For those wanting to achieve a natural, subtle look with their makeup, nude waterline eyeliners are the way to go. But which color works best for achieving that look? In this guide, we will explore what beige eyeliner pencil does and compare the popular shades - white, beige, and gray - in terms of which is better for a natural look. We'll also discuss using an eye-brightening pencil for your waterline.
What does beige eyeliner do?
A beige eyeliner pencil can help to create a natural look for your eyes. It can also brighten the area around your eyes and make them look wider awake. Beige eyeliner pencils can be applied close to the lash line or on the waterline. Applying close to the lash line creates a softer, more natural look. If you want a more dramatic look, you can apply it on the waterline.
Choosing the right shade for your skin tone
When it comes to finding the perfect nude waterline eyeliner, it's all about knowing your skin tone. Similar to any other makeup product, the right nude shade will make all the difference in how your look comes together. If you're not sure where to start, here's a quick guide to choosing the right shade of nude waterline eyeliner for your skin tone:
Fair skin
The best shades of nude waterline eyeliner for you are ones with a pink or peachy undertone. These will help brighten your eyes and give you a natural-looking flush of color. Avoid nudes that are too dark or yellow-toned, as these can make your eyes look sunken and tired.
Medium skin
Look for pencils with a caramel or bronze undertone - these will give your eyes warmth and definition. Avoid nudes that are too pale or ashy, as they can wash out your features.
Dark skin
The best shades of nude waterline eyeliner for dark skin tones are rich and chocolaty browns. These will complement your complexion without looking too heavy or harsh. Avoid nudes that are too light or pink-toned, as they can make your eyes look washed out.
Which color is best for a natural look?
In addition to skin tone, there are a few things to consider when choosing nude waterline eyeliner.
Eye color
If you have blue eyes, look for a nude pencil with pink or peachy undertones.
If you have green eyes, look for a nude pencil with peachy or gold undertones.
Look for a nude pencil with chocolate or gold undertones if you have brown eyes.
What look are you going for?
If you want a natural look, go for a matte finish.
If you want a more glam look, go for a shimmery finish.
Nude waterline eyeliner color
White
White eyeliner is ideal for creating a subtle yet dramatic look. It can be used to create a winged eyeliner look or to define your lash line.
Pros: Can brighten up the eyes and make them appear wider.
Cons: Can be difficult to apply evenly; can look stark against darker skin tones.
Beige
A beige eyeliner pencil is perfect for those who want to enhance their natural beauty and create a more subtle look. Beige eyeliner pencils can line the lower lash line or create a soft, smokey eye.
Pros: Gives off a softer effect than white eyeliner; can be easier to apply evenly.
Cons: Can start to look muddy on fair skin tones; may show up less on darker skin tones.
Gray
It's not too dark, so it won't make your eyes look sunken in, and it's not too light, so it won't make them look overly bright. Plus, the cool tone of gray helps to offset any redness in your eyelids.
Pros: Easily defines the eyes; looks great on all skin tones.
Cons: May look too intense if you're going for a natural look; it can start to look smudgy and messy over time.
Best brightening eyeliner for waterline
If you want a natural look with your pencil eyeliner, use a nude one on your waterline. Not only will it brighten up your eyes, but it will also help to create the illusion of wider and more awake eyes.
When choosing a nude waterline eyeliner, find one that matches your skin tone as closely as possible. A good rule of thumb is to match your pencil to the color of your foundation - this will ensure a seamless and natural look.
Once you've found the perfect nude waterline eyeliner shade, apply it along your waterline and blend it with a cotton bud for a soft and gentle finish.
Best practices for eye-brightening pencils
Always start with a clean slate. This means using a good quality makeup remover to remove any traces of previous liner or shadow.
Take your time lining your eyes. A light hand is key to achieving a natural look. Start by lining the inner rim of the eye and working your way outwards.
Set the liner with a matching shadow or powder. This will help to prevent any smudging or transfer throughout the day.
Final thoughts
Nude waterline eyeliner is a great way to achieve a natural look that won't overpower your eyes. Experimenting with different colors and formulas can help you find the perfect shade for your skin tone and eye color.
Shop now to find your best nude eyeliner.
