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When you consider some of the best waterline eyeliner looks of today, you may think of a host of downtown cool girls (hello, Gabbriette Betchell and Julia Fox!), but kohl eyeliner has been an integral eye adornment in Arab culture for a millennia. Eyeliner (from wings to waterlines) traces back to Ancient Egypt for beautification and protection against the sun’s intensity. “I carry my history with me through the lining of my eyes,” journalist and author Zahra Hankir previously told Vogue when chatting about her book Eyeliner: A Cultural History. “This single object connects me to my identity in a very profound way.”
A fan of waterline eyeliner’s versatility, celebrity makeup artist Kasey Spickard says you can achieve many different looks with a waterline eyeliner depending on the color you choose. “You can do a really close tightline top and bottom to define the eyes and make the lashes look fuller with a dark brown or black and keep the rest of the eye really nude. This will give you the ‘supermodel’ look. You can also add dark shadows and smoke it out for a cool-girl, Kate Moss kind of vibe,” she says. “You can also tightline with creams and whites on the bottom to really open up the eye and give a bright, awake look or do a pop of color in the waterline with a corresponding smoked out lower lash line for fun without being too over the top.”
Vogue’s Favorite Waterline Eyeliner
- Best Pigment: Anastasia Beverly Hills Darkside Waterproof Gel, $18
- Best Clean Beauty: Ilia Line Gel Liner, $26
- Best Dual Ended: Valentino Beauty Twin Liner Eyeliner, $40
- Best Waterproof: MAC Cosmetics Color Excess Gel Pencil Eyeliner, $25
- Best Drugstore: Maybelline Tattoo Studio Automatic Gel Pencil, $10
In This Story
Speaking of smokey eyes, pro makeup artist El DeBratto says that waterline eyeliner is the key to achieving the classic smokey eye look. “Depending on how sultry you want your smokey eye to appear, adding eyeliner in the waterline will enhance the intensity of the blended smokey appearance around the eyes. It adds to a sharper appearance overall with beautiful contrast,” they say. “You can either apply this waterline eyeliner in a very precise manner, or if you prefer your makeup to look less precise, you can take a small dense brush and smudge it out around the eyes for a soft grunge look.”
Below, shop the best options for waterline eyeliner—no matter what look you’re after.
Best Pigment: Anastasia Beverly Hills Darkside Waterproof Gel
- Why We Love It: While you may know Anastasia Beverly Hills for its incredible eyebrow products, its eyeliner game is just as strong. This waterproof gel eyeliner offers a super-pigmented, true black color payoff. Long-wearing and waterproof, your look will stay put.
- Key Ingredients: Candelilla wax, beeswax, carnauba wax
- Shades: 1
- Waterproof: Yes
- Type: Gel
Best Clean Beauty: Ilia Line Gel Liner
- Why We Love It: Look no further than Ilia’s gel liner for all the pros of a high-performing liner sans any harsh chemicals. Ideal for your waterline and lid, this gel pencil glides on with ease, without any snagging, and self sets, all while being formulated with 100% clean ingredients.
- Key Ingredients: Dimethicone, silica, hydrogenated castor oil, glycerin crosspolymer, hydrogen dimethicone
- Shades: 2
- Waterproof: Water-resistant
- Type: Gel
Best Dual Ended: Valentino Beauty Twin Liner Eyeliner
- Why We Love It: Two-for-one eyeliner? Sold! There’s no need to decide between a pencil versus a liquid formula—Valentino Beauty’s Twin Liner will give you both with dual-sided product. Swipe the retractible pencil liner on your waterline, then, with its precise and thin applicator, you can use the liquid for a supersharp wing or tight lining.
- Key Ingredients: Hydrogenated castor oil, carnauba wax, silica
- Shades: 4
- Waterproof: No
- Type: Double-sided (gel and liquid)
Best Drugstore: Maybelline Tattoo Studio Automatic Gel Pencil
- Why We Love It: If you’re in the market for a high performing eyeliner at a budget-friendly price, it’s hard to beat Maybelline’s Tattoo Studio pencil. With a supersmooth glide on gel formula, this pencil by the drugstore mainstay boasts up to 36 hours of wear.
- Key Ingredients: Dimethicone, microcrystalline wax
- Shades: 16
- Waterproof: Yes
- Type: Gel
Best Shade Range: Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal Liner
- Why We Love It: Victoria Beckham Beauty’s eyeliner is a bestseller for the brand, and it’s easy to see why—for starters, it’s waterproof and formulated with clean ingredients. There are 19 shades to choose from, including classic neutrals and fun colors. Plus, there are three different finishes: mattes, metallics, and jewel tones.
- Key Ingredients: Chamomilla recutita, vitamin E, panthenol, mineral-based silica pearl
- Shades: 19
- Waterproof: Yes
- Type: Kajal
Best for Brightening: Chanel Le Crayon Khol Intense Eye Pencil in Clair
- Why We Love It: Chanel Beauty nails the look of a brightened-up open eye with its kohl eye pencil in the shade Clair. Rather than a super stark white (which may seem unnaturally light on your waterline), the creamy shade is more understated, giving the appearance of large doe eyes.
