Review: e.l.f. Studio Waterproof Eyeliner Crayon

I've been singing the praises of plenty of e.l.f. products lately, but we all know that the line is full of hits and misses.

And while I've been lucky enough to come across quite a few of their hits lately, I've also encountered a pretty huge miss.

In theory, the Studio Waterproof Eyeliner Crayons should be a great product.

It's versatile enough to use as an eyeliner or blended out as a shadow, and the formula is supposed waterproof and smudge-proof so it stays in place all day.

They're also twist-up pencils so you don't have to bother with sharpening them, and they come in seven shades that range from nude to black.


I purchased two of the pencils: Champagne, a metallic golden nude, and Navy, a metallic dark cobalt.

e.l.f. Studio Waterproof Eyeliner Crayon in Champagne

e.l.f. Studio Waterproof Eyeliner Crayon in Navy

e.l.f. Studio Waterproof Eyeliner Crayons in Navy (l.) & Champagne (r.)

The colors are both lovely, but the formula is, to put it bluntly, awful.

The pencils are so dry and stiff that it's pretty much impossible to blend them out and use as shadows. But they don't work very well as liners either because they skip and drag when you try to run them across your lashline.

And forget about trying to get them to show up on your waterline -- it ain't gonna happen.

I suspect that whatever is in the formula to make it waterproof or smudge-proof is the reason that the pencils are so dry, but that's just a hunch. I suppose I could have just gotten a couple of bad liners, but the reviews on e.l.f's website make me think that's not the case.

The Studio Waterproof Eyeliner Crayons are only $3, but I don't recommend them at all -- even if you can score them on sale.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils may not be waterproof and they're definitely not smudge-proof, but at least the actually show up on the eye without tugging and pulling. Try those instead.

Have you tried the e.l.f. Studio Waterproof Eyeliner Crayons? Did they work for you?