Eyeliner oh eyeliner, which shall I pick? A comparison between pencil, gel, & liquid liner

Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner + Sephora liner, MAC's Fluidline, Revlon ColorStay

Value Tip: The most versatile eyeliner is the pencil, followed by gel. The pencil can be smudged for a smokey look (check out this tutorial). And both can be used as a base. If you own a liner brush, spray the tip with water and use with any eyeshadow as eyeliner. The effect is a thin and soft line.

Left: Maybelline liner, Center: gel using MAC's 266, gel using EcoTools, Right: liquid liner

Pencil Liner: A pencil liner won't give you a fine line. It'll be thicker but won't require as much control as the other two. It is also easier to fix if you make a mistake because you can smudge your liner, draw over it, or wipe it off. (Gel and liquid liners dry fast, if you make a mistake, you'll probably need makeup remover to fix it). For people with oily lids, you will have to reapply your liner. For people with a small crease, you may find that some of your liner gets transferred to the lid. If that happens, you might have to draw a thinner line or switch to gel/liquid. For me, pencil liner DOES NOT STAY on my waterline, so I like to dip my pencil in gel liner.
     Try different brands. Since I only use pencil liners dipped in gel, I don't really have a favorite. I'm still looking, but I might try MAC's eyeliners next or Urban Decay's 24/7 liners. Urban Decay's is slightly more expensive than MAC's ($17 vs. $14).

Gel Liner: With a gel liner you will need to use a brush. I like to used an angled brush, but there are also liner brushes. I have two angled brushes that I use with my gel liner. With EcoTools angled brush, I can achieve a thicker line, while my 266 will give me a thinner line. For thinner lines use less pressure. The 266 is flimsier (less control) than the EcoTools brush because the hairs are longer, and isn't as dense. Just remember that with gel liners, you will need to carry a brush BUT you don't need to reapply.
     For the best waterline results, use a pencil liner dipped in gel liner and apply.
Splurge: MAC's Fluidline in Blacktrack

MAC 266 vs. Ecotools

EcoTools is wider, less flimsy = more control!

MAC 266 is more angled

Liquid Liner: With liquid liners, you also don't need to reapply. You can change the width of the line by the amount of pressure you apply. I have NEVER used liquid liner for my waterline.
     How I use my liquid liner: Pull out the brush and wave it in the air for a few seconds. This will dry the tip a little. I find that there's too much liquid on the tip when I use it right from the tube. Start from the middle and work your way to the edge, ending with a flick, if desired. Then move from the middle to the inner corner of the eye. If you don't want to pull your eyelid back to do this, you can also tilt your head back, look down toward the mirror and draw your eyebrows back to stretch out your lids.
Save: Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner

More photos!

After one wash with water

After two washes