There's nothing like a bit of eyeliner to really make your eyes pop, whether you go for liquid or pencil, the bold choice of eye makeup is bound to impress.
With plenty of different brands and types of eyeliner, it's hard to find your holy grail item, and it's even harder to find one for a decent price.
Makeup doesn't always have to be super expensive, with many supermarkets and drugstores offering some great brands for a fraction of the price.
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We tested eyeliners from ASOS, Look Fantastic, Boots and more to find out which eyeliner is really worth your time and money.
Maybelline Master Ink eyeliner
I never go a day without wearing at least some liquid eyeliner, which is why I’ve been after the perfect product for years.
I’ve tried numerous different types of eyeliner, whether that be gel, pencil, pen, and of course, liquid.
It can be very difficult to find an eyeliner that stays put all day, and doesn’t end up smudging or making you look like a zombie.
While in Boots, I was after some affordable eyeliner with a hard thin brush for precision and I came across the Maybelline Master Ink for £5.99.
I tried the matte and the satin version, but was way more impressed with the satin as it gave the liner a nice shine.
The matte version seemed to smudge all out onto my face throughout the day, whereas the satin was not budging.
It’s safe to say I’ve found my holy grail eyeliner, I can always rely on this eyeliner for a neat flick.
The hard thin brush is perfect for me, and although it’s down to personal preference, I think the harder brushes are better than the soft ones.
It’s not every day you find a reliable eyeliner for less than £10, that really does stay on all day, which is why I’ll be giving the Maybelline Eyeliner top marks.
Where to buy: Boots
Price: £5.99
Rating: 5/5
Too Faced Better Than S*x Easy Glide Waterproof Liquid Liner
This has been my go to liquid eyeliner for years.
I love liquid eyeliner, I love how it looks and how it instantly draws attention to the eyes - probably the one facial feature of mine that I'm not insecure about.
Having said that, it's not something I'm naturally gifted at. I'm a bit of a neat freak so it takes me far longer than it should do to get a perfect flick of black eyeliner.
Too Faced's Better Than S*x Easy Glide Waterproof Liquid Liner is by far the easiest and smoothest eyeliner I've ever used. It cuts my ridiculously long application time down by about half and though I'm certainly not speedy, I always feel confident it looks good and will stay put.
It boasts a flexible dual-fibre brush which effortlessly hugs the lashline, helping to create a jet black stroke of perfection with just a flick of the wrist.
It's also paraben and gluten free, as well as cruelty free and vegan friendly. It is a little pricey, but I think it's worth it.
Where to buy: Look Fantastic, Cult Beauty, Boots, Too Faced stores and more
Price: £19
Rating: 5/5
Sleek MakeUP 48HR Liquid Liner
I’m not a big fan of eyeliner, I’ll say that much. Not that I wouldn’t love to wear it, but I just never quite had the skill to apply it properly, so I tend to leave it for big events when I’ll treat myself to getting my makeup done by a professional.
However, I decided to give eyeliner another chance this week and I may have just found the perfect solution to my problems.
Sleek MakeUP’s 48hr Liquid Eyeliner, which is available on ASOS, had some incredible reviews online, with people praising it for its staying power and easy application. So I bit the bullet and placed an order.
The slimline eyeliner is the perfect size for carrying around with you and comes with a fine brush for a precise application. Despite my ever-shaky hands, I managed to apply without much effort and couldn’t believe it.
A little definitely goes a long way with this product as it's so easily spreadable, which helps when you want to get your winged liner done in one swoop.
However, it did prove a bit messy if your hand slips, so it wasn’t quite as ‘smudge-proof’ as promised.
The liner gives a matte finish, which was perfect for me. I’ll definitely stick with this one to work on my eyeliner skills.
Where to buy: ASOS
Price: £6
Rating: 4/5
Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen
My current favourite eyeliner is Clinque Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen which is the first felt tip-style eyeliner I’ve ever used.
I always swore by gel eyeliner for creating the perfect flicks and lining my waterline, as it stays on all day without needing to touch up. However, over the last year or so, I’ve ditched wearing eyeliner along the waterline and now only use it to create flicks.
Last year I decided to give a felt tip liner a try as I’d heard they can make it easier and quicker to get the perfect flicks every time. I was in Clinque shopping for other beauty products and spotted the Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen, so thought I’d give it a go despite it being a little pricier than what I’d usually spend on an eyeliner.
The first time I used the Clinique product I was super impressed. Due to the it having a very thin tip, you can create a really precise flick and have full control of the size and angle. The flicks I managed to create were the perfect size and each flick matched the other - I didn’t have to faff about trying to make the flicks symmetrical.
I’m sure we’ve all been there before where we've tried to even up one of the flicks and it ends up going bigger than the other. Five minutes later and we may as well have just coloured the entire eyelids in black!
In the year or so I’ve been using the Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen, I’ve never had to wipe off and re-do the flicks because they've gone wrong. The product really does get them perfect every time and lasts all day with no smudge.
(The product is now called High Impact Easy Liquid Eyeliner on the Clinique website.)
Where to buy: Boots and Clinique
Cost: £20
Rating: 5/5
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