Liquid & Pencil Eyeliner Tier List 2026

Snapshot 2026-09-04. Allure’s 2026 Readers’ Choice eyeliner is Nyx Epic Ink Waterproof Liquid, about $10 at Amazon, Ulta, and Walmart. The same pen is the color-range pick in Allure’s liquid-liner story on 28 May 2026. Wirecutter’s lab page is stamped Updated 17 March 2025. Abbie Kozolchyk tested 45 liners and sent 17 to a six-person panel. Everyday liquid there is also Epic Ink: ocean swims, sweat, 12-hour days, dry-down in under 10 seconds.

The May 2026 liquid story puts overall on Stila Stay All Day, about $24, and beginners on Fenty Flyliner, about $24. Byrdie’s 2026 drugstore list ran 60+ liners over four months. Cat-eye is still Epic Ink. Pencil is Epic Wear Liner Stick, about $9.

2026 global eyeliner tiers

Tier	Products	Best for	About this price
S	Nyx Epic Ink, Danessa Myricks Linework, Revlon ColorStay pencil, Rare Beauty gel pencil	Daily liquid wings, a beginner brush, a drugstore twist-up, and a gel that holds on the waterline.	Epic Ink about $10; Linework about $20; ColorStay $7–11; Rare Beauty about $21
A	About-Face Line Artist, Stila Stay All Day, Fenty Flyliner, Lisa Eldridge Kitten Flick, Makeup by Mario pencil, Smashbox Always Sharp, Chanel Le Liner, Pat McGrath Perma Precision	Color crayons, editor felt-tips, the blackest prestige liquid, hooded lids, and a self-sharpening kohl.	About-Face about $15; Stila about $24; Flyliner about $24; the rest about $26–42
B	Hourglass Voyeur, Kulfi Underlined, Valentino Colorgraph, One/Size Point Made, Kosas Soulgazer, Too Faced liquid, UD waterline, Nyx Epic Wear stick, Laura Geller Kajal, Clio Superproof, Lancôme Idôle felt-tip, Canmake Creamy Touch	Blendable gels, kajal, drugstore pencils, and editor favorites Wirecutter kept with caveats.	Kulfi about $20; Hourglass about $28; Valentino about $38; Epic Wear about $9
C	Benefit Roller Liner, Ilia liquid, KVD Tattoo, Revlon Skinny liquid, UD 24/7 Inks, UD Glide-On, Wet n Wild Breakup, e.l.f. No Budge, Maybelline TattooStudio, Neutrogena Smokey Kohl, Ilia gel, Quick Flick stamp	Tips that are too long, floppy, or watery, or formulas that run with sweat and tears.	Drugstore to mid-range. Listed from reviews; no extra invented prices.
D	Dried liquid liner, broken pencil cores	The nib is already hard, or the lead snaps as soon as you sharpen.	No verifiable list price.

Wirecutter five (page stamp 17 Mar 2025)

Product	About this price	Notes
Nyx Epic Ink	about $8–10	Everyday liquid. Fine, flexible brush. Saturated black, not the blackest in the lab. Dry-down under 10 seconds. Wing tips go first; some testers needed extra passes. Allure’s reader page says 15 shades; Wirecutter’s spec table and the May liquid story say nine.
Danessa Myricks Linework	about $20	Beginner liquid. 560 bristles: angle for thick, hold upright for thin. About five seconds to dry. One tester still had it the morning after a 21st birthday. Black only.
Revlon ColorStay pencil	about $7–11	Drugstore twist-up, eight shades, sponge and sharpener. Thinner than Neutrogena and Hourglass twist-ups. The Micro Hyper Precision gel on the same shelf failed in round one: brittle, hard to apply.
Rare Beauty gel pencil	about $17–21	Dense color, works on the waterline. Holds through sweat and rain; lifts if you rub. Three shades. Built-in sharpener is shallow.
About-Face Line Artist	about $12–15	Thirteen shades, a sharpener testers liked. MUFE Aqua Resist had three fewer shades and cost $12 more each. Urban Decay 24/7 had more colors and smeared.

Two leftovers: Fenty Flyliner in Cuz I’m Black was the blackest liquid, too messy for beginners; it held through fitness classes and migrated for some in daily wear. Laura Geller Kajal is chubby enough to blend as shadow; the barrel divided the panel.

Allure 2026 and Byrdie drugstore

Product	About this price	Notes
Nyx Epic Ink	about $10	Allure 2026 readers’ eyeliner. Byrdie drugstore cat-eye too; one tester wrote a 20-second dry and a little fade after nine hours.
Stila Stay All Day	about $24	Allure May liquid overall and waterproof overall. Wirecutter kept a clean line in humidity and then watched it run when a tester teared up, so it does not share the S row.
Fenty Flyliner	about $24	Allure May beginners. Wirecutter reserved it for people who already draw liquid. Both notes stay; the row sits in A on lab difficulty.
Lisa Eldridge Kitten Flick	no 2026 list price pulled here	Allure May hooded-lid slot. Two-time Best of Beauty. Fine nib close to the lash roots.
Makeup by Mario Master Pigment Pro	about $26	Allure all-time pencil. Brush on the other end; blend, then it sets.
Smashbox Always Sharp	about $27	The cap sharpens the point. Allure files it as kohl that can still draw a sharp line.
Chanel Le Liner	about $42	Allure prestige liquid. Fine tip; one editor softens the wing with a fingertip.
Pat McGrath Perma Precision	about $36	Allure May matte liquid. Stiffer felt tip, useful on looser lids.
Nyx Epic Wear stick	about $9	Byrdie drugstore pencil.

How we ranked this

Dimension	Sources	Snapshot	Weight
2026 readers + liquid roundup	Allure Readers’ Choice 2026: Nyx Epic Ink, about $10. Allure liquid-liner story, 28 May 2026: overall Stila Stay All Day $24; color range still Epic Ink.	Readers’ Choice spring 2026; liquid story 2026-05-28	40% of the main table.
Lab panel (adjacent year)	Wirecutter · The Best Eyeliner, Abbie Kozolchyk, page stamp Updated 17 Mar 2025. 45 liners tested; 17 finalists to a six-person panel.	2025-03-17	30%. Not treated as a fresh 2026 lab.
Drugstore four-month test	Byrdie · 9 Best Drugstore Eyeliners of 2026. 60+ liners over four months. Cat-eye: Epic Ink ~$10. Pencil: Epic Wear Stick ~$9.	Byrdie 2026 page, snapshot 2026-09-04	20%. Drugstore cross-check only.
Editor waterproof / all-time slots	Allure waterproof overall Stila $24. Allure all-time shortlist: Kulfi $20, Makeup by Mario $26.	Allure pages, snapshot 2026-09-04	10%. Conflicts with Wirecutter stay in the notes, no fake score.

Mascara: mascara. Brows: pencils and gels. Undereye: concealer.