Lining our eyes for a dash of drama and an instant shot of confidence is every girl’s go-to makeup move. It’s no secret that we can’t do without our eyeliner pencils. It is the quickest, easiest and most used weapon women have at their disposal. A sweep of black liner on our waterline makes us look alert, a dash of liner across the eyelids makes us look put together and a small flick on the outer corner transforms your regular ol’ liner into something a little more fierce. You see what we mean? One tiny weapon, so many uses! And you don’t need to stop there, feel free to experiment and embrace new, fun eyeliner trends. Use coloured eyeliner or glitter eyeliner if you’re feeling a little extra. We promise, by the end of this post you’re going to learn to use your eyeliner in ways you probably never thought were possible. Are you ready to mesmerize?
Story Outline
Finding Your Perfect Eyeliner
Types Of Eyeliner Styles
Best Eyeliner Style According To Your Face Shape
Types Of Eyeliner Pencils
Best Eyeliners In India
Finding *Your* Perfect Eyeliner
There are so many different types of eyeliners and eyeliner styles you can choose from, but which one is best suited for you and your eye type?
Types Of Eyeliner Styles
Invisible Eyeliner
This is probably the most used or the most attempted style of eyeliner. A subtle, almost undetectable line on your eyelids looks great. The perfect way to ace this look would be to use minimal eyeliner so that the person in front of you would wonder whether you’re wearing eyeliner or not. Stay very close to your lash line and work in very thin and precise lines. Apply a thin line using gel, liquid or liner pencil to the upper lash line, without filing in the inner corners (basically lining three-quarters of the eye). Close your eye and stretch your lid to draw your line. If you are using a gel liner, try to wiggle it in between your lashes with the brush. Smudge the line to make it softer; this makes the liner look less harsh and helps look younger too.
Alternatively, use a gel, felt tip or a pencil liner and draw tiny dashes across your eyelids and then connect them through. This is a great trick to create a very fine line. Line your upper lash line to give it more definition. A single, light coat of mascara will complete the look.
Classic Eyeliner
A line extending from one corner of your eyelids to the other is the classic, most conventional eyeliner style. Use any type of eyeliner to draw a line that extends from the inner corner of your eye towards the outer corner. Keep the line thin at the inner corner and make it thicker as you reach the outer corner. Alternatively, you could also use the same width of eyeliner all across your eyelids.
Winged Eyeliner or Cat Eyeliner
Everyone’s favourite type of eyeliner style has got to be the cat eye. Feminine, feline and fierce – this is also one of the hardest types of eyeliner style to master. It requires a lot of practice and a little bit of patience to get your wings right. But don’t fret – there are a lot of eyeliner hacks you can use to make sure that your wings are always on point. Create a very thin, small wing on the outer corner of your upper lash line. Use a business card or scotch tape to get the perfect angle on both sides. Extend the liner inwards across your lid. You can make the line and the wing as subtle or as bold as you like. Play with the thickness and the length of the wing! Always remember to angle your wing upwards to where your eyebrow ends.
Can’t ever get your eyeliner even on both eyes? Don’t fuss. We have the PERFECT solution for you. Watch this video!
Arabian Eyeliner
A dramatic, bold take on the classic cat eyeliner is this Arabian eyeliner. Are you ready to tap into your inner Cleopatra? Then give this sexy Arabian inspired look a go for your next night out on town. The Arabian liner is essentially an exaggerated version of your regular cat eyeliner. Look for a gel liner or a liquid-based liner depending on your preference. Use either a flat tip brush or a fine liner brush to create the perfect wing. You need to create a sharp wing on both the inner and outer corner of your eyes. The Arabian eye is all about those sharp mystical eyes; a great tip to work with this look is to apply concealer once you’re done mastering those edges. This makes it easy to clean up any mistakes on the route to Arabian perfection.
Smokey or Smudged Out Eyeliner
Made some mistakes while drawing on your eyeliner? Perhaps one is thicker than the other? The smokey and smudged out eyeliner will be your friend on occasions like these. This eyeliner type smudges out your eyeliner and gives it a smokey, softer appeal. Believe it or not, this type of eyeliner is more flattering than a crisp black line across your lids. Tone down those harsh lines on your eyeliner and smudge it out. You can also use some eyeshadow for a smokey effect. Smudging out your eyeliner makes you look younger, plus it makes your peepers look oh-so-sexy. To create this look, just apply your pencil or gel liner the way you normally would, take a smudging tool or an eyeshadow in the same colour and begin smudging away the harsh lines. That’s it!