- Key Ingredients: Hydrogenated jojoba oil, shea butter, canola oil, candelilla wax, vitamin E, sunflower seed oil
- Shades: 4
- Waterproof: No
- Type: Kohl
Best Multipurpose: Make Up For Ever Artist Color Eye, Lip Brow Pencil
- Why We Love It: Waterline, lip line, brow fill, and more—all with one pencil. Make Up For Ever’s multipurpose pencil is a beauty bag mainstay that can accomplish it all. When applied, the product has a more matte, sturdy feel than creamy. Their most popular shades for a neutral waterline look and taupe brown lip liner, Wherever Walnut and Endless Cacao, are routinely sold out due to a seemingly endless streak of virality—so get them while you still can.
- Key Ingredients: Mica, dimethicone, microcrystalline wax
- Shades: 12
- Waterproof: No
- Type: Matte color pencil
Best for a Pop of Color: Glossier No. 1 Pencil
- Why We Love It: Glossier knows how to keep makeup playful, and their No. 1 Pencil’s shade range reflects that. Sure, you’ve got the classic white, black, and brown options for the purists. However, for those looking for fun eyeliner colors to make their eyes pop, there are shades of blue, purple, and red to play with. The pigments are bold and the texture is creamy, making the pencil super easy to blend. Plus, the formula is dermatologist- and ophthalmologist-tested, while boasting up to 12 hours of wear.
- Key Ingredients: Synthetic wax, silica, rice bran wax, hydrogenated castor oil, synthetic beeswax
- Shades: 11
- Waterproof: Water and transfer-resistant
- Type: Standard
Best Waterproof: MAC Cosmetics Color Excess Gel Pencil Eyeliner
- Why We Love It: A favorite of this beauty writer, MAC’s eyeliner is an ideal choice for tightlining before applying falsies or lining your upper waterline for a generally fuller appearance of lashes. The long-lasting waterproof formula keeps this gel liner in place, boasting up to 12 hours of wear on your waterline and 24 hours of wear on lids—plus there are 15 shades to choose from, from classic to vibrant.
- Key Ingredients: Candelilla wax extract, synthetic wax, synthetic beeswax, carnauba wax
- Shades: 15
- Waterproof: Yes
- Type: Gel
Best for Blending: Pat McGrath Labs PermaGel Ultra Glide Eye Pencil
- Why We Love It: Spotted in Gabbriette’s Vogue France Beauty Secrets video, Dame Pat McGrath’s long-wearing gel formula is a go-to for the edgy It girl, calling it “the best black eyeliner on the planet.” This gel eye pencil is the secret behind her iconic grungy, smudged-out eye makeup. The creamy formula blends with ease, making it ideal for a smokey eye or any other similarly undone look.
- Key Ingredients: Mica, isododecane, synthetic wax, carnauba wax
- Shades: 2
- Waterproof: Yes
- Type: Gel
Best Long-Wearing: Lancôme Le Stylo
- Why We Love It: Twist, line, and go—Lancôme’s eyeliner won’t snag, smudge, or streak on your eyes. The water-resistant formula glides on smoothly for fail-proof tight lining—happy tears incoming!
- Key Ingredients: Synthetic wax, mica, silica, carnauba wax
- Shades: 10
- Waterproof: Yes
- Type: Gel
Best for Sensitive Eyes: Clinique High Impact Gel Tech Eyeliner
- Why We Love It: Clinique is always a safe bet for those with sensitive eyes. Its gel eyeliner—and a water-resistant and fragrance-free—provides pigment-rich color for up to 12 hours of wear on your waterline and up to 24 hours of wear on your lids. Even better, the formula is ophthalmologist- and dermatologist-tested.
- Key Ingredients: Candelilla wax extract, synthetic wax, carnauba wax, synthetic beeswax
- Shades: 8
- Waterproof: Yes
- Type: Gel
Everything You Need To Know
How To Pick a Waterline Eyeliner
Gel, khol, kajal, and classic color pencils—there’s a plethora of eyeliner options to choose from. Pro makeup artist Kasey Spickard’s go-to for long-wearing eye looks is a gel pencil, especially a waterproof one for the waterline. “What makes them great is that they’re soft enough to glide onto the waterline but the formulas are typically more long-wearing,” Spickard says. “I prefer waterproof gel liners to traditional pencils, because I find them to be more comfortable on application.”
Pro makeup artist El DeBratto agrees, adding they prefer gel-based eyeliners for their smooth glide-on application in such a delicate eye space. “Once this gel eyeliner is set, it is much less prone to budging or smearing throughout the day,” they tell Vogue.
Opting for a more smoked out, edgy look? Spickard recommends kohl pencils as the perfect choice. “Traditional kohls tend to move around a little bit more and you have less control, which can be great if you’re going for a more undone, grungy, cool girl look,” he adds.
How To Make Waterline Eyeliner Last
The pros have a few tricks up their sleeves to ensure your eyeliner maintains staying power. As a fail-proof option, gel waterproof liner is a good first start. “Before applying your eyeliner, dry your waterline first with a cotton swab to remove any moisture that’s there. Then, generously apply the liner in the waterline. To really lock it in place, go back over the liner in the water line with a powder eyeshadow that matches the shade of your liner and you’ll have a super-long-wear liner,” Spickard says.
Meet The Experts
- Kasey Spickard is a professional makeup artist and Maybelline ambassador based in New York with more than a decade of experience. Spickard has worked with clients such as Jenna Lyons, Kamie Crawford, and Brynn Whitfield.
- El DeBratto is a non-binary New York–based editorial makeup artist whose clients include Coco Rocha, Flower Beauty, Kristin Ess, and Glamour magazine.