We conducted hours of research on the best white eyeliners, evaluating each on formula, texture, and ease of application. We also took into consideration how long each eyeliner lasted and how it handled throughout the day. Then we combined these results along with our own research and makeup artist recommendations to come up with the best in show.
"I love using white eyeliner in a line through the eye socket for a mod-inspired look," celebrity makeup artist Jamie Dorman tells Byrdie. And no matter what your technique is, she says, "It always helps to brighten the eye and make you look more awake."
White eyeliner isn't anything new, but the do-it-all makeup product is currently having a moment. You can use it on your upper or lower waterline to make your eyes look bigger or create a winged effect with a liquid formula.
This creamy-matte pencil by Sephora Collection comes is tiny and glides on so effortlessly. If you're looking for a cool white and matte finish without a speck of glitter, the shade To Go is a perfect fit. Despite its small size, you get a lot of product out of it for a great value.
If you have sensitive eyes or wear contact lenses and plan to be tightlining your eyes, you want an eyeliner penci l that won't irritate or cause redness. This creamy eye pencil glides on without tugging or pulling and the mineral-based formula is ideal for sensitive eyes. With shea butter, macadamia seed oil, and vitamin E, it's nourishing and gentle on sensitive eyes. The white shade is opaque for dramatic looks .
Eyeshadow sticks are ideal when you'd rather not deal with powder. This liner-shadow hybrid from Halsey's makeup brand About-Face is the versatile eye product you didn't know you needed. It offers impressive pigment in a single stroke, blends effortlessly, and lasts for 10 or more hours.
This retractable eyeliner promises to last for hours and hours without smudging or transferring, holding up in hot, humid environments. Basically, it lasts as long as you want it to, and may even resist when you finally try to take it off.
"White eyeliner can be used as a backdrop for jewels à la Euphoria-style eye makeup," says Dorman. If you like this look, ColourPop BFF is, well, your new best friend. It's got an ultra-fine felt tip for easy lines, dots, and wings, and you can expect intense pigmentation in a single swipe.
When you're feeling kinda fancy and looking for a glitter eyeliner , reach for Fenty's Flypencil. The Bad Bride shade is a highly pigmented white shade with a hint of silver glitter. Not only that, but the twist-up design is easy to use, and the gel-like formula glides effortlessly without pulling or dragging on your lids.
The shimmery metallic Yeyo shade of this award-winning eyeliner offers a stunning pearlescent effect. We appreciate that that waterproof gel formula glides on super smooth and lasts all day (or night).
Delina recommends, “Apply your white eyeliner at the waterline and stop right where the whites of the eyes are for a more natural-looking application. If you bring it all the way to the corner of the eye, it tends to look more dramatic!”
"You can put white eyeliner on the waterline to help make your eyes appear bigger ," says makeup artist Delina Medhin . With this in mind, Tarte Fake Awake is a matte nude that simultaneously neutralizes redness and makes the whites of your eyes look brighter.
We also like Morphe 2. This twist-up gel eyeliner is creamy and blendable but also long-lasting. It's waterproof, too, so you won't have to worry about smears or transfers for up to eight hours.
Prefer liquid liners ? Stila is your best bet. This award-winning product is easier to use than most in its category, thanks to the ultra-fine, marker-like tip and smooth-gliding formula that dries quickly without smudging.
From the drugstore category, we're all about Maybelline TattooStudio. As its name suggests, it offers seemingly permanent results for up to 36 hours—no smudging, no fading, no smearing. What more can you want from a waterproof eyeliner ?
On a budget? This super-affordable eye pencil won't let you down. The white shade goes on easily and is surprisingly pigmented—just bear in mind it's more prone to smudging on oilier skin types.
The waterproof formula glides on oh-so-smoothly and resists smudging, smearing, and fading throughout the day. Want something a little more subtle for your waterline or tear ducts? Go with the apricot nude shade.
Most people agree Anastasia Beverly Hills is the queen of eyebrow products, but the brand also reigns supreme in the long-wear eyeliner category. This twist-up pencil is ultra-pigmented (even in the white shade), offering bright, bold, pro-level results for up to eight hours.
Final Verdict
Our top pick is Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Chroma Stix in the shade White, a twist-up pencil flaunting ultra-pigmented, smooth-gliding, smudge-resistant results. If you're looking to spice things up with a glitter shade, we recommend Fenty Beauty Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner in Bad Bride. And if you don't want to spend more than pocket change on the trend, go with Essence's Kajal Eye Pencil, a long-wearing option.
