Why spend too much time bothering with liquid eyeliners, when a gel eyeliner is much more convenient?
It’s super gentle against your lids, but also surprisingly versatile. Most of these formulas you can smudge out to make the great smoky eye look. The best gel eyeliners can even double as eyeshadows, or enhance their effects.
The best yet, it’s extremely easy to use, even if you have no previous experience.
15 Best Gel Eyeliners
1. Back Gel Eyeliner Long Brush by TONYMOLY
The Back Gel Eyeliner with a brush creates a thin waterproof line on your eyelids. This is a long-lasting formula that glides on skin smoothly to create refined, non-smudging lines.
Its jelly-like creamy textured eyeliner adheres to skin smoothly to secure even results. The slightly pearly, shimmery formula will give you discrete but glamorous results.
The brush is smooth and does not irritate your skin when used. The thickness is adjustable, and you can create seriously thin lines. Also, the brush itself is really easy to maintain. Soap and water will do the trick.
The Back Gel Eyeliner is enriched with macadamia oil, as a nourisher but also a stabilizer of the formula. It gives the product longevity, so you won’t find it dried out too soon.
2. Highliner-Gel Crayon by Marc Jacobs
The Highliner is a winner of the Allure Best of Beauty Award. This is a gel pot eyeliner featured in a more convenient crayon form, offering an amazing glide in various finishes. Gel Crayon by Marc Jacobs delivers intense color and 12-hour waterproof wear.
This liner lets you experience the true luxury of gel eyeliner with the ease of a pencil. A few simple moves will define a bold statement with these extreme-wear, waterproof gel eyeliners that glide on effortlessly.
This super-malleable formula is exclusive to Marc Jacobs Beauty. It offers the versatility of application to deliver an instant color payoff. You can easily apply this liner for flawless, precise lines or smudge immediately after lining for a sexy, smoky eye.
The Highliner is a formula with innovative gel ingredients, as well as conditioning vitamin E and rosehip seed oil. At the same time, it’s free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates, and cruelty.
A built-in sharpener at its base lets you simply pop out and twist the tip of Highliner to renew it.
3. Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner by Bobbi Brown
The Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner is an award-winning, long-wearing formula by Bobbi Brown. It offers the precision of liquid liner with the ease of a gel-based formula.
This long-wear liner provides up to eight hours of waterproof and sweat- and humidity-resistant wear. It’s highly pigmented to deliver subtle to dramatic looks that are easy to apply, stable, durable, and won’t smudge or fade. The color stays true and offers both a subtle and dramatic look.
For the best results, dip the tip of the separately sold Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush into Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. Make sure to coat both sides of the brush, and wipe off any excess on a tissue.
Try to work as quickly as you can and apply liner in short, even strokes close to the lash line.
4. No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner by It Cosmetics
The No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner utilizes cutting-edge technology exclusive to IT Cosmetics, to glide effortlessly. It delivers saturated, rich color without tugging on your delicate eyelids.
These waterproof gel liners are clinically-proven to be stable even after 12 hours of wear. In cooperation with leading plastic surgeons, these eyeliners are formulated with anti-aging technology and skin-care benefits. Hydrolyzed collagen, silk proteins, and vitamins C and E work together to secure your younger-looking lids.
If you don’t feel comfortable with traditional eyeliners, while gel pots make you wanna scream, this is a perfect solution. With a few simple moves, you can create any look, from a subtle accent to a fully dramatic cat-eye.
A small pressure gives you a smooth, clean line all over. For the most consistent results, apply very small dots along the lash line and blend with a liner brush for a softer look.
The No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner is paraben-free, fragrance-free, and sulfate-free.
5. Double Wear Stay-In-Place Gel Eyeliner by Estee Lauder
The Double-Wear Stay-In-Place Gel Eyeliner by Estee Lauder is long-wearing, precise, and silky smooth. The Double Wear liner provides uniform, lustrous color with a soft satin finish that lasts up to 15 hours.
The application is easy with the provided brush. You can effortlessly add discreet accents to your daytime look, or dramatize the appeal for the night out. The Double Wear Stay-In-Place liner creates a smudged effect that is easy to blend before it dries.
