They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but they're often the window to how much we've slept, too. If you have a bad night's sleep, the eyes are usually the place that show it. Whether it's puffy eyes, dehydration lines or dark circles, sometimes there's just no escaping when you've not had enough shut-eye. And even with the best eye creams, sometimes the skin around our eyes can become inflamed with redness.
However, while we were scrolling through our feeds, our thumbs paused at a post from Victoria Beckham, who reminded us of a quick yet super-effective makeup hack to instantly make you look wide awake. She was using her new Instant Brightening Waterline Pencil. "I distinctly remember the first time a makeup artist used a nude pencil along my waterline, I looked instantly polished and like I’d had 8 hours sleep (far from it!)," VB said on her Instagram video. "I’ve been searching for the perfect clean waterline pencil ever since. Now, I’ve created it with the Instant Brightening Waterline Pencil, my number one beauty tip."
As Beckham can attest, brightening waterline pencils are your fast-track to looking refreshed. These nude, neutral toned eye pencils can be run along the waterline (the area between your eyelashes and eyeball) to neutralise redness and hide a bad night's sleep. Plus, they can make your eyes look bigger and more impactful when you're creating an eye look. Here, we've rounded up the best ones that are worthy of a slot in your makeup bag for those days when a coffee alone won't suffice.
Shop the Best Eye Brightening Pencils:
Eye Cheat is the name and it certainly delivers on that promise. This waterproof eyeliner promises to last for 14 hours of wear.
This creamy, white formula from Victoria Beckham glides along the lower lash line. It contains soothing aloe vera and ginseng to help nourish the lashes too. VB apparently loves to use this with a smokey eye, so we're following suit.
Much like all MAC products, this eyeliner pencil is designed to stay put thanks to its waterproof formula. The creamy formula glides on without dragging and instantly brightens the waterline. It also comes in varying neutral tones so you can find the best one to suit your skin tone.
I've not met a makeup artist who doesn't love Trish McEvoy products, and this liner is no exception. This pink-toned pencil delivers a dose of brightness to the waterline, and it can also be used underneath the brow bone to accentuate eyebrow arches.
This formula contains aloe vera to soothe tired eyes while neutralising redness and helping to make the whites of your eyes brighter.
This dual ended eye stick features two products; a pearly-toned waterline pencil that quickly brightens the waterline, and a on the other end a shimmery eyeshadow which is ideal for highlighting the brow bone or the inner corners of your eyes.
Benefit's version features a super-fine nib for precise application. This formula has more of a neutral pink tone to help awaken the eyes.
Beauty Bay's Vanilla eyeliner pencil is the perfect budget option for tired-looking peepers, and we love the twist-up mechanism for application ease.
The vanilla-toned hue of this eyeliner pencil is subtle and not too cool-toned.
These liners are known for being ultra-pigmented, so you can guarantee its eye-brightening properties will last all day.
This cult liner has a longwear formula and a super-fine tip for precision application.
Chanel's formula is very long-lasting and also comes with a handy sharpener to keep your eyeliner tip precise.
Thanks to its velvet-soft formula, this liner glides on so smoothly.
This story was previously published at an earlier date and has since been updated.
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