The Best Eyeliners for Any Level of Expertise

Step up your liner game this season with four new makeup bag staples, whether you’re a liner novice or a cateye pro-star.

The liquid-phobic

You’re still fairly new to the liner game and aren’t quite ready to take the leap from the predictable pencil to a full liquid liner. The best in-between: Maybelline New York Lasting Drama by EyeStudio Waterproof Gel Pencil in Smooth Charcoal ($12, available at mass drugstores nationwide). It has the wearability of a liquid liner with its stay-all-day formula, but not too stubborn that you can’t fix the uneven lines you’re still working on–because we’ve all been there.

The cat-eye novice

You’ve been practicing and you’re ready to take it to the next level. You’re still a beginner, taking your time on the bunny hill that creating that liner flick worthy of the #flawless status, but you’re not quite there yet. Luckily, the geniuses over at Benefit have created a little something to help you out: Benefit They’re Real! Push-Up Liner in Beyond Purple ($31, sephora.com). The chiselled tip allows you to glide the liner across your lid and just flick it up, creating an almost-seamless cateye finish, even if you’re still figuring out the physics of the thickness and length of your line. Plus, the new coloured versions, it’ll make you look like more of a pro than you actually are.

The crafty liner

Ah, you are the sensei of the eyeliner world and you’re getting more creative and ambitious by the day. Your flick game is on fleek (is that how the cool kids say it?) and you’ve been doing a perfectly even cateye for years now. You’re the one who does all your girls’ eyeliner before a night out (because you can’t be seen with them otherwise) and have taken to Instagram to show your latest lining creations. Now you need some tools to help your talents soar, so why not try Essence 2-in-1 Eyeliner Pen ($4, available at Shoppers Drug Mart) or CoverGirl Intensify Me! Liquid Eyeliner ($9, available at mass drugstores nationwide)? Essence has a two-ended felt-tip formula that allows you to play up your line from thick to thin, while CoverGirl has a paddle-shaped applicator that goes from thick to thin in a simple spin. Bonus: both of these babies are under-$10 so your purse will be happy, too.