This gel-based formula will let you create a precise line every time, delivering an elegant, soft satin finish.
The Stay-In-Place waterproof gel eyeliner is long-wear, ophthalmologist-tested, dermatologist-tested. It’s also fragrance-free and suitable for sensitive eyes.
6. AMC Eyeliner Gel 77 by Inglot
The AMC Eyeliner Gel 77 will redefine your look. Long-lasting and smudge-proof, it delivers ideal coverage and rich color payoff in just one application. This creamy gel formula contains high-intensity pigments for a striking finish that won’t fade or budge. It comes in 27 different shades.
This budge-proof eyeliner is MUA approved, which means that professionals love it just as much as we do. The waterproof, long-lasting formula dries to a smudge-free finish.
Glide along the lash line, using a thin brush to create the accent that will last all day. You can also use it as a base for eyeshadow to intensify the eyeshadow you apply over the top and increase the longevity.
Related: Best Eyeshadow Primers
This formula is hypoallergenic and waterproof.
7. They’re Real Push Up Liner by Benefit Cosmetics
Benefit They’re Real! Push-Up Liner is the first budge-proof gel eyeliner in pen. This innovative, lash-hugging, waterproof gel eyeliner pen delivers a stable result that lasts for 24 hours. It’s now available in four brilliant, wearable shades.
This eyeliner features a soft AccuFlex tip, custom-angled to draw an easy line. Its wide, flat guard gently pushes lashes aside to get as close to the lash line as you want.
The They’re Real Push Up Liner is both the Allure Best of Beauty and Beauty Breakthrough award winner. A lash-hugging, long-wearing formula perfectly defines your lids with brilliant color, creating visibly bigger, captivating eyes.
This liner by Benefit Cosmetics is non-comedogenic and does not contain latex.
8. When Pencil Met Gel by Julep
This is a waterproof eye pencil with the formula of a gel eyeliner. Easy-to-use pencil liner delivers the creamy formula and intense color payoff of gel eyeliner, in a far more convenient package.
The creamy formula of When Pencil Met Gel glides on smoothly without tugging, to provide budge-free results every time. Moreover, these results are clinically proven to last for over 10 hours.
The key feature of this formula is extra-finely milled pigments. The compact structure provides intense, saturated, and stable color for any makeup style. Just glide the pencil along the lash line and let it set for 30 seconds.
For best results, replace the cap between uses and sharpen the pencil after every other use.
The When Pencil Met Gel liner is ophthalmologist tested, cruelty-free, and without parabens or sulfates.
9. Fluidline Eye Liner Gel DIPDOWN by MAC
MAC Fluidline gel liner provides all the precision of a liquid liner, but with a silkier, softer, ultra-smooth finish. This colorful gel liner goes on effortlessly with a brush in an easy dip-and-stroke action.
The long-wearing, waterproof gel liner wears for over 16 hours as smudge-resistant. Dip the tip of the eyeliner brush into the pot to coat both sides, and carefully wipe off any excess. Create a smooth, clean line all over and give it some time to set.
For the most consistent results, apply very small dots along the lash line and blend with a liner brush for a softer look.
The Fluidline Eye Liner Gel formula is waterproof, non-comedogenic, smudge resistant, ophthalmologist tested, and dermatologist tested.
10. Clay Pot Waterproof Shadow Liner by Tarte
This iconic budge-proof and waterproof gel eyeliner by Tarte can double as a creamy eyeshadow.
This collection of creamy stay-put shadow liners features five very wearable colors. Classic liner shades in the cream-gel formula let you easily create a crisp line or artistic cat-eye. You can also blend it out to create a creaseless, opaque eyeshadow look.
Amazonian clay in this formula, together with mineral pigments, deliver very even, long-wearing payoff without the icky, bad side effects. You can use the Clay Pot Waterproof Shadow Liner to highlight and define the inner rim of your eye.
For the best results, dip the brush in the pot to heavenly coat bristles. Glide it along the lash line to create the desired look. Layer if needed. The angled side of the brush is perfect for your upper lash line, while the straight end ideally targets the lower lash and inner rim.
