Best Lip Liner? 849 Reviews of e.l.f., NYX and Maybelline

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Review-analysis guide: 849 customer reviews read on Ulta (October 26, 2026), sorted and counted by us; product details from Amazon listings checked October 26, 2026.

By The Beauty Read · Checked October 26, 2026 · AI-assisted research and editing · Contains Amazon affiliate links

Of these three drugstore picks, e.l.f. Cream Glide (paid link) is the lip liner reviewers most often called creamy: 56% of 275 usable Ulta reviews said it glides on, 33% praised the value and only 1% gave one or two stars, all from the past year. NYX Slim Lip Pencil (paid link) drew shade praise from 32% but dry or tugging complaints from 27%. Maybelline (paid link) drew shade praise from 45%, close to e.l.f.'s 42%, mostly in older reviews.

Best lip liner: what 849 Ulta reviews say

Looking for the best lip liner at the drugstore? We read 849 Ulta reviews of three drugstore pencils to see how often reviewers say it glided on, matched the shade shown and lasted, and how often it dragged, broke or faded: e.l.f. Cream Glide, NYX Professional Makeup Slim Lip Pencil and Maybelline's Color Sensational shaping liner. [R-ULT-ELF] [R-ULT-NYX] [R-ULT-MAY] [A1] [A2] [A3]

e.l.f. drew creamy-glide praise from 56% of 275 usable reviews and value praise from 33%, and 1% gave one or two stars. NYX drew shade praise from 32% of 274, but 27% said it felt dry or tugged and 30% gave one or two stars. Maybelline drew shade praise from 45% of 203 and breakage or mechanism complaints from 12%; 20% gave one or two stars. [R-ULT-ELF] [R-ULT-NYX] [R-ULT-MAY]

Which reviews we read, and the 97 we set aside

Ulta's pages stop after about 300 reviews per product. They served the newest 280 of 3,653 shown for e.l.f., the newest 290 of 4,236 for NYX and the newest 279 of 972 for Maybelline; we read every distinct one, kept 752 and set aside 97. [R-ULT-ELF] [R-ULT-NYX] [R-ULT-MAY]

What we set aside: 73 about another product (68 of them on Maybelline's page), 13 repeated on the same page, 6 that said the product was free and 5 about shipping or with no text. No month held a burst of unusually positive reviews. [R-ULT-ELF] [R-ULT-NYX] [R-ULT-MAY]

Some cautions. The three pages cover different stretches: e.l.f.'s reviews run from November 2025 to September 2026, NYX's from July 2023 to July 2026, and 133 of Maybelline's 203 usable reviews are from 2017 to 2020. e.l.f.'s near-zero low ratings come from that recent window only; older e.l.f. reviews on Ulta were not served. [R-ULT-ELF] [R-ULT-NYX] [R-ULT-MAY]

The e.l.f. lip liner drew the most creamy-glide praise

e.l.f.'s listing describes Cream Glide as a creamy, highly pigmented pencil with a semi-matte finish that glides on without tugging and can be worn alone or under lipstick, in eight shades. We link the mauve lip liner shade Mauve Aside, shipped and sold by Amazon.com. [A1]

Across 275 usable Ulta reviews of e.l.f. Cream Glide, 154 (56%) called it creamy or easy to glide on, 116 (42%) liked the shade, 90 (33%) called it good value or a dupe for a pricier liner and 52 (19%) said they repurchase it or own several shades. Complaints were few: 27 (10%) said it faded or transferred and 12 (4%) said it broke or the mechanism failed. 4 (1%) gave one or two stars. [R-ULT-ELF]

See e.l.f. Cream Glide Lip Liner, Mauve Aside on Amazon (paid link) · This link opens the Mauve Aside shade shipped and sold by Amazon.com; the other shades are on the same page.

Why NYX lip liner reviews split on texture

NYX's listing describes Slim Lip Pencil as a long-lasting, creamy liner that goes on easily and resists bleeding, in shades from nude and mauve to brown. We link the brown lip liner shade Espresso, shipped and sold by Amazon.com. [A2]

In 274 usable Ulta reviews of the NYX pencil, 88 (32%) liked the shade and 59 (22%) called it creamy. Complaints ran higher: 75 (27%) said it felt dry, hard or tugged, 64 (23%) said the shade was not as shown, and 39 (14%) said the color was weak. 83 (30%) gave one or two stars: 62 of 165 (38%) in 2023 and 2024, falling to 21 of 109 (19%) in 2025 and 2026. [R-ULT-NYX]

See NYX Professional Makeup Slim Lip Pencil, Espresso on Amazon (paid link) · This link opens the Espresso (brown) shade shipped and sold by Amazon.com; the other shades are on the same page.

Maybelline lip liner: strong shade praise, mostly older reviews

Maybelline's listing describes its Color Sensational shaping liner as a creamy, smudge-proof liner with a self-sharpening tip that helps prevent lipstick from feathering, one of 14 shades. We link the nude lip liner shade 104 Gone Greige, shipped and sold by Amazon.com. [A3]

Of 203 usable Ulta reviews of the Maybelline liner, 92 (45%) liked the shade, 54 (27%) called it creamy and 39 (19%) said it lasted or did not feather. 25 (12%) said it broke or the self-sharpening mechanism failed, 20 (10%) said the shade was not as shown and 18 (9%) said it felt dry, hard or tugged. 40 (20%) gave one or two stars. [R-ULT-MAY]

See Maybelline Color Sensational Shaping Lip Liner, 104 Gone Greige on Amazon (paid link) · This link opens the 104 Gone Greige (nude) shade shipped and sold by Amazon.com; the other shades are on the same page.

Lip liner with lipstick or gloss, and how each one feels

Among reviewers who said they wear it with a lipstick or gloss, 27 of 50 for e.l.f., 12 of 40 for Maybelline and 10 of 31 for NYX called it creamy, while 8 of the 31 NYX reviewers said it felt dry or tugged (0 of 50 for e.l.f. and 1 of 40 for Maybelline). Long-wear praise was close across all three, from 15% to 19%. [R-ULT-ELF] [R-ULT-NYX] [R-ULT-MAY]

Only 4 reviewers said they have deep skin and 11 fair skin, too few to compare shades by skin tone. Whether you want a brown, mauve or nude lip liner, check swatches on the product page before you buy, since shade complaints ran from 3% (e.l.f.) to 23% (NYX). [R-ULT-ELF] [R-ULT-NYX] [R-ULT-MAY]

Keep reading

• Liquid blush: e.l.f., Milani and L'Oreal
• Peel-off lip stain: Sacheu, Wonderskin and Maybelline
• Best lip balm: Aquaphor, La Roche-Posay and e.l.f.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best lip liner in these reviews?

It depends on what you want. e.l.f. Cream Glide drew the most creamy-glide praise (56%) and the fewest low ratings (1%), from reviews posted since November 2025. Maybelline (45%) and e.l.f. (42%) drew similar shade praise; most Maybelline reviews are older.

Is the NYX lip liner dry?

Some reviewers said so. 27% of 274 usable Ulta reviews said the NYX Slim Lip Pencil felt dry, hard or tugged, against 22% who called it creamy. 23% said the shade was not as shown.

Does the e.l.f. lip liner last?

16% of 275 usable Ulta reviews praised its wear, and 10% said it faded or transferred. Long-wear praise was close for all three liners, from 15% to 19%.

Does the Maybelline lip liner break?

12% of 203 usable Ulta reviews said it broke or the self-sharpening mechanism failed, the highest share of the three. Most of these reviews are from 2017 to 2020.