10 Best Liquid Eyeliners in India 2021 - Buying Guide Reviewed By Makeup Artist
A good liquid eyeliner can brighten eyes, define features, and give your eyes the right kind of wings. From creating flawless cat-eyes to statement lines and graphic wings, a liquid liner is a makeup essential. With a little stroke here and a little stroke there, it can add a serious definition to your look. It is important to consider features like crisp lines, easy application, and staying power to perfect any eye look.
So, to help you pick the one that reigns supreme from the rest with the best price, here's a list of the top 3 best liquid eyeliners that are selected based on our rating system. The rest 7 are the runner ups from EC sites like Nykaa, Amazon, and Myntra, along with a foolproof guide to help you find your match. Also, this article is reviewed by a professional makeup artist, Chahat Goyal, so keep reading to hear from our expert.
Chahat Goyal is a makeup artist based in Chandigarh. She strives to make a historical mark in the beauty industry through her extensive knowledge of aesthetics and skincare. Her area of expertise lies in luxury bridal makeovers for Indian skin tones. Chahat is professionally certified by one of the most eminent makeup artists of North India, "Ms Parul Duggal."
mybest editing team consists of experienced members who have backgrounds in writing, editing, translation, and more. We are dedicated to researching what makes a product or service the best to users in India in order to create top-quality articles. From skincare, to kitchen appliances, and to DIY supplies, our mission is to find the best ones for you.
The expert oversees the Buying Guide only, and does not determine the products and services featured.
Table of Contents
- How to Choose a Liquid Eyeliner from a Makeup Artist's Perspective – Buying Guide
- Select a Formula Type That Suits Your Daily Schedule1
- Go For a Tip Style as per Your Application Expertise2
- Choose the Right Finish3
- Look for Ophthalmologist-Tested Liquid Liners4
- Pick the Right Eyeliner Shade Suiting Your Eye Colour5
- How to Apply a Liquid Eyeliner?
- Read Answers by Makeup Artist Chahat Goyal for the FAQ Section
- How Can Beginners Improve In Applying Eyeliners?
- How to Fix Droopy Eyes?
- How to Determine Which Eyeliner Style Will Suit as per the Face Cut?
- Waterproof Eyeliners Are Difficult to Remove, Even With a Makeup Remover at Times. Any Tip for Easy Removal?
- More Beauty Products to Add to Your Makeup Kit
- Summary
- Our Product Selection Method? Read Below
How to Choose a Liquid Eyeliner from a Makeup Artist's Perspective – Buying Guide
This buying guide is thoroughly researched by mybest's writing and editorial team in cooperation with a professional makeup artist, Chahat Goyal. Our buying guide will help you make an informed decision as we have covered all the necessary points like the formula type, tip style (precision and grip), and more.
Select a Formula Type That Suits Your Daily Schedule
Longwear Liquid liners can last for over 12 hours, making them an ideal pick for office days. Since they dry quickly, it's also easy to fix lines and refine details. But, a long-wear formula might require touch-ups at the end of the day in case they begin to flake off your eyelids.
A waterproof liquid eyeliner can stay put throughout the day, withstanding a morning swim, a rainstorm, and mildly rubbing eyes by mistake. Go for a waterproof formula if you live in a city with a humid environment. You'll have to get an effective makeup remover, to remove the product at the end of the day.
Use gel formula eyeliners can be a great choice if you’re in a colder area. They come in a pot, sometimes with a separate brush to apply. This is because smudging the gel liners with a pencil brush is easy due to its creamy consistency. You can go for Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner or Inglot AMC Eyeliner (Black).
Go For a Tip Style as per Your Application Expertise
Liquid eyeliners are the best tool to get crisp lines and add intricate details to your eyes. However, it demands a steady hand and plenty of patience to get that right curve. Depending upon how comfortable you're with applying a liner, you can choose from a felt tip and feather tip liquid liners.
Paint Thick Lines With Felt Tip Liners: For Beginners
Felt tip liquid liners are the most common ones you'll find in the drugstore aisle. Their applicators often resemble pens, making them easy to hold and apply. They are a great option for beginners to make precision lines. To achieve a thicker finish, you will have to use the liner 2-3 times to match the intensity of brush-tip liners.
Maybelline New York The Colossal Liner is one of the top recommended eyeliners with a felt tip. With 0.4 mm felt tip applicator, the liner gives a smooth and quick application. Its ink-pigment technology gives an impeccable colour spread.
Felt tip liquid liners are great for people with shaky hands as they offer amazing precision and grip. Just lay the felt tip longwise around halfway of the lash line and do short pulls outward rather than trying to draw a single line. Open your eyes first, and then use the eyeliner on the inner corner of the eye. Kat Von D Tattoo liner is among my favourite felt tip liners.
