One of the best gel eyeliners bridge the hole between liquid liners and their crayon counterparts, swapping the crumbling, smudging, and creasing for a clean, pigmented, and long-lasting line each time. Gel eyeliners go on tremendous creamy, supplying you with time to mix, blur, and fine-tune your vibe earlier than setting into place for hours of no-budge put on, which means a number of room for play with out risking these dreaded raccoon eyes. Take your choose between pencils and pots, mattes and metallics, blacks and brights—it doesn’t matter what, you’re in for a deal with. We tapped make-up artists and editors to get the low down on their favorites and what makes one of the best gel eyeliners so dang good. Scroll on, swipe on, and thank us later.
Our Prime Gel Eyeliners
Regularly Requested Questions
Greatest General: Kulfi Magnificence Underlined Kajal Eyeliner
Why it is price it: Kulfi Magnificence’s Underlined Kajal Eyeliner is tremendous pigmented, tremendous clean, tremendous Better of Magnificence-winning, and tremendous no-budge—through a method impressed by the wealthy, gleamy hues of South Asian textiles. Make-up artist Amrita Mehta is among the many gel pencil’s many devotees, telling Attract that the vitamin E- and aloe vera-enriched liner “glides on with ease however will set and keep in place after 30 seconds or so,” supplying you with simply sufficient time to smudge and mix earlier than locking in for the lengthy haul. You should utilize this liner in your lids, artfully smudging with a brush or clear finger, or your waterline for a extra sultry, nighttime look.
Tester suggestions: “Only a few fast strokes are all I have to outline my eyes with Kulfi’s pigmented eyeliner (no surprise it is an Attract Better of Magnificence Award-winning method),” commerce author Jen Hussein says. “A fast tip: for a longer-lasting, budge-proof look, I wipe my waterline with a Q-tip, then swipe on this liner, and eventually use a black eye shadow powder as a tinted setting powder of kinds. It by no means fails to maintain smudging at bay.”
Shades: 8 | End: matte | Waterproof? sure
Greatest Black: Pat McGrath Labs PermaGel Extremely Glide Eye Pencil
Why it is price it: A deep black, blendable liner that really stays put in your waterline? Principally a unicorn. That is why Pat McGrath Labs PermaGel Extremely Glide Eye Pencil is such a keeper. You’ll be able to depend on this method for eight hours of damage, no dragging as you sweep it throughout your lid or line, and loads of depth all of the whereas (go for a delicate matte or clean metallic end). The magic occurs when it dries right down to a liquid-like end, which means you may rock sharply angled swaths of pigment or a messy-chic smoky swipe sans smudging.
Tester suggestions: “Tightlining might be the primary trick I discovered over time that utterly remodeled my eye make-up routine. My eyes are massive and spherical, so including a little bit of black liner to my higher waterline makes my lashes look thicker, and my eyes look a bit extra narrowed and fewer doe-like,” says commerce producer Sarah Hoffmann. “I’ve tried my fair proportion of liners, and the Pat McGrath Labs PermaGel liners are, unsurprisingly, the gold commonplace. It is miraculous how lengthy they final in opposition to my very watery eyes, they usually’re so versatile that I can simply execute a spread of appears to be like with only one pencil. I am utilizing Excessive Black within the pictures above as a result of ILD (I really like drama), however Blk Espresso can be an awesome possibility for a extra pure end.”
Shades: 5 | End: pearlescent, matte | Waterproof? no
Greatest Pot: Jones Street Gel Liner
Why it is price it: Uncap your internal artist with the effortlessly-pro pot of Jones Street’s Gel Liner. Not like the twist-ups or felt suggestions in your make-up pouch, this liner is housed in a bit glass pot, greatest paired with an angled, firm-bristle brush (offered individually) for final management. Use the comb’s edge for a nice, lash-hugging line, or flip to the flat facet to put down daring, graphic strokes—excellent for hooded lids. As a result of this waterproof gel is so juicy, ensure that the lid is screwed on tremendous tight throughout and after use so it does not dry out.
Tester suggestions: “Should you’re a gel liner beginner, this might be the one for you,” says content material director Kara McGrath. “The method is so creamy that it makes it nearly inconceivable to mess up, particularly in the event you use the model’s ultra-thin brush to use it. I like including a skinny line of the Brown shade to my higher lids on days after I wish to add just a bit bit extra oomph to my on a regular basis make-up look.”