The Claudia Couture: Best & Worst Pencil Eyeliners

I have another addition to my best and worst series- pencil eyeliners. I use a black pencil eyeliner everyday, so for me they are an absolute essential! As a result, i have tried many different brands and price points.

I don't believe that you have to spend a fortune on high-end eyeliners as there are some great options in the drugstore. However, i do like to broaden my knowledge of different brands and indulge in a few luxury brands every now and then!

My three high-end favourites are from the likes of; Chanel, Clarins and Clinique. Chanel offer many different variations of eye pencils; waterproof, long lasting and intense options. They also offer a good range of classic, everyday colours. My favourite is the Chanel Le Crayon Yeux Precision Eye Definer in Teak 02. Teak is a beautiful chocolate brown shade thats perfect for the no-makeup makeup look! The formula is nice and smooth, providing easy application. Clarins and Clinique also have some good options. Another great brown shade is Dark Chocolaate by Clinique, however I'm not a huge fan of the retractable packaging! 

Best High-End Eyeliner Pencils:
-Chanel Le Crayon Yeux Precision Eye Definer in Teak 02
-Clarins Crayon Yeux Waterproof in Black 01
-Clinique Quickline For Eyes in Dark Chocolate 10

'Worst' High-End Eyeliner Pencils:
-Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils in Zero
-MAC Technakohl Liner in Graph Black
-Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner in Rose Platine 47
-Chanel Le Crayon Khol Intense Eye Pencil in Clair 69

Now, onto a few high-end liners that I'm not too fussed on! There not neccesseraly awful, just not the best that i have tried! Starting with Urban Decay, i used to really like these but after trying many other brands, i realised how average they really are. They have a great texture- creamy and smooth. The colour range is excellent too, whether your looking for a teal blue or vibrant purple, Urban Decay will have what your looking for. However, i do not like the lasting power. I always use eyeliner in the waterline and these are just not long-lasting enough for that. After a few hours, the eyeliner that was once on my upper waterline had travelled down to my cheek bones and left me with little black smudges! However, if you do not wear eyeliner in the water-line, then Urban Decay liners are still a good option. MAC offer some great colours too, and they have a greater staying-power than that of Urban Decay, making them ideal candidates for use in the water-line. The two Chanel liners i have here, are not in this category because of their forumula, i love Chanel pencils, but because of the colours. Both colours are light and have average pigmentation. I initially purchased them to use in the water line to brighten/widen the eyes, but they didn't have that much of an effect. I recommend all of Chanel's liners, just not these two colours in particular.

Best Drugstore Eyeliner Pencils:
-Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil in Silver 02
-Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner in Black
-No 7 Amazing Eyes Pencil in Black 

My favourite drugstore pencils! No7 is the best for staying power- it lasts all day without smudging, and the best for texture, are by Avon and Milani. The Avon and Milani pencils are very soft and intensely pigmented, however they do not stay on as long as the No7 pencil. Although the No7 pencil doesn't have as much intensity. It really depends on how or where you apply your eyeliners; in the water-line or smudged into the upper lash-line, which will determine the liners that you like best. 

'Worst' Drugstore Eyeliner Pencil:
-Sleek Makeup Kajal Eyeliner in Nocturnal 

I only have one, worst drugstore liner, which surprisingly, is by Sleek. I say that because i love Sleek products, particularly their eyeshadow palettes which are the best eyeshadows in the drugstore! However, i didn't love their Kajal liner. The shape of the pencil is pointy when you first purchase it, but as you continue to use it, it will get shorter and shorter, eventually becoming blunt at the end and totally unusable. This is obviously a waste of product and money, as you cannot sharpen it. It had great, intense pigmentation, but the staying power was dreadful. It smudged everywhere; underneath my eyes, in my lower lash-line, and even on my cheekbones!!! It just did not stay put, and i had black smudges all around my eyes- not a good look! 

Hopefully this has given you a balanced overview of some of the eyeliners on the market, and helped you to decide which ones to try, and which ones you should totally avoid! It would be great to hear your favourites or if you have had similar/different experiences to me, with the above products.

Love, Claudia xo