Pencil Eyeliner Reviews

Pencil eyeliners are one of the most important items in your makeup kit, so it is important that they are long lasting and of a good quality. Over the past year I have collected A LOT of pencil eyeliners and came to realise that there is a huge difference between them, so I decided to review a few different ones for you all! Enjoy!

First up: Avon Ultra Luxury Eyeliner $7- $8 NZD

Avon’s Ultra Luxury Eyeliners come in a small range of colours, all on the dark side. They are really soft, really pigmented and are also really long lasting!
I have them in Black, Dark Brown and Midnight Blue and I love them! Because they’re so cheap (usually around $7 -$8) it makes them cheap to replace, making them a great choice to use on my clients.
Swatch, Left to right: Dark Brown, Midnight Blue and Black

Next:  Shiseido Moisture Mist Eye-shading Pencil $20NZD

These pencils are not very soft, and do not seem to last very long on the waterline. I do however quite often use the White eyeliner a lot when I’m in a hurry, because it’s very easy to sharpen. I probably wouldn’t really recommend these eyeliners though, there are better and cheaper ones out there.  
Swatch, left to right: White, Green and Indigo

  

Next: NYX Auto Eye Pencil (Not available in NZ, order online) $3 USD

NYX Auto Eye Pencils are pretty average. They’re not very soft (although softer than the Shiseido Moisture Mist ones) but they do seem to be quite waterproof. The colour pay off isn’t great, but it’s ok. If you don’t have sensitive eyes, then I’d say these would be great as a cheap liner. But if you do have sensitive eyes I’d recommend that you go for a softer pencil, as these can be kinda hard and irritating.
Swatch, Left to right: Black and White

 

Next: Stila Kajal Eyeliner $49 NZD

 

I have this eyeliner in Onyx (Black) and it is by far, my FAVOURITE eyeliner. It is sooo luxuriously soft, glides on, and stays put.
The only downsides are it’s price and the fact that it’s almost too soft that it makes it hard to sharpen. Advice: Stick it in the freezer for awhile before sharpening, to avoid breakage. :)
Swatch:

Next: Clinique Cream Shaper For Eyes $32 NZD

 

This is another beautifully soft eyeliner. I have this in 102 Frosty. It says it is water resistant and has a hint of shimmer on their site. And although I can definitely see the hint of shimmer in it, I don’t agree with it being water resistant. It doesn’t last as long as I’d like it to, but in saying that it is still definitely one of my most used eyeliners. It is not as expensive as the Stila eyeliners, but is still on the pricey side, so it pays to search around for a cheaper deal.
Swatch:

Next: Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Collection (Not available in NZ, order online if you can)

If Stila eyeliners are my favourites then these are a close second!
I was lucky enough to have my aunty go to Hawaii and get these for me from Sephora! Soo happy that she did. :)
These are waterproof, fairly soft and the colours are GORGEOUS! My favourite is definitely the Bronze one, LOVE.
Swatches, left to right: Purple 11L, Bronze 10L, Turquoise 7L, Iridescent Navy Blue 3L and Black 0L.

And lastly: BYS Kohl Eyeliner $5 NZD

I have this eyeliner in 23 Soft White, and like it’s name says, it is extremely soft! I love it. It was very cheap, and I got it from Postie Plus.
It stays on quite well, but doesn’t have the staying power of some of the others I’ve reviewed so far. It’s also quite hard to sharpen, but putting it in the freezer beforehand would probably help.
Swatch:

 

Now onto the only two fat eyeliners that I have.

First up: Blackbox Chubby Pencil For Lips and Eyes $5 NZD

Blackbox cosmetics are available at Postie Plus stores around New Zealand. I actually got this one for $1 but I think they’re usually around $5. These make a great eyeshadow base, as they are soft and creamy and easily smudged.
Swatch:

And lastly: MAC Shadestick $36 NZD

Shadesticks are really more of a shadow than a liner, but I always think of them as an eyeliner. Even though I only use mine as a base for eyeshadow, go figure. :P I love how smooth and creamy shadesticks are, but trust me, if you don’t close the lid properly they’ll soon go hard and dry. Not cool. :( I only have this in ‘sharkskin’, pretty keen on getting some more.
Swatch:

And that’s it for the reviews really. I will however list some eyeliners that I don’t recommend at all:

• Wendy Hill Eyeliners. I actually got these in my makeup kit for the course I did. Argh. I hate them. Horrible. Hard, don’t stay on. Don’t buy them.
• Constance Carrol Kohl Eyeliners. These are as hard as a normal pencil. Feel awful on the waterline. Just because they’re cheap, don’t be tempted to waste your money on them!
• Satin Eye Pencils. Also hard and don’t last.
• Chi Chi Eyeliner. They have really cool names, like ‘Hung up’ which is the one I have. But that doesn’t make up for the fact that they’re terrible.

Well I hope this has been helpful! I know that if I had’ve read reviews on eyeliners before I bought them then I probably wouldn’t’ve wasted so much money. Sigh. Ya live and learn! :P

oxo