The Best Gel Eyeliners at Neighborhood Drugstore Prices

Doesn’t matter the season. A classic cat’s eye (or Cleopatra eye) NEVER goes out of style. It’s my go-to look when I’m in a hurry and need to look classic and fashionable for an event. Spackle on some primer, dust on a little gold glimmer eyeshadow, and lay on a fabulous streak of liner along the lashline. Add mascara and a red lip, and boom – you’re instafierce.

I admire women with steady hands, but I’m one of those women who are apparently incapable of managing liquid liner effectively. A super slick gel eye pencil or a gel liner in a pot are your BEST FRIENDS if you have shaky hands, love a cat’s eye, and don’t want to wind up with an EKG reading upon your eyelids. It’s denser and gives you a fatter, more controlled line. And gel can last longer, too. Most of these are available at a drugstore, or Ulta, or Sephora and none are more than $15!

It’s no secret that a quick tight lining of your eyes open them up and make them stand out more.

Eyeliner has been used for a long time. Dating back to Egyptian times, Queens used kohl to line their eyes. Over the centuries eyeliner has evolved. Now one has their choice of liquid, pencil, pen, cake and even gel eyeliners. From high end to drugstore, there’s a price point and eyeliner for everyone.I always wing my liner (sometimes more dramatic than others). I use all types of liners, some are easy to manipulate than others. Gel liners are among my favorites – smooth, creamy and when dry, it’s waterproof. With the proper brush you can make the finest line and sharpest wing. Utter perfection!

Here are some of the best reviewed drugstore gel liners right now:

L’Oreal Paris Infallible Lacquer Eyeliner

TONYMOLY Backstage Gel Eyeliner #1

Maybelline New York Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliner BLACK Eye Liner

 

And detailed reviews of some older favorite gel eyeliners:

Wet & Wild Mega Eyes Creme Gel Liner

This gel liner retails for $1.99. Throughout the bloggersphere many have declared this liner to be a dupe for (and some even say blacker than) Mac Black Track Fluidline. I know of many professional makeup artist who carry this gel liner in their kits and swear by its long wearability. Once you place this on, it’s NOT budging. It’s creamy, easy to work with and dries quickly. The gel comes with its own brush. The brush is decent, gets the job done but I do wish it came with a longer handle. For a novice, the super mini brush may prove to be some work. One of the darkest blackest gel liners I own this liner is perfect for intense, sultry eyes, super winged liners, smokey eyes and dramatic/nighttime looks. Sexy eyes in a jar.The only con is this gel liner dries and hardens in its container fast. I’d recommend you scoop a little out and place the cap back on quick. For $1.99 though it doesn’t hurt to buy it over and over again!

 

Ruby Kisses HD Gel Eyeliner

This line doesn’t disappoint! I love the black and dark brown gel liners especially. For a super arched brow I love to use the dark brown to define the arch and for those brown eyeliner lovers this brown is so crisp and dark, great day time alternative to black liner. This gel doesn’t dry as quickly, no need to fret, a great trick is to set it with translucent powder using the same angled liner brush you used to apply it or a flat liner brush. It does last a while and is awesome for those that may have watery eyes, no need to worry about fading of the liner at the corner of the eye. Feel free to work at your own pace this liner doesn’t seem to dry out in the jar as quickly.

 

Maybelline Lasting Drama Eye Studio Gel Liner

The most expensive of the trio coming in at $6.99 for a small jar. This liner comes with a small liner brush that (if you can grip it just right) gives the most perfect liner each and every time. This is another brand where I am fond of the dark brown color to aid in perfectly arched brows. This liner is smudge and water proof when it dries! It does NOT move. For those with watery eyes and/or oily lids this liner will still be around by the end of the day and even after a night of dancing. I wish it came in more colors and the black could definitely be blacker. The pigment makes this liner prime for everyday/daytime eyeliner wearers.

 

 

BH Cosmetics Gel Eyeliner.

Have you tried anything by BH Cosmetics, bellas? Super affordable, highly pigmented, quality makeup. The gel liner is killer, slick, long lasting, and bold for those of you who like to make a statement with your eye makeup. AND their gel liners come in a wide range of colors – see?? They’re less than $6 a pop. –

 

And the pencil that performs like a gel…Avon Glimmersticks Liqui-Glide Eyeliner.

If you’re totally brush averse but can work with a pencil, this could be the alternative for you. Avon’s Glimmersticks are amongst my fave liners ever – super glidey and easy to use, highly pigmented and just sparkly enough to make the look stand out. It’s pretty long lasting on it’s own, but over a primer, will not budge for hours.

And those are a few of our favorite affordable gel liners! What are yours? Tell us in the comments!