I’m testing K-Beauty eye pencils in this post – seven of them, of different brands and price points, to find the one with the best longevity. I found some rather surprising things (including new to me silicones and outrageous prices)!
This is rather long. Do jump to the reviews that interest you via the hyperlinks!
What I want
I’ll reiterate here what I wrote in my comparison post ‘Testing waterproof or long-wear eye pencils’, because that hasn’t changed – I’m still on the hunt for the Holy Grail pencil that REALLY does what it says. In 2023, I bought 25 eye pencils. There was just one, tiny, insignificant hiccup – they mainly didn’t do what they promised. Seven of them were from Korean brands, and those are the ones we’ll have a closer look at today.
I’ve got a complicated relationship with eye pencils. I want the look. But I also want them to hold up during the day. They never do.
I found a hack, kinda, to make most of them work. But honestly, I don’t know my problem. NOTHING ever stays on my waterline, and nearly nothing stays on my lower lashline. Is it me?! But then, my lids and undereye area isn’t even particularly oily. Watery – yes. Kinda. You’d think at this point I’d have abandoned the whole idea, and use liquid eyeliner and eyeshadow like any other person. But nooooooo.
Silicones for longevity
I felt faintly justified when Michelle from Labmuffin brought this up in her 2023 best of video. Here’s what I took with me from that vid:
I should look for Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane and Methyl Trimethicone high on the inci list, while oily ingredients like Dimethicone are a no-no.
Most of the pencils I tested in this post used Trimethylsiloxysilicate:
A solid silicone resin that creates a permeable film over the skin. It makes makeup formulas more long-lasting and can enhance the water resistance of sunscreens. It leaves a non-tacky film when dried.
(Incidecoder)
For this post, I’ll rate anything above 5hrs of wear as good and below 3hrs as bad. This actually doesn’t reflect my view as a consumer, but here we are.
I had VERY high hopes for all the K-Beauty liners I bought for this, and that’s because I had a lot of luck with A-Beauty products that often cater for hot and humid weather when stuff just has to stay on your face. So, I thought – where else to look for liners that will stay put?!
Obviously, there were some flaws in this plan: first, I don’t live in Asia anymore and actually having access to products is limited, swatching impossible and a lot of times I had to settle for – brown. You’ll see.
Testing K-Beauty eye pencils:
Etude Proof 10 Gel Pencil Liner
4 shades, 0.3 g for $10, Made in Korea
Description
The soft melting gel formula expresses 10-point perfect eye makeup that’s resistant to water and oil by setting fast!
Etude
Soft and creamy gel texture helps you draw defined lines in just one stroke
Versatile color shades for natural and daily mood makeup
Powerful Water-Proof Film Polymer bounces off water and oil to keep the eye liner from budging and smudging
Performance
02 Dark Cacao
A twist-up pencil that feels rather thick and stamps on my lid when I apply it to the upper lashline (yes, I have hooded eyes). It doesn’t glide across my skin as easily as I’d wish, and also includes a sharpener, should you want it for a more precise line. A mix of Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Cyclopentasiloxane, and Isododecane is the secret behind its moderate staying power.
Clio Sharp So Simple Pencil Liner
6 shades, 0.14 g for $10, Made in Korea
Description
The waterproof pencil eye Liner with 4s (Simple, Sharp, Soft and Slim)
Clio
2mm Slim Pencil
Waterproof
Smudgeproof
Performance
05 Dark Brown
This is a super fine and pointy twist-up pencil liner that stays on very well. It’s great to fill in gaps in your upper lashline. I could imagine it works well for very fine lines a la Euphoria. The staying power comes from a mix of Trimethylsiloxysilicate and Cyclopentasiloxane. I wouldn’t go for a proper swim in this, but it survived a shower relatively unscathed.
RiRe Luxe Gel Eyeliner
10 shades, 0.5g for $5, Made in Korea
Description
Jelly-like creamy eyeliner adheres to skin smoothly to create solid lines that are waterproof and long-lasting. A twist-up design featuring an air-tight silicone ring that prevents the eyeliner from drying. A sharpener at the tip keeps it handy.
Performance
03 Choco Brown
The epitome of ‘it’s fine’. It really is, but maybe other shades are more exciting? Again, we have a mix of Cyclopentasiloxane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate and Isododecane. It comes with a super fancy cap mechanism with an extra tight seal. Also has a sharpener included in the pencil tip.