11. Unshakeable Liquid Eyeliner by Mia Adora
The Unshakeable Liquid Eyeliner is the eyeliner pen, marked by its producer as the best gel liner they made. Super easy glider features high precision tip for effortless creation of thin or thick lines. An ultra-pigmented waterproof pen draws a precise, extra-intense line in a single stroke for all-day wear, even in extreme conditions.
This intense liquid eyeliner offers long-lasting wear that won’t run off or smudge from humidity or sweat. The intensely pigmented and super-concentrated formula lasts undisturbed up to 12 hours.
The black eyeliner tip allows you full control of the line while the fast-drying formula ensures there is no smudge once after it sets. It needs no sharpener needed, just make sure to store horizontally for consistent best results.
The Unshakeable Liquid Gel Eyeliner Pen formula is cruelty and paraben-free, perfect for any skin type, especially for sensitive skin.
12. Lasting Drama Gel Eye Liner by Maybelline Studio
The Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner is a liner reinvented. The oil-free formula holds highly concentrated pigments tightly in a clear gel base.
You can effortlessly create smudge-proof and durable looks that last for up to 24 hours. Highly concentrated pigments of this waterproof gel eyeliner intensify your eye makeup for a lasting impression.
For most straightforward, fool-proof results, use the liner to make small dots along the lash line first. Carefully connect the dots. If needed, rest your elbow on a table for a double-secured steady hand.
Remember to allow your lines to dry before blinking. The Eyestudio Lasting Drama Waterproof Gel Pencil Eyeliner is suitable for sensitive eyes as well as contact lens wearers.
This ophthalmologist, dermatologist, and allergy tested creamy gel formula is available in 10 supersaturated shades ranging from Smooth Charcoal to Lustrous Sapphire.
13. Mechanical Gel Eye Liner by Hourglass
The Mechanical Gel Eyeliner is a 1.5MM mechanical pencil, which encapsulates the thinnest and softest waterproof gel eyeliner. This liner offers precision, accuracy, and ease of application with no pot, no brush, and no clean-up required.
Two clicks are all you need to create a variety of eye looks that resist transfer for extended wear. Each advanced mechanical pencil lasts for approximately 20 uses. Try not to dispense more than two clicks, as this product is delicate, and it may cause it to break—the mechanical pencil does not retract.
Hourglass products are 100 percent cruelty-free. The Mechanical Gel Eyeliner is free of sulfates and phthalates.
14. Always On Gel Liner by Smashbox
The Always On Gel Liner lets you create any look without frustration and accidental mistakes. This supersaturated, long-lasting gel pencil simply glides on. It also stays blendable for a few seconds to provide you enough playtime for the creation of limitless looks.
For the best results, apply the liner along your lash line using short strokes. This pigment-rich gel formula will not fade after a short time. If you feel creative, mix colors to achieve your ultimate graphic eye look.
The long-lasting formula is durable and stable, providing 24-hour wear. It’s also waterproof,
cruelty-free, with no parabens, SLS, phthalates, fragrance, talc, or alcohol.
15. Smudge Pot by Stila
This clever little gel comes with an inky intensity that leaves powder shadows in the dust. You can easily apply it with a liner brush for razor-sharp precision or smudge it with your fingers to achieve more complete coverage and a variety of looks.
The pigment is very strong, so a little goes a long way.
This unique 2-in-1 gel eyeliner and shadow is an innovative alternative to traditional powder and liquid formulas. It offers ideal consistency for creating the sultry, smoky eye. Remember to always close the airtight lid to keep the gel soft and pliable for as long as you have it.
Have you found what you want in our list of the best gel eyeliners? Let us know how you liked it!
Joan S. Wilson is a lifelong makeup and skincare enthusiast. She used to work as a makeup artist for 5 years. Joan is always curious and wants to learn more when it comes to makeup and skincare. She tries her best to make other people’s skin health better. This is why Joan is so passionate about writing articles on beauty topics. She always looks for products that are high-quality, dermatologist-tested, and does that it says on the label. In every article, she shares her knowledge to make your life healthier and happier!