A good pencil eyeliner is an essential part of any well-equipped make-up bag. Liquid eyeliners may be great for cat-eye flicks and Sixties-style drama, but the versatility of a pencil liner allows you to create everything from flawless smoky eyes to smudgy grunge liner with just one tool. Think of them like colouring pencils, and go ahead and get creative.
The best formulas offer smudgeability (if it’s not a word, it should be) on application, but stay put all day once you’re happy with your look. You want it soft enough that you can apply it without tugging on your eyelids, but firm enough to be sharpened into a fine point. Or, if sharpening is a hassle you could do without, plump for one of the retractable pencils on offer from the likes of Chanel and Bobbi Brown.
Here, we’ve rounded up the very best pencil eyeliners out there, from the ones to splurge on to the ones you can grab for the price of a sandwich. You’re welcome.
