By Erin Jahns
last updated
Contributions from
Maya Thomas
Regardless of whether you're aliquid, gel, or kohl type of person, if you frequently ride the liner train (translation: You rely on it tolook awake each morning like your life depends on it), you know how pivotal finding the absolute perfect formula is. Once you've found yourholy-grail pot, pencil, or what have you, chances are you're never letting go Jack and Rose–style. But there is a but, or rather, a budget.
Eyeliners fall into that annoying category of beauty products that seem like they should only cost $5 but typically manage to run us upward of $15, $20, even $30. Uh, not cool!Previously, we've grinned, purchased, and born it, but what if we were to tell you this little place calledthe drugstore is home to formulas that are identical to, if not better than, some of the best eyeliners in the business?
(Image credit: @hungvanngo)
What to Look For
Part of our jobs as beauty editors is to test and review endless products, setting apart the ones that reach and exceed our expectations from those that don't even get close. Before investing in any eyeliner (no matter the price point), it helps to identify what you want from the product. For example, is longevity the name of the game, or does color payoff and versatility matter more? Would a multipurpose product that doubles as an eye shadow be helpful in your makeup routine or get in the way of your creativity?
Taking the formula of particular products into consideration can also hugely impact your experience with your eyeliner. While liquid eyeliners often deliver pigment and control, gel pencils are easy to use and super practical. It all depends on what you want from your product, so it's smart to shop accordingly. Now, we love our Stilas, Laura Merciers, Bobbi Browns, and Kat Von Ds just as much as anyone, but when we have bills to pay, Postmates to order, and highly salted overpriced margaritas to sip, our enthusiasm for extremely expensive eyeliners starts to wane.
Thus, in the spirit of saving money without sacrificing our perfectly eyelined prerogative, we set out to find the seven best dupes to match the seven best eyeliners. Ahead, the crème de la crème of drugstore pencils, pots, felt tips, and, yes, even rollerballs, that give cult-status eyeliners a serious run for their money performance-wise and completely whip their bums price-wise. Keep scrolling!
If you love…
Chanel
Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner
Try Our Overall Best Choice…
L.A. Girl
Gel Glide Eyeliner
If you love the easy-glide gel consistency ofChanelin addition to the brand's aesthetically pleasing array of colors, meet L.A. Girl. Astoundingly similar, this gel pencil has a slightly smaller but still satisfactory display of color options, and they're only $4 a pop versus $35. Oh, and if you're on quality control—we don't blame you—the consistency is soft and creamy enough to not pull on your lid and lash line.
Customer Review: "Even for watery eyes, this product remains intact and very pigmented. Worth every penny & I would honestly buy this if it was 3x the price!"
Pros: Long-wearing formula; no pulling or tugging on the skin
Cons: There's presently a limited shade availability
Product Specs: 0.04 oz eyeliner pencil
If you love…
KVD Beauty
Tattoo Liner Vegan Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
Try…
Milani
Stay Put Matte 17HR Wear Liquid Eyeliner
Kat Von D's cult-classic felt-tip liner is beloved for its inky-black color that practically does what the name would suggest: delivers an immovable trace of black wherever you so wish to apply it. That said, this far more affordable pick from Milani has the added benefit of another color choice (coffee-inspired brown!) and stays cozy on your lids for just as long. Oh, and the tips are virtually identical in size.
Customer Review: "This has always been my go-to eyeliner. Love the solid felt tip. The ones with bristles bend and break when putting the cap back on. This one has a lot of product in the well and lasts forever and stays on! Even on humid hot days, it’s in place. Highly recommend."
Pros: Glides onto the skin quickly and easily
Cons: Slight smudging with long-term wear
Product Specs: 0.32 oz tube with felt-tip applicator
If you love…
Stila
Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner
Try…
E.l.f. Cosmetics
Intense H20 Proof Eyeliner Pen
Stila's iconic waterproof liquid liner has been my go-to since college, and it wasn't until I overhauled my entire makeup routine for budget finds that I discovered this nearly identical dupe from E.l.f. Cosmetics. It's a fraction of the price, looks the same, applies identically, and stays in place just as well if not better than my fave Stila. I use them interchangeably! The only con is the smaller number of color choices compared to Stila's gorgeous stash.