Feather Tip Liquid Liners for Thin & Sharp Lines: For Professionals
After you have mastered felt-tip liquid liners, you are ready to move to feather tip liners. A feather tip usually resembles a nail polish bottle, with its tip dipping into a mini paint jar. Its formula is wetter than the felt tip liner; therefore, it takes time to dry.
Professionals prefer feather-tip liquid liners as their application requires a steady hand to create sharp lines for a cat-eye look. Lakme Insta Eye Liner is one of the finest liquid eyeliners that have a feather tip. Its lightweight formula with a feather tip applicator creates super-precise lines.
If you’re interested in performing delicate art or super-precise winged eyeliners, go for liquid eyeliners with feather tips. Make sure you use the quick-drying formula on very oily lids. They require patience and tons of practice for non-specialists especially.
Choose the Right Finish
Liquid eyeliners come in three different finishes – glossy, shimmer, and matte. Choose the finish that compliments your look. People prefer a matte finish for everyday wear as it is not flashy, dries up quickly, and is long-lasting.
Eyeliners with a matte and glossy finish are the most traditional ones to add a cat-eye effect. Go for a waterproof liner for this purpose so that your hard work doesn't transfer into your creases as the day goes on. A shimmer finish is usually suited for weddings and festive occasions to get a picture-perfect shine on your eyes.
If you have a glossy finish eyeliner in your vanity, you’re looking for a more matte look. Here’s a hack - Apply the glossy eyeliner on your lid, and don’t wait for it to dry completely. Immediately, dip your eyeliner brush or angular brush in a jet black matte eyeshadow and set the eyeliner with it. You will be able to achieve a matte finish.
Look for Ophthalmologist-Tested Liquid Liners
While picking up an eyeliner, you should look for a waterproof formula to keep it from flowing down your eyes and irritating your lenses. Ophthalmologically (Ophthalmologist is an eye specialist) tested eyeliners are especially relevant to those who wear contact lenses and are a newbie to wearing liquid liners.
As a beginner, your eyes might not be used to eyeliners, especially if you're applying it directly onto your eyelash or water line. This will put you at risk of damaging your lenses. So, make sure to pick up eyeliners that are ophthalmologist-tested to ensure the safety of your eyes.
Most gel-based eyeliners are contact lens-friendly. For people who usually wear contact lenses, I would suggest using gel eyeliners since they have the lowest risk of poking your eye and have a creamy consistency that prevents the product from entering the eye.
They are great for tightening the lower waterline as well. As for makeup artists, we always carry a set of Q-Tips to save eyeliner spills on the face.
Pick the Right Eyeliner Shade Suiting Your Eye Colour
Most of us go for darker eyeliners out of habit, but did you know there are different shades available that you can pick as per your eye colour. The right eyeliner shade can brighten up your eyes in seconds, intensifying your natural eye colour.
Consider Darker Shades to Match With All Outfits
Darker shades of pink and brown will make your black eyes look even more black. Also, most Indians have black or brown eyes, so purple and deep grey colours also work well for brown eyes.
You can try these with most outfits, so if you're juggling between eyeliner shades and the colour of your outfit, it's advisable to go with darker shades in larger quantities. Also, look for the expiry date; on average, most liquid eyeliners have a shelf life of 2 years.
Add a Splash of Colour for a Bolder Look
Are you looking for something of contrast? Try yellow and electric blue liquid liner. Amber and midnight blue shades will bring out the brown tones in your eyes. For hazel eyes, gold, olive, and plum shades work like magic.
To give your hazel eyes a bolder look, you can also try warm brown liquid liner. It’s always a good choice to keep the eyeshadows matte and neutral when going in for coloured eyeliner.
For instance, you can go for a basic warm brown crease and a matte cream or beige lid when using an electric blue eyeliner. This makes the eyes pop.
Adding shimmers can lower the impact and intensity of the coloured eyeliner. For instance, you can go for a basic warm brown crease and a matte cream or beige lid when using an electric blue eyeliner. This makes the eyes pop.
3 Best Liquid Eyeliners in India
Ranked No.1 Water-Resistant Formula for Beginners
Lakme's water-resistant eyeliner is our most recommended product because of its smooth texture and ease of application. The brand promises high definition eyes in one stroke, and it does give a deep and rich colour payoff. The sleek and thin brush design makes it easy to define lines and perfect the wing.
The product does not dry out fast, making it easy for beginners to draw and reapply the liquid multiple times to get the desired look. The eyeliner is quite affordable, making it a top choice among college students. Apart from black, there are three more colours available – blue, golden and green.
Best Liquid Eyeliner to Get High Definition Eyes
We chose this as our second product because of its colour payoff, long-lasting effect, and ease of use. This particular range of Lakme eyeliner bridges the gap between matte and glossy finish. It has a long-lasting formula; it also gives a perfect cat-eye look with just a single stroke. The liner's feather tip wand makes the application an effortless process.
Lakme's liquid liner is best suited for women who are in a hurry to get to work, owing to its quick-drying formula. To get that perfect winged look, steady your dominant hand on a table. Remove the excess product from the brush and draw your eyelid taut, followed by drawing a line across the upper lid by slowly moving towards the inside corner. You can thicken the line as per your preference.
