I Swam, Sunbathed, and Sweated Through 11 "Waterproof" Eyeliners—These Came Out on Top

I used to wear eyeliner all the time—almost five days a week. That was before I lived in Austin, Texas. There, the summer heat is oppressive. (I'm talking upward of 110ºF in early May.) Suddenly, my old standby eyeliners were failing me. I'd apply them in the early morning only to see smudging, running, fading, and feathering a few hours later. I decided no eyeliner was better than messy-looking eyeliner, so I pretty much quit it cold turkey.

Now, I live in the Midwest, and even though it's slightly cooler here compared to Texas, I'm still experiencing a hot, humid summer. Despite this, I'm officially sick of going eyeliner-less, so I decided to open up my arsenal of waterproof formulas and put them to the ultimate test. I swam in the Great Lakes. I sunbathed for hours on the sand. I even sweated through long jogs and heavy workouts in the gym. My goal was to find out which eyeliners were worthy of the coveted "waterproof" title. Ahead, see the 11 winning formulas that worked for me.

Beauty editor Kaitlyn McLintock at the beach wearing black eyeliner on her waterline

For proof, here I am at the beach wearing Lancôme Le Stylo Waterproof Eyeliner on my waterline.

(Image credit: @kaitlyn_mclintock)

The Best Waterproof Eyeliners

Best Overall: Lancôme Le Stylo Waterproof Eyeliner

Best Affordable: ColourPop BFF Crème Gel Liner

Best Liquid Formula: One/Size Point Made Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Pen

Best Shade Range: Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal Liner

Best Cult Classic: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil

6 More Editor-Approved Waterproof Eyeliners

This article was originally published at an earlier date and has been updated.

Kaitlyn McLintock
Beauty Editor

Kaitlyn McLintock is a Beauty Editor at Who What Wear. She has 10 years of experience in the editorial industry, having previously written for other industry-leading publications, like Byrdie, InStyle, The Zoe Report, Bustle, and others. She covers all things beauty and wellness-related, but she has a special passion for creating skincare content (whether that's writing about an innovative in-office treatment, researching the benefits of a certain ingredient, or testing the latest and greatest at-home skin device). Having lived in Los Angeles, California, and Austin, Texas, she has since relocated back to her home state, Michigan. When she's not writing, researching, or testing beauty products, she's working through an ever-growing book collection or swimming in the Great Lakes.