Makeup is meant to manipulate the appearance of the face. Blush brightens the complexion, foundation clears the skin’s appearance, and even creating contours can manipulate the appearance of a person’s bone structure.
Few features can be manipulated in appearance as much as the eyes, with eyeliners making the most changes.
A cat eye extends out; a tight top line makes the eyes rounder, and a bit of pigment on the inner lash line shrinks the eye and darkens it. One person can look like a dozen others with a swish of the wrist.
In ancient Egypt, both men and women painted their eyes with kohl to protect them from the evil eye.
I like to think I do the same whenever taking a makeup wipe to my eye for the fifth time in a row, having failed to get the point exact on my winged eyeliner.
But I digress. Since an eyeliner is a potent tool in a makeup-wearer’s arsenal, I am pleased to present my picks for the top five in this category.
The following criteria were used to determine which products are the best: pigment, application, appearance, and long-lasting.
Best Overall
Flormar Extreme Tattoo Gel Pencil
NIS 45 | 1.2 gr.
This pencil eyeliner is big and bold upon application. I am not the most adept user of your average pencil liner, but with my meager skill, I would not be able to wield this weapon for anything less than a dramatic nighttime look. The bonus is the gorgeous range of color options, including bright shades of green and blue, and metallic options.
www.flormar.co.il
Best Liquid Eyeliner
Adah Lazorgan Liquid Swatch Ultimate Black Liner
NIS 89 | 2 ml.
If you have ever read the His Dark Materials series, by Philip Pullman, you may be familiar with the concept of the subtle knife, a weapon so sharp that its blade disappears at its edge because of how thin it gets. That is a long-winded way for me to say that the pen in this product comes to a tip so fine you practically can’t see it, making it a truly beautiful application process.
You can go thin and subtle or build for a more dramatic look, and the pigment is just right – not too light or heavy.
adahlazorgan.co.il
Best Application
Il Makiage Inkliner Liquid Eyeliner
NIS 119 | 1.2 ml.
Has this happened to you when applying liquid eyeliner: It creates a tiny spikey edge, so you line a bit wider to try and make it smooth, but with no success? That will not happen with this eyeliner, as it creates clean edges and is smooth to apply. The pen is the perfect size to angle, twist, turn, and do whatever you must to get that perfect wing.
www.ilmakiage.co.il
Best Budget Eyeliner
Flormar Midnight Matte Liquid Eyeliner
NIS 45 | 1.2 ml.
This eyeliner is just what I like in a more simplistic liquid eyeliner. It’s got medium pigment, making it easy to build, and the pen is thick like a drawing marker, making it perfect for more of a liquid eyeliner beginner.
The color is deep and dries very matte but without crumbling away at the end of the day – which is important. Yet it washes off easily and comfortably – even, as my clumsy self discovered, off furniture if dropped.
www.flormar.co.il
Best Long-Lasting
Sacara Anna Zak All Eyes On Me Long Lasting Eyeliner
NIS 20 | 2 ml.
This eyeliner is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for beginners. If you are a long-time liquid eyeliner lover, you’ll love this product, because it requires precision and control to tame this beast of immense pigment.
I have never gotten a more dramatic point on my cat-eye, but even I felt nervous, despite many years of perfecting that infuriating wrist motion – as Prof. Flitwick called it, the swish-and-flick.
This product is also not going anywhere; you need a proper makeup remover to get it off, making it great for a night out dancing and sweating.
www.sacara.co.il