A Smudge-Free Liquid Liner is Worth all the Hype
The highly-rich pigmented formula of the Maybelline Hyper Glossy Liquid Liner makes it another top recommended product on our list. The subtle yet bold character it gives to the wearer makes it our third pick.
It comes in black, tangerine orange, turquoise blue and khaki green shade, and you can pick the one that suits your eye colour. Each shade is designed to suit the needs of modern girls, to help them style the liner with different dresses.
The liquid eyeliner comes in a super-glossy formula to give a high-shine finish for up to 24 hours. It is also travel-friendly, making it easier to carry around while leaving for work or college. To get an intense line, line your top lid in a single stroke, starting from the inner corner to the outer one. You can repeat the process to get a thicker line.
How to Apply a Liquid Eyeliner?
Perfecting that cat eye or winged look is quite a tricky task. But with liquid liners by your side, you can achieve the desired look with a little practise and patience. But if you lack patience, here are some easy tricks to help you get that desired look.
Tip 1: Hold your eyeliner near the end to get the fine line in one stroke.
Tip 2: Slightly tilt up your chin, preventing the eyeliner from smearing all over your eyelid.
Tip 3: Firstly, apply an eye shadow and then the liner.
Tip 4: To define your eyeliner, first use a creamy pencil to sketch a line, followed by tracing it over with a liquid.
Tip 5: First, make short strokes and later connect them into one solid stroke.
If you still need help with applying eyeliner, you can read more hacks.
Read Answers by Makeup Artist Chahat Goyal for the FAQ Section
Want to perfect the art of making strokes? We've got you covered with this! Find answers to all FAQs by our expert, makeup artist Chahat Goyal.
How Can Beginners Improve In Applying Eyeliners?
Always use Q-tips for removing or correcting eyeliner strokes. Dip the end of a Q-tip in some makeup remover, and you can use it to correct any kohl or eyeliner.
How to Fix Droopy Eyes?
Avoid using liquid eyeliners on droopy eyes; instead, use a thin stroke of gel liner and smudge it with a dark brown eye shadow.
How to Determine Which Eyeliner Style Will Suit as per the Face Cut?
It depends more on the eye shape; if you have hooded eyes or a lot of skin on the eyelid, prefer thin eyeliner so that the liner does not hide your lid. If you have a good-sized lid, go for a thicker liner.
For the facial dimensions, if you have a round face, go for a winged liner, as it will make your face look slimmer. If you have an oval shape, apply the eyeliner in the corners of the lid. People with square-shaped faces can go for thick winged liners.
Waterproof Eyeliners Are Difficult to Remove, Even With a Makeup Remover at Times. Any Tip for Easy Removal?
Use coconut oil, as makeup removers are a combination of oils or sometimes byproducts of silica, so they are not always meant for removing the makeup. Go for coconut oil as it is also good for sensitive skin and will not cause any rashes.
More Beauty Products to Add to Your Makeup Kit
Whether you're looking for skincare products or lipstick to get your pout on point, we've got you covered. Here are some helpful guides and top recommendations that will help you pick up the right product.
Summary
All that said, there's always that one eyeliner that takes away all the application woos; you have to find that for yourself. We have listed all possible ways that will help you pick up that perfect liquid eyeliner. Hope the information helps and you get what you're looking for!
Author: Srishti Sikka
Editor: Nikhil Deora
Reviewed by: Makeup artist Chahat Goyal
Our Product Selection Method? Read Below
The selection of the top 3 products is based on more than 100 reviews from the EC site Nykaa.
Overall, the 10 products are chosen following the rating system of the buying guide, which is well researched by our editorial team at mybest. So, please find ratings/stars that we have given for each product as follows:
Reviews and Ratings
We selected products after comparing more than 100 reviews and product ratings on Nykaa.
Select a Formula Type That Suits Your Daily Schedule
We checked if the eyeliner doesn't come off easily and doesn’t stain while sweating or from the splash of raindrops.
Feather Tip Liquid Liners for Thin & Sharp Lines: For Professionals
So that you can draw finer lines, we saw how easy it is to use the eyeliner and if beginners can apply it smoothly too. We also checked if it is easy to remove and doesn’t take time.
Choose the Right Finish
In order to get the right finish, we judged if it has a matte or glossy finish and if it doesn’t take much time in drying. Lastly, if the final shade comes off the same as claimed.
Want to Go the Bolder Way? Add a Splash of Colour
The product has a long shelf life, meaning you can use it for a long period of time. The eyeliner is available in different colours and is a value for money product overall.
Top 3 Liquid Eyeliner
No. 1: Lakme｜Insta Liner
No. 2: Lakme｜Absolute Shine Liquid Eye Liner
No. 3: Maybelline｜Hyper Glossy Liquid Liner
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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