Skincare has been a long-running institution in the ever-growing K-beauty world. But it’s certainly not on its own when it comes to beauty. Makeup is still a vital, somewhat understated aspect of Korean beauty trends.
And let’s not den-eye it (sorry!). Our eyes are, and will always be the windows to the soul. And they never fall far from the tree of beauty.
But how do you know which eyeliners are really worth investing in? And which are the best brands, types, and colors for you? It really comes down to personal preference.
In the meantime, I decided to do some deep diving to discover the most popular and best Korean eyeliners available. So read on and find out why you should invest in some K-beauty eyeliners for your peepers!
What Type of Eyeliner Do I Need?
The most popular and common types of eyeliner include traditional wooden pencils, gel eyeliner pencils, felt or brush tip pens, liquid eyeliners, and eyeliner pots.
The look you are trying to achieve, your personal skin type, and makeup requirements, in general, will all help you to decide the type of eyeliner that you should be on the lookout for.
The appeal of Korean eyeliners goes much further than their affordability. They also tend to be long-lasting, water-proof, and also oil-resistant.
Basically, you want your eyeliner to stay on your eyes!
Affordability, long-lasting, waterproof. Sounds like a match made in makeup heaven, right?
There is a lot of competition in Korean Beauty. But competition forces companies to lift their game in order to deliver superior products. And this, in turn, can only benefit you and me as consumers.
So without further ado, here is my list of the top 25 eyeliners available in the Korean market.
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This post may contain affiliate links. This means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
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23 of the Best Korean Eyeliners in 2023
etude oh m’eye line
- fine-tapered brush applicator
- rich, opaque consistency
- contains citric acid
- long-lasting
- smudge-proof
- available in 5 various shades
tony moly black gel eyeliner
- gel-based formulation
- small brush applicator for ease of use
- contains grapeseed oil and macadamia oil
- water resistant
- long-lasting and smudge proof
- available in 7 various shades
the saem eco soul power proof
- thin felt tip for fine lines
- waterproof
- long-lasting and smudge-proof
- available in black and brown
Etude House Proof 10 Gel Pencil AD Eyeliner
- waterproof and oil-resistant
- creamy gel-consistency pencil
- available in 6 colors
Clio Sharp So Simple Waterproof Pencil Liner
- creamy, smooth pencil formulation
- self-sharpening 2mm thick (or thin!) pencil tip
- waterproof, sweatproof and smudgeproof
- available in 6 various shades of black, brown and burgundy
merzy bite the beat Pen Eyeliner
- tapered sponge tip
- mistake proof eyeliner
- waterproof
- available in 3 colors
.Etude House Drawing Show Brush Eyeliner
- water and sweat-resistant
- 0.3mm felt tip pen
- easy to remove
- available in black and brown
peripera sugar twinkle duo eye set
- unusual brightening pastel shades
- creamy long lasting formulation
- easy to remove
- available in 4 pastel shades
- from well-renowned Clio
Bbia last pen eyeliner
- long-lasting
- applies the finest, thinnest lines
- quick drying
- sweat and oil-proofhttps://go.shopmy.us/p-2198927
- non-sweating and non-cracking
- available in 5 colors
Innisfree powerproof pen liner
- long-lasting
- applies the finest lines with precision
- liquid formulation
- high pigment
Im’Unny Skinny Fit Slim Pencil
- gel eyeliner pencil formulation
- quick-drying
- waterproof
- oil and water resistant
- smudgeproof
- available in 6 shades
merzy the first slim gel eyeliner
- gel eyeliner pencil formulation
- quick-drying
- waterproof
- oil and water resistant
- smudgeproof
- perfect for all eyeliner skill levels
- available in 5 shades
Clio Gelpresso Waterproof Pencil Gel Eyeliner
- waterproof and sweatproof
- talc-free and paraben-free
- sharpener inside lid
- smudge-proof
- available in 6 colors
I’m unny skinny fit art liner
- microtip
- ultra-precise
- waterproof and smudge-proof
- smudge-proof
- available in brown and black
Espoir Bronze Painting Eye Pencil
- waterproof
- unusual bronze pearlescent pigment
- creamy pencil formulation
- available in 5 beautiful shimmer shades
Merzy The First Pen Eyeliner
- waterproof
- creamy pencil formulation
- available in 5 shades
Lilybyred AM9 to PM9 Survival Pen Liner
- smudge-proof
- ultra-fine fiber brush for precision
- long-lasting
- matte finish
- available in 3 colors
Espoir Non-Smudging Brush Eyeliner
- soft and super-fine brush 0.7mm
- non-clogging color
- easy to use
- available in black and brown
- adhesive and high-pigment for long-lasting Korean Eyeliner Techniques
kaja wink stamp wing and eyeliner pen
- soft and super-fine brush 0.7mm
- non-clogging color
- easy to use
- available in black and brown
- adhesive and high-pigment for long-lasting Korean Eyeliner Techniques
colorgram artist’s formula cream eye liner
- soft and creamy formulation
- easy to use
- unusual and unconventional shade range
- available in 8 shades
holika holika mellow gliding pencil
- with this name, I want them all!
- easy to use
- built-in sharpener
- available in 9 shades
- good for sensitive eyes
etude house teardrop eyeliner
- glitter/shimmer gel liquid eyeliner
- glitter pigments are suspended in a clear base for a variety of options with your underlying eyeliner shade
- waterproof
Merry Monde Superslim Longlasting Eyeliner
- ultra-fine felt tip pen
- vegan
- waterproof and sweatproof
- long-lasting, yet easy-to-remove
- available in black, dark brown, light brown, and salmon pink
Check Out This Cute Eyeliner Tutorial For Beginners
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Pro Tip
As our youtuber mentioned in the above video, something I wanted to expand on a little.