How We Researched
To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best products on the market in this category, evaluating their key features—like ingredients, shade range, or design—in addition to reviews from customers and other trusted sources. We then used this research to assign a star rating from one to five (five being the best; one being the worst) to certain products on the list.
Meet the Expert
What to Look for in White Eyeliner
Color Payoff
Makeup artist Delina Medhin recommends using an eyeliner that matches the natural color of your waterline or just slightly brighter. For fair skin tones, this might mean staying true to snow-white liners, while darker skin tones may prefer a nude or neutral shade, like Tarte Fake Awake Eyeliner in Universal Nude or the Charlotte Tilbury Rock N Kohl Liquid Eye Pencil in Eye Cheat.
Nudes can also look great on fair skin for a more natural look. However, no matter your skin tone, the whiter the eyeliner, the bigger the pop. So choose wisely.
Staying Power
Are you looking for a white eyeliner that can withstand water and tears? Or are you more comfortable with a creamier formula that will last just long enough to get through the day? Whatever you prefer, most products clearly detail the level of water resistance and staying power, so you can make the best decision for your needs. Many products on this list are waterproof, including Maybelline New York Tattoo Studio Waterproof Eyeliner, and some are water-resistant like Fenty Beauty Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner.
Ingredients
All eyeliners are not created equal. Be on the lookout for clean products made without harmful chemicals, and give priority to cruelty-free products. If you have sensitive skin or eyes, be sure that your eyeliner is also ophthalmologist-tested to be safe for contacts and dermatologist-tested to be non-irritating. Note that shimmery options may not be the best choice if your eyes are sensitive, as shimmer particles have the potential to flake into your eye and cause irritation. Instead, pick a matte eyeliner. We love the quality of Tarte Fake Awake Eyeliner, which boasts ingredients that are natural, dermatologist-tested to be non-irritating, and cruelty-free.
Type
Gel eyeliners, liquids, and cream formulas all serve different purposes. Liquids can be great for precise lines but can often be too tricky for the waterline, while cream and kohl formulas blend softly for a natural look. Gel eyeliners tend to work better for smudging and creating smoky eyes. It takes a bit of experimentation to understand the difference between the types, but for newbies, we recommend gel, like the Morphe Gel Eyeliner for easy and seamless application.
FAQ
What does white eyeliner do?
When applied to your waterline, white eyeliner can create a more wide-awake appearance and make your eyes look bigger. If you're using the liner to impart this effect, make sure you're working with a soft formula to prevent any pulling, tugging, or scratching at the sensitive area. White eyeliner can also be used along your upper lashes to create a graphic effect that makes your lashes pop or as a base for your eyeshadow to give brights and neons a truer color payoff.
How should I use white eyeliner?
To create a more wide-eyed appearance, run your white eyeliner along your lower lash line, then apply mascara onto areas of your bottom lashes that may have gotten covered in the liner. You can also run the white eyeliner along your upper lash line to give your cat-eye a graphic spin or as an eyeshadow base. Simply fill in your lid with the white liner, press the shadow over the top, then blend out the edges with an eyeshadow brush.
Can I use white eyeliner on my waterline?
Yes. According to Medhin, putting white liner in your waterline can make your eyes appear larger. But be sure to use a sharp pencil, whether it's a twist-up or kohl pencil and not a liquid liner, for the best, most long-lasting results. And apply extra carefully to be sure you don't scratch your eye.
Why Trust Byrdie
Theresa Holland is a commerce beauty writer and freelance content creator. She considered dozens of white eyeliners for this roundup, evaluating each on formula, texture, and ease of application. She also consulted our testing insights and makeup artist recommendations to compile this list. Theresa has been contributing to Byrdie regularly since 2020, where she covers makeup, skincare, haircare, and lifestyle products.
According to our Diversity Pledge, 15% of products in our newly-published market roundups will feature Black-owned and/or Black-founded brands. At the time of publishing, we were not able to find enough white eyeliners from Black-owned and/or Black-founded businesses to meet this percentage. If you know of one we should consider, please email us at contact@byrdie.com, and we will evaluate the product ASAP.