The Best Makeup Pencils

The easiest way to look sharp? Add a great makeup pencil to your beauty lineup.

Liners and Colors for Lips and Eyes

Shown from left to right: 

Best Makeup Pencils for Lips

Best Liner
Clinique Quickliner for Lips 
“It prevented my lipstick from bleeding and looked very natural,” raved one panelist. Others loved the fact that it self-sharpens (no blade necessary).
To buy: $15, sephora.com.

Best Color 
Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil 
Vitamin E and a combination of emollient silicones give this pencil a “softness that leads to easy application,” said a tester. It also “blended well with gloss” and minimized the fine lines on one staffer’s lips.
To buy: $24, narscosmetics.com.

Best Makeup for Eyes

Best Liner
Mac Technakohl Liner
Testers “never had to worry about raccoon eyes” with this liner, which didn’t budge or smear for a full day. And though it held firmly on eyes, users said it “comes off easily with soap and water.”
To buy: $15, maccosmetics.com.

Best Color
Make Up For Ever Pearly Waterproof Eye Shadow Pencil
This “goes on like butter and stayed put all day, even through a workout,” said a staffer, and it has a shimmery finish without “over-the-top sparkle or shine.” One panelist proclaimed, “It might even replace my powder shadow for good.”
To buy: $18, makeupforever.com for stores.