While summer is a wonderful time for many reasons, we can’t totally sugarcoat the entire season. After all, heat depletes energy and focus and makes us sweat to no end, which is just one of the many reasons why you should switch over to one of the best waterproof eyeliners. These liners don’t have a penchant to crease, smear, and smudge even on oily, sweaty eyelids — or ones that had a teary-eyed moment.
Alongside your tinted moisturizers, sunscreens, and hydrating lip stains, long-lasting waterproof eyeliners are an absolute necessity during the summer months. But they’re just as advantageous all year round because we’re not fans of our eye makeup slipping and sliding about, no matter what the weather forecast looks like. Like waterproof mascaras, there are droves of waterproof liner formulas with impressive staying power that can last through it all: dips in the pool, long walks in the sun, or even just a good cry huddled on your couch after a stressful day at your nine-to-five.
We’ve rounded up the best sweat-proof eyeliners from Allure editors and makeup artists alike to help your eye makeup stay looking on-point. Pick any of these waterproof formulas below, and you’ll be guaranteed a virtually indestructible look.
Our Top Picks:
- Best Overall: Kulfi Beauty Underlined Kajal Eyeliner, $20
- Best Gel Eyeliner: Estée Lauder Double Wear Infinite Eyeliner, $30
- Best Liquid Eyeliner: Ilia Beauty Clean Line Liquid Liner, $28
- Best Pencil Eyeliner: Ere Perez Jojoba Eye Pencil, $23
- Allure Readers Love It: Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, $24
- Best for Lash Line: Shiseido ArchLiner Ink Eyeliner, $24
- Ultra-Slim Liner: Fenty Beauty Flypencil Longwear Eyeliner, $23
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Courtesy of brand
Best Overall: Kulfi Beauty Underlined Kajal Eyeliner
Makeup artist Amrita Mehta is a big fan of Kulfi Beauty’s Underlined Kajal, a creamy crayon that she says is designed to “glide on with ease but will set and stay in place after 30 seconds or so” for a totally smudge-proof and waterproof finish. She loves the versatility of these colorful liners (Tiger Queen, a terracotta, is shown above), which can be used on the upper lid, waterline, as well as for tightlining and “smudging out into an all-over color or smoky eye look,” she adds.
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Best Gel Eyeliner: Estée Lauder Double Wear Infinite Eyeliner
North Carolina-based makeup artist Kenna Kunijo gives Estée Lauder’s Double Wear Infinite Eyeliner her seal of approval. “I’ve used this for years and I love how gentle it is and its smooth application,” she says. This retractable gel-based eyeliner has a slender, tapered tip that provides precise application and glides without skipping sharp lines. If smoky eyes are more your thing, you can complete your eyeliner look by smudging out the formula with its soft smudge sponge tip (which also has a built-in sharpener).
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Best Liquid Eyeliner: Ilia Beauty Clean Line Liquid Liner
If you’re into liquid liners, makeup artist Sammie Kolk, who’s based in Charlotte, North Carolina, says to give the matte-finish Ilia Beauty Clean Line Liquid Liner a whirl. “With an ultra-fine tip for precise definition, this liquid liner is smudge-proof and provides all-day wear,” she says. “It creates the prettiest cat eyes and you can do some fun graphic eye looks with it as well, or simply create a barely-there tightline with it.”
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Smoothest Glide: Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Gel Eyeliner
Kunijo says the Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Gel Eyeliner has the most effortless, smoothest strokes from any oily lid-friendly eyeliner she’s ever tried, which is why she gives this retractable gel pencil her seal of approval. She also notes that this formula has a “soft” texture that doesn’t tug or pull on lids and won’t smudge or smear (unless it’s intentional, of course).