Customer Review: "I am an eyeliner fanatic and this doesn't disappoint. The line is bold and easily drawn. I'm liking this to draw the newest trends for eyes. It lasts and doesn't flake (which is a bonus)."
Pros: Features a perfect angled tip to create smooth, precise lines
Cons: Tip tends to dry quickly—be sure to shake well before application
Product Specs: 0.02 oz eyeliner pen
If you love…
Try…
L'Oréal
Infallible Pro-Last Waterproof Pencil Eyeliner
No, L'Oréal doesn't have quite the rainbow of colors that Urban Decay does, butit* range of blues and purples is nothing to sneeze at, and, dare we say it, these half-priced pencils might actually wear better and longer. They promise 24 hours of wear and have the same creamy, easy-glide application you love from your Urban Decay pencil.
Customer Review: "This is the best waterline liner I've used. It has very little transfer to my bottom waterline. I am incredible impressed. I've used high-end and drugstore for over 20 years and I hope they don't stop making this."
Pros: Delivers waterproof, smudge-resistant color
Cons: Formula is not idea for oily lids (fades throughout day)
Product Specs: 0.042 oz eyeliner pencil
If you love…
Bobbi Brown
Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner
Try…
Maybelline
Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner
Don't get us wrong: We have major love for Bobbi Brown's popular gel pot and also know many makeup artists keep it stashed in their kits. That said, if you're strapped for cash, this one from Maybelline comes in versatile shades and is a third of the price. You'll still get the long-lasting budge-proof wear you crave in addition to a silky, highly pigmented finish. Plus, the packaging is very similar.
Customer Review: "This has been my gel liner for years and years. I love the control with the brush for skinny to wide lines. It stays put with water or sweat and never [have] any worries about it going in my eyes."
Pros: Offers intense color that lasts for up to 24 hours
Cons: The bristles on the brush are quite stiff when used
Product Specs: 0.11 oz pot and applicator brush
If you love…
MAC
Rollerwheel Liquid Liner
Try…
Revlon
Revlon ColorStay Wheel Exactify Liquid Liner
We get that people either love or hate roller-tip liners, but for those who stan the ingeniousness of MAC's innovative wheelie design, meet Revlon's equally lovable counterpart. Both eyeliners have almost identical rollable tips, but Revlon's drugstore-priced version actually lasts longer. Pick your poison, but this one is half the price tag(just saying).
Customer Review: "This stuff is great. The wheel applicator is just what I needed to be able to draw a nice straight, tight line. The black is a nice true dark black and very pigmented."
Pros: Formula is smear-proof and ultra-pigmented
Cons: Not ideal for ultra-precise, winged eyeliner looks
Product Specs: 0.34 tube with roller-tip applicator
If you love…
Laura Mercier
Caviar Stick Eyeshadow
Try…
Nyx Professional Makeup
Jumbo Eye Pencil All-in-one Eyeshadow & Eyeliner Multi-Stick
We're obsessed with Laura Mercier's stick shadow/eyeliner hybrid because it's perhaps the most goof-proof and highly efficient way to draw on a finished, smoldering eye—in like, two minutes. This best-of-the-best drugstore eyeliner from Nyx is equally fab. Like the Laura Mercier pencil, it's a fatter, jumbo-size thickness, so it can double aslinerand shadow, the colors are beautiful, and it's smooth and creamy to apply. Win-win-win.
Customer Review: "Excellent, versatile eye crayon. Good value for the money and has pigment with staying power. Be careful to use a light touch if all you want is a liner effect. If eyelids are oily, a mattifying eyeshadow base helps."
Pros: Offered in a variety of stunning shades
Cons: Wears of quickly; requires frequent reapplication
Product Specs: 0.18 oz pencil
This article was originally published at an earlier date and has been updated.
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EyelinerDrugstore Beauty
Erin Jahns
Beauty Director
Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.
With contributions from
- Maya ThomasAssistant Beauty Editor
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