Coloured Eyeliner
Give your everyday black liner a makeover with a hint of colour. You can create this gorgeous style on a cat eye or even a simple liner look. All you need to do is apply a coloured liner in place of your regular eyeliner. If you’re wondering what colour of eyeliner to use, turquoise blue is a fail-safe colour to add oodles of magic and drama to your eyes. Use contrasting colours in comparison to the colour of your eyes so that you can make your eyes pop!
Glitter Eyeliner
The party season is the perfect time to give yourself some instant glam with glitter. Nothing says party and festive much like glitter. A glitter eyeliner is going to make your eyes glimmer through the night and ensure you’re the belle of the ball. If you have coloured eyes, look for a shade of eyeliner that complements them. Coloured and glitter eyeliners are best and most pigmented in their liquid form. You can apply these on your upper lash line or under your lower lash line, try both looks and see what works best for you!
Graphic Eyeliner
The modern, almost futuristic eyeliner style that you’ll see frequently on runways and red carpet events is graphic eyeliner. It makes use of geometric shapes and lines to create a different, fun eye makeup look. The graphic eyeliner is a fun spin on conventional eyeliner. Toss your eyeliner rulebook and get ready to have some fun. Anything and everything works! Let your creativity run loose.
Best Eyeliner Style According To Your Face Shape
Did you know that your eyeliner is quite dependent on your face shape? Much like the application of blush and contour varies as per the shape of your face, eyeliner too should be customized for best effect.
Round: A smokey liner and a winged liner looks best on your face shape.
Oval: An invisible, barely there eyeliner looks best on your face shape. An invisible eyeliner that begins in the middle of your eye and lightly extends outward is perfect.
Square: Since your face has pretty defined angles, an eyeliner that has light, smudges out edges looks best.
Oblong: Your signature eyeliner should be a sultry, cat eye. This helps to draw attention to your eyes!
Want to know more? Check out this post to find out what is the eyeliner style that is best suited for your face shape.
Types Of Eyeliner Pencils
Pencil Eyeliner
The most easily and widely available type of eyeliner in the market is the pencil. Sold at your local stores and pharmacies, this eyeliner pencil is usually the easiest and most versatile to work with. If you’re not picky about drawing thin, precise and fine lines on your eyelids, this type of eyeliner should be in your makeup bag. Pencil eyeliners come in three types, the sharpenable pencils, twist up pencils and a more conventional stick or crayon form. The crayon form is usually sold by ayurvedic and organic brands in the form of Kohl liner. They are designed for your waterline but can even be used as eyeliner. The problem with pencil eyeliners, however, is that they require to be frequently sharpened that leads to product wastage. If you end up using a not-so-sharp-tip, you might end up with a thick eyeliner.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Easy to travel with
- Washes off easily
- Matte
- Can be used on the waterline
Cons:
- Not long lasting
- Require constant sharpening
- Might smudge and fade through the day
Liquid Eyeliner
Remember the good ol’ nail polish shaped bottle of eyeliner we all started using? Yes, that’s a liquid eyeliner. It’s probably everyone’s favourite eyeliner formula and the first one they started using. But it’s not the most forgiving. It takes a little bit of learning to get used to using the brush and the formula on this type of eyeliner. Newer liquid eyeliner formulas, however, come equipped with multiple types of brushes. You have your paintbrush style brush, a felt tip brush and even a more solid tip. If you have a steady hand, a liquid eyeliner would be child’s play for you. But if you’re like me and have shaky hands – you might find yourself feeling a little overwhelmed by a liquid eyeliner.
Here are some tips and tricks you can use while working with liquid eyeliner.