Obviously doing fine lines with the various types of eyeliners available can lead to making mistakes, and creating a mess on your lids.
The best way to clean these up is by using products that allow you to apply makeup straight back over the top of them.
I like to use a tapered q-tip. This takes the hard work out of your clean up. As the end of the tip already has a slight point to it, if you place it on the area you need to sharpen up, and spiral it as you drag it (not literally!) along your eyelid, you won’t leave any mess behind, and turning it will ensure you can remove all of the eyeliner or eyemakeup product in one go.
My go-to q-tips are called Eye-tees. I like to get mine from Frends Beauty here.
I also like to use Makeup Forever Sens’eyes. It is a gentle formulation and won’t sting your eyes. And once you have cleaned everything up and then, you are ready to get back to your makeup. The real beauty of MUFE’s Sens’eyes is that it is not oily and leaves absolutely no residue behind.
What this means that you can apply makeup straight over the top of it with no issues at all.
If you do make a mess that is unavoidable, and impossible for you to clean up, sometimes you can just go with it!!!
Your makeup may not be what you had in mind, to begin with, but perhaps time is pressing. So that lovely liquid eyeliner look may turn into a nice dramatic smokey eye!
Sometimes it’s refreshing to get a bit spontaneous and creative with your makeup, don’t you think?
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Korean Eyeliner Techniques
Layered Eyeliner
This technique has been around for some time now. It is exactly how it sounds, where you can create a little added interest and finesse to your eyes by layering two different tones of eyeliners. Or perhaps different colors on different sections across your lash line and lid.
For example, you could try a navy and black layer. Or metallic charcoal or burgundy with black. The options are left entirely up to you.
Doll Eyes
This anti-aging, slightly eerie look involves a lot of eyeliner. In dramatically exaggerating the eye shape, the eyeliner is painted on to create a “doll eye”. The eyeliner, usually liquid, lines the entire top lid, and outer-half of the bottom lid. It is reminiscent of the painted on eyes of dolls.
Youtubers and IG videos share extensive how-to demos that often include the model sporting contact lenses to complete the look. This helps to sell the un-lifelike doll eye sensibility even a step more.
Dog or Puppy Dog Eyes
This simple eyeliner technique involves simply lining your top eyelid with a straight forward line to enhance the shape of the lid. At the outer corner, the line direction heads downwards, and extends out past the end point of your eye corner.
Hence the dog eye, or puppy eye look.
The Flick
One of the oldest tricks in the eyeliner, book, this technique has been used back when Cleopatra ruled. It really forms the basis of so many of these eyeliner styles we mention. And as the name suggests, involves the liner being “flicked” upwards as it departs away from the outer end of your eye. Also known as the cat-eye liner, and there are many variations on this theme.
The Fishtail
Another play on the extended flick eyeliner, this look involves two flicks. One extends from the top eyeliner, and the other extends from the lower eyeliner. It then creates two sweeping lines, that have been dubbed the fishtail. This technique can give you a bit more room creatively, and some freedom to play a little with color, adding a secondary color to one of the lines, and be a bit more daring than your standard black or brown liner.
Tightlining
This is the name given to what those of us who were born before 2000 (just a few minutes ago, right?) used to simply refer to eyeliner on the inner eyes.
The eyeliner is applied to your waterline/s to help create the illusion of fuller eyelashes. This can also, sometimes, unwittingly, cause your eye to appear much smaller than it is, so the benefits may be outweighed by the drawbacks. It is still a popular technique, and oftentimes, top tightlining, or lining only the top waterline can be used with great effect.
K-Beauty Makeup in a Nutshell
Korean makeup trends seem to be strongly rooted in complexion. Preparing and nurturing yur complexion, and only using makeup as the icing on top.
This is not to say that K-beauty doesn’t celebrate makeup, as it does. And I think nowadays it is not entirely uncommon for K-beauty to be at the forefront of beauty trends and styles before the West catches up.
It is a finer application, and the actual eye makeup is cleaner. Softer colors like peaches and soft browns are used minimally. Eyeliner definitely features strongly (hence this entire article) but it is applied more as a suggestion, or a gentle enhancement, than heavy and literally, in your face!
Sparkle and kicks of shimmer and sheen are used to highlight certain parts of the eye or face, and all-in-all, makeup is definitely a global trend, s about creating youthfulness and celebrating beauty.
What is the Best Korean Eyeliner in 2021?
After much sampling, testing, rubbing, and scrubbing, I have two favorites. The first being the Clio Waterproof Pen Liner in Kill Black. It’s easy to use, applies an opaque, clean black line that you can control the width and depth of easily.
And for my absolute favorite, and therefor best Korean Eyeliner, drum roll please……..
The Bbia Last Pen Eyeliner in Black. For me, this pen liner created the thinnest lines I have ever seen in an eyeliner pen. I’m blown away. I have control when using it. It applies a lovely clean and opaque black consistency, and I can easily make the liner as thick as I like or as thin as a hair. And that’s why The Last Pen Eyeliner is the ultimate winner for me.
And on the whole, I might just have to call myself converted. These eyeliners are highly affordable, and all apply beautifully. Consider my eyes LINED!!!
Featured Image by Pesce Huang
