One of the best gel eyeliners bridge the hole between liquid liners and their crayon counterparts, swapping the crumbling, smudging, and creasing for a easy, pigmented, and long-lasting line each time. Gel eyeliners go on tremendous creamy, providing you with time to mix, blur, and fine-tune your vibe earlier than setting into place for hours of no-budge put on, that means plenty 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
Incessantly Requested Questions
Finest General: Kulfi Magnificence Underlined Kajal Eyeliner
Why it is price it: Kulfi Beauty’s Underlined Kajal Eyeliner is tremendous pigmented, tremendous easy, tremendous Best of Beauty-winning, and tremendous no-budge—through a system 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 Allure 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,” providing 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: “Just some fast strokes are all I must outline my eyes with Kulfi’s pigmented eyeliner (no surprise it is an Allure Best of Beauty Award-winning system),” 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 at last use a black eye shadow powder as a tinted setting powder of types. It by no means fails to maintain smudging at bay.”
Shades: 8 | End: matte | Waterproof? sure
Finest Black: Pat McGrath Labs PermaGel Extremely Glide Eye Pencil
Why it is price it: A deep black, blendable liner that truly stays put in your waterline? Mainly a unicorn. That is why Pat McGrath Labs PermaGel Extremely Glide Eye Pencil is such a keeper. You’ll be able to rely on this system 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 comfortable matte or easy metallic end). The magic occurs when it dries right down to a liquid-like end, that means you possibly can rock sharply angled swaths of pigment or a messy-chic smoky swipe sans smudging.
Tester suggestions: “Tightlining might be the primary trick I realized over time that utterly reworked my eye make-up routine. My eyes are large 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 justifiable share of liners, and the Pat McGrath Labs PermaGel liners are, unsurprisingly, the gold customary. It is miraculous how lengthy they final in opposition to my very watery eyes, and so they’re so versatile that I can simply execute a variety of appears with only one pencil. I am utilizing Excessive Black within the photographs above as a result of ILD (I really like drama), however Blk Espresso can also be a fantastic choice for a extra natural finish.”
Shades: 5 | End: pearlescent, matte | Waterproof? no
Finest Pot: Jones Highway Gel Liner
Why it is price it: Uncap your internal artist with the effortlessly-pro pot of Jones Road’s Gel Liner. Not like the twist-ups or felt suggestions in your make-up pouch, this liner is housed in somewhat glass pot, finest paired with an angled, firm-bristle brush (bought individually) for final management. Use the comb’s edge for a wonderful, lash-hugging line, or flip to the flat facet to put down daring, graphic strokes—good for hooded lids. As a result of this water resistant gel is so juicy, be certain that the lid is screwed on tremendous tight throughout and after use so it does not dry out.
Tester suggestions: “If you happen to’re a gel liner beginner, this may very well be the one for you,” says content material director Kara McGrath. “The system is so creamy that it makes it nearly inconceivable to mess up, particularly should 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 once I wish to add just a bit bit extra oomph to my on a regular basis make-up look.”