Pros
- Comes in both matte and glossy finishes
- Easy to wash off
- Can be used to draw a very fine line
- Drawing cat eyeliner is easy
Cons
- Requires practice to perfect
- Can’t apply it to your waterline
- Might flake off if you rub your eyes
- Can get messy if it spills
Felt Tip Eyeliner
The felt tip eyeliner is what I like to call the modern day liquid eyeliner. Quite similar to a felt-pen, (the colourful sweet scribbly things we used in school,) this type of eyeliner is great if you want to use a liquid eyeliner minus the mess. It comes with a fine felt tip that makes for a thin, crisp and precise line to be drawn across your eyelids. You have different kinds of brushes on felt tip eyeliners too, you get a brush style tip and even a thick sketch pen type felt-tip to work with. Depending on the size of your eyes, look for an eyeliner with an appropriate tip. Buy an eyeliner with a longer tip if you have large eyes and one with a fine tip, if you have small eyes. While this is not essential, it just makes applying the eyeliner a little easier.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Can draw a precise line
- Cat eye is easy
- Does not fade
Cons:
- Dries out quickly
- Cannot be used on the waterline
Gel Eyeliner
A gel eyeliner, usually sold in a pot, is meant for someone who likes long-wearing, super dark and easy to work with eyeliner formulas. A gel eyeliner has a waxy formula and it’s best applied using a fine liner brush. Beginners and makeup lovers usually love and swear by a solid gel eyeliner. If you manage to find yourself a reliable, waterproof formula – your eyeliner will look fantastic all day long and offer a beautiful matte finish.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Beginner friendly
- Long wearing
- Matte finish
- Can be used on the waterline
Cons
- Dries out if left open
- Might not suit sensitive eyes
- Requires a makeup brush to apply
Roller Wheel Eyeliner or Pizza Cutter Eyeliner
The gen-next eyeliner type and probably the most gimmicky of the lot (in my opinion) is the roller wheel eyeliner. Ever seen a pizza cutter? This eyeliner comes with a pizza cutter wheel on one end, minus the sharpness of course! It’s one of those ‘fun’ eyeliners to purchase but probably not one you’re going to reach for every day. While it’s very easy to draw a very thin line with this, it’s not easy to fill in the line though. The wheel is submerged in the liquid liner.
Pros
- Fun
- New tip design
- Can be used for a very thin, sharp liner
Cons
- Hard to use
- Not practical
- Takes time
Now that you’re familiar with the different kinds of eyeliners available in the market I take it that you will be ready to find the perfect eyeliner style for yourself?
Best Eyeliners in India
With the plethora of eyeliners available in the market, picking up a good one can be a little challenging. Luckily for you, you’ve got us! Here’s a comprehensive list of the best type of eyeliners available in the market across every category – liquid, pencil and gel! Go ahead, add to cart already!
Best Pencil Eyeliner
If you’re looking for some good budget eyeliners, the Wet n Wild Color Icon Kohl Liner Pencil (Rs 135), Maybelline New York The Colossal Kajal 24HR (Rs 180) and NYKAA Glamoreyes Eyeliner Pencil (Rs 450) won’t disappoint. The Wet n’ Wild and Nykaa pencils are sharpening types while the Maybelline one is a twist up pencil. The formula on all three pencils is creamy, long-lasting and available in a number of colours.
The Lakme Absolute Kohl Ultimate Kajal (Rs 675) and M.A.C Technakohl Liner – Graphblack (Rs 1,200) are slightly more high-end pencils but the lasting power makes them totally worth the money. The Lakme pencil comes with a smudger on one end making creating a smokey, smudged out eye look a breeze!
Best Liquid Eyeliner
The very first eyeliner most of us used would definitely be the nail-polish-bottle-type Lakme Insta Liner Eye Liner (Rs 110). Affordable, long lasting and easy to use, it’s got a matte black line that will stay put all day. Some more affordable eyeliners are the Lotus Herbals Opulence Botanical Eye Liner (Rs 235) and the Nykaa GLAMOReyes Liquid Eyeliner (Rs 299). Depending on the kind of brush you use, pick one that works for you. The Maybelline New York Hyper Ink Liquid Liner (Rs 425) has a beautiful glossy finish.
Best Felt Tip Eyeliner
Felt tip eyeliners are slightly more expensive than the conventional formulas but they are worth it for beginners. The felt tip on the Wet n Wild ProLine Felt Tip Eyeliner (Rs 399), the Maybelline New York The Colossal Liner (Rs 420) and the Lakme Eyeconic Liner Pen Fine Tip (Rs 428) makes drawing a cat-eye liner a breeze! The L’Oreal Paris Infallible Paints Eyeliner (Rs 845) is available in a variety of colours to please every kind of makeup lover.
Best Gel Eyeliner
Gel eyeliners come in a pot form and are usually more long-lasting and darker than conventional eyeliners. They can be used for a multitude of eye makeup looks and also as a base for smokey eyeshadow. The Maybelline New York Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner (Rs 525) is the best budget friendly gel eyeliner that you can get your hands on and it comes with a brush perfect for application! If you’re looking for a good splurge or a variety of colours the L’Oreal Paris Super Liner Gel Intenza 36H (Rs 800), the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner (Rs 1,450) and the M.A.C Pro Longwear Fluidline (Rs 1,550) have some beautiful options to choose from.
Best Roller Wheel Eyeliner
Currently, the Revlon Colorstay Exactify Liquid Liner (Rs 1,095) is one of the most easily available roller wheel eyeliners in India.
This story was updated in January 2019.
