The Best Waterproof Eyeliner for the Dog Days of Summer, According to a Celebrity Makeup Artist

No matter if you’re tracing on a cat-eye with laser precision or sketching waterlines in a rushed fashion, your waterproof eyeliner needs to stay put. And in August, when the heat and humidity are peaking, not just any formula will do.

“It can’t be inky or greasy,” says makeup artist Romy Soleimani, adding that cream or gel-based formulas go on smooth enough that they won’t skip, yet are dry enough that they won’t bleed. Her go-to waterproof eyeliner for clients such as Cara Delevingne and Paloma Elsesser, is Jillian Dempsey’s intensely pigmented Khôl eyeliner, which is infused with jojoba, shea butter, and marula oils for just the right amount of slip. Other smooth operators include Chanel’s tried-and-true Stylo Yeux waterproof long-lasting eyeliner and Lancôme’s Drama Liqui-Pencil long-wear eyeliner, the latter of which boasts a bonding double polymer complex to ensure flake-free mileage.

And when it comes time to take off these resilient, long-wearing formulas? A robust, yet gentle makeup remover—Soleimani swears by La Roche-Posay’s Toleriane Dermo Cleanser and Makeup Remover—is a non-negotiable investment. Here, the heat wave-ready liners that ensure you won’t end up on the wrong side of the lived-in look.

Jillian Dempsey Khôl Eyeliner

Givenchy Khol Couture Waterproof Retractable Eyeliner

Make Up For Ever XL Eye Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner

Lancôme Drama Liqui-Pencil Longwear Eyeliner

Fenty Beauty Flypencil Longwear Eyeliner

Pat McGrath Labs PermaGel Eyeliner Pencil

Clinique Water-Resistant Eyeliner

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner

Kevyn Aucoin The Precision Eye Definer

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Waterproof Liner

Almay All-Day Intense Gel Eyeliner

Eyeko Limitless Long-Wear Eye Pencil

Haus Laboratories Eye-Dentify Gel Pencil

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner

Revlon ColorStay Pencil Eyeliner

Fiona Stiles Ultra Smooth Waterproof Eye Defining Pencil