Memebox – I’M MEME Filter On Gel Liner
4 shades, 0.1g for $5, Made in Korea
Description
Filter On Gel Liner is an ultra slim gel liner that glides effortlessly to deliver precision and various moods that you want to achieve, even for a make-up beginner. You can make a cat eyes/puppy eyes make-up that looks like an eye filter, but in real life. Comes in a 0.1g (0.003 oz.) handy-sized pen.
Glide gently with a 2mm ultra-slim liner to make it look like you have naturally bright and clear eyes.
Based on a Clinical Test on 22 women, I’M MEME Filter On Gel Liner 02 Deep Brown is considered to be Waterproof & Smudge-proof with one use.
Performance
04 Coral Brown
The formula of this twist-up pencil is nearly crumbly, but can be blended out with a brush easily. It’s the most expensive of the bunch I tested with a measly 0.1g of product. The staying power was average and not better than that of the others I tested for this post. The silicones used are trimethylsiloxysilicate, cyclopentasiloxane and methyl trimethicone. I find it not worth it.
MACQUEEN The Big Waterproof Pencil Gel Eyeliner
10 shades, 1.4g for $5, Made in Korea
Description
Multifunctional soft gel eyeliner that can also be used as an eye shadow glides on smoothly to create an eye-defining effect.
Waterproof formulation stays on neatly all day without smudging even when in contact with oil and water.
Performance
04 Arabica Latte
The most exciting shade range, with the most disappointing performance: it smudges long after it should’ve dried down when you apply. The fine glitter migrated all over my undereyes and cheekbones during the day. It has a normal cap, plus you need an extra sharpener. It includes Cyclopentasiloxane and Trimethylsiloxysilicate. If you like either Lisa Eldridge’s or Victoria Beckham’s pencils, these are relatively good dupes for them. Like those, the staying power is only mediocre for me. Also, I watched a rom-com and cried with this on, and I had streaks all over my face. Waterproof it is not.
MERZY The First Gel Eyeliner
14 shades, 0.5g for $5, Made in Korea
Description
Gel eyeliner with a creamy texture glides on smoothly and dries quickly for smooth and sharp results.
Can be used as an eyeliner or eye shadow at the same time.
Long-lasting formula is resistant to water, sweat and oil.
Performance
03 Amber Bronze
I like the colour and finish (light brown with fine gold glitter) a lot. The formula (with Cyclopentasiloxane and Trimethylsiloxysilicate ) held up well. The pencil comes with a sharpener at the end and an extra tight cap. I’d be interested in other shades.
Bbi@ Last Auto Gel-Eyeliner
13 shades, 0.3g for $8, Made in Korea
Description
Quick-drying formula prevents eye makeup from smudging.
Waterproof formula creates long-lasting results.
Impressive gliding texture offers smooth application.
Performance
03 Rose Brown
This twist-up pencil’s tip is a bit thicker than Clio’s, and very easy to use. The formula is very smooth and glides easily across the skin. A plus is the variety of interesting colours and a sharpener. The good staying power comes from Trimethylsiloxysilicate and Cyclopentasiloxane.
TLDR: What’s the best K-Beauty pencil?
When I ordered all pencils, I initially that they were all incredibly affordable. They aren’t, though: All pencils have much less product than most Western pencils that usually come with 1 to 1.6g of product. That leads to an unfortunate high cost-per-wear ratio, but then – when was the last time you finished an eye pencil?! Right.
Also, that makes them less prone to drying out – you at least have a chance to finish that little nub of product you’re getting. They also have a really short ‘good to use’ period: Most say 6 months.
Colour selection was mostly poor – at least for me, ordering on the internet, and that was why I ended up with 50 shades of brown. I can remember that Etude had a humongeous selection when I saw them in Seoul – I don’t know what happened?!
Every pencil but Macqueen hold up well and wore well over 5hrs. My personal winner is Clio, but I’m only whelmed with their color selection and price. This is one of the most expensive pencils I’ve ever seen, only succeeded by the I’m Meme pencil.
Trimethylsiloxysilicate seems to be the silicone of choice for formulators there, and I don’t disagree with that: nearly every pencil held up well for me during my normal days.
Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way! Twindly is an independent blog, and our reviews reflect that. Sometimes we’ll use affiliate links that will be clearly marked. Affiliate links mean that if you choose to buy a product through this link, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost for you. If you decide to do that, thank you for helping to keep the blog afloat! (No matter if the link is affiliate or not, the reviews will always truthfully reflect how any product performed when I tested it.)
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