your new go-to. The tapered wand makes the application seamless, even if you tend to prefer liners in marker-form.
H&M Dipliner Ink, $6.99, hm.com
Felt tip or brush tip, felt tip or brush tip - the eternal liner pen question. But why choose when you could just as easily have both with this double-ended version.
Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen, $57, sephora.com.
There are black eyeliners and sorta black eyeliners. But then there are these: bright liquid liners in any shade you could ever possibly need (including pink).
Urban Decay Razor Sharp Water-Resistant Longwear Liquid Eyeliner, $22 each, sephora.com
Even though it's the most oddly shaped of the bunch, it's for a good reason: everything about this liner is ergonomically designed. The tube fits in the palm of your hand while the neck is perfect for resting your pointer finger. The marker tip can be used to create both thick and thin lines, so it's ideal for crafting wings.
Maybelline EyeStudio Master Precise Curvy Liquid Liner, $7.99,Ulta.com
If you live in Miami, New Orleans, or basically anywhere hot and steamy, this is the eyeliner for you. No matter how much humidity you throw at it, this liner does not budge. Bonus: it also comes in 10+ shades.
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner, $22, sephora.com
This is the thinnest and most precise liner on the planet—perfect if you like crisp lines and tiny details.
Surratt Beauty Auto-Graphique Eyeliner, $42, sephora.com
If you've ever looked in the mirror and discovered that your wing is now more of a blob, this is the liner you need to try. It's actually waterproof, so the only way it's coming off is with an oil-based makeup remover. Touch-ups are never necessary, but at this price you're going to want to buy one for every handbag you own.
Essence Cosmetics Eyeliner Pen Waterproof, $2.99, ulta.com
Okay, we admit it, $75 seemed a little steep for an eyeliner to us too. That was until we swiped on this glossy, patent leather-esque liquid liner. The shade (it also comes in teal and the brand's iconic red) truly lives up to the "ink" in its name, providing densely pigmented lines with precision. It also comes with a surprising amount of product in the bottle so you can consider it a longterm investment.
Christian Louboutin Luminous Ink Liner in Kohl, $75, sephora.com.
They call this eyeliner "pretty easy," and we'd have to agree. The stiff marker tip allows you to trace a straight line across your lid with one single motion.
Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen, $19.50, sephora.com
Black liner is great and all, but if your routine needs a little jazzing up then try this velvety navy shade (it's especially good at bringing out the blue tones in blue and hazel eyes.)
Yves Saint Laurent Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils in Deep Blue, $34, nordstrom.com.
Most eyeliners leave a little sheen, but this one from NYX quickly dries down to a flat, matte black.
NYX Cosmetics Matte Liquid Liner, $7.99, ulta.com
You know those little black cigarette pants that make you feel like Audrey Hepburn? This is the eyeliner equivalent: versatile, classic, and endlessly chic whether you're doing teeny flicks or serious wings.
Chantecaille Le Stylo Ultra Slim, $35, nordstrom.com.
Fans are obsessed with the rich color payout and pinpoint precision of this brush-tip pen.
Lorac Front of the Line Pro, $23, nordstrom.com.
If you want inky results why not head right to the inkwell? This glam little bottle is about as close as you can get to the real deal - dense midnight black that doesn't gray out by midday.
Guerlain Liquid Eyeliner, $43, sephora.com.
If you draw the line at liners with sheen, then you should definitely draw it with this truly matte, long-wearing liner.
Sigma Beauty Line Ace in Legend, $14, nordstrom.com.
When only the thinnest of lines will do, this needle-fine waterproof pen is your secret weapon. Use it between lashes for natural-looking volume, make cateyes with laser precision, or clean up wobbly stripes from other liners.
Blinc Ultrathin Liquid Eyeliner Pen, $26, sephora.com.
Jenna Rosenstein is the Beauty Director at Harper's BAZAAR across both print and digital. While attending NYU, she held internships at Women’s Wear Daily, Bloomingdale’s, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Allure, the latter of which she parlayed into her first job as the Beauty Assistant. She left Allure three years later as the Senior Beauty Editor. She spent a few months at Refinery29 overseeing branded content in the same title, before finally landing back at BAZAAR to manage all beauty content. When she's not testing every lipstick known to mankind, getting zapped by new lasers, or interviewing experts and celebrities, you can find Rosenstein at home in New Jersey with her son, husband, and black cat named Maddie.
Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.
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