Face and lip products might set the stage for your makeup, but, if you ask us, the real magic happens all in the eyes. For the very best looks money can buy, you won’t want to miss out on any of these stellar eye makeup products that won accolades in Shop TODAY's second annual Beauty Awards.
Our staffers took the liberty and tested hundreds of products to give our readers the best of the best when it comes to all things beauty. And spoiler alert... our finds are even better than last year! Not to mention, our picks start at just $8, which is a real deal in our eyes.
From cry-proof eyeliners to life-changing brow products, keep scrolling to feast your eyes on the full list of eye makeup award winners.
Shop TODAY Beauty Awards: The best eye makeup products of 2024
Eye shadow | Eyeliner | Mascara | Brow products | Makeup remover | Meet the experts | How we choose | Has your product been featured?
Best eye shadows
Julep Eyeshadow 101 Crème to Powder Waterproof Eyeshadow Stick
Award: Best budget eye shadow stick | Score: 5/5
With a handy dandy blending sponge on the opposite end, this eye shadow stick is everything you need for a dazzling but easy eye look.
“This eye shadow stick is incredibly easy to use! The color is very buildable, and the texture is lovely — and did I mention how easy it was to blend? It lasted all day, too,” raves associate TODAY.com reporter Sophie Caldwell.
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Shadow
Award: Best shade range eye shadow stick | Score: 5/5
"This stick is glorious! It blends beautifully as though someone spent minutes applying shadow to me," says commerce editor Rebecca Brown in her praised review.
"I ended up playing around with this and using it as an under-eye eyeliner and was blown away by the results — truly looks like I knew what I was doing with shadow. [It] goes on so easily and it leaves such a gorgeous and delicate line."
Bobbi Brown Dual-Ended Long-Wear Waterproof Cream Eye Shadow Stick
Award: Best two-in-one eye shadow stick | Score: 5/5
"I use this eye shadow stick every single day," swears commerce editor and producer Julie Ricevuto.
"It goes on smoothly (it doesn’t tug on my eyelids!) and it stays on my lids all day long without budging. I’ve tried a lot of eye shadow sticks and this one takes the cake. Plus, it comes in a ton of flattering shades!"
Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez All of the Above Eye Shadow Stick
Award: Best overall eye shadow stick | Score: 5/5
Associate editor Allie Wise exclaimed her love for this product when writing her review for this eye shadow stick. "The color was so shimmery and pretty! I will totally be rocking this shade over the summer! Easy to apply and goes on smooth. Worth the money."
Urban Decay Naked3 Eye Shadow Palette
Award: Best overall powder eye shadow | Score: 4.67/5
"I’m going into this review with an extremely biased perspective because Urban Decay is responsible for my ride or die palette, but the brand really knows what they’re doing in the eye shadow department," says senior editor Jess Bender.
"The shadow finishes and hues look just as nice on the skin as they do in the packaging, and they last pretty much all day (even after a sweaty workout) without even needing primer applied beforehand."
L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche La Palette Eye Shadow
Award: Best budget powder eye shadow | Score: 5/5
"[This is a] great neutral basic palette," notes deputy editorial director Ali Deabler after using this product. "No complaints here! It came with all the colors you’d need for work or for fun."
Ilia The Necessary Eye Shadow Palette
Award: Best beginner-friendly palette | Score: 4/5
"I’m not a big eye shadow girl, so I appreciate a simple palette that doesn’t have a million shades to mess with," says production associate Audrey Ekman.
"This is a really foolproof palette — no matter what color(s) you go for, as long as you blend it well, the eye look will turn out. I like that there are both matte and shimmer shades and that there’s a cool and warm color option for the palette, too, to better flatter your skin tone."
Revlon ColorStay Crème Eye Shadow
Award: Best budget cream eye shadow | Score: 4/5
"The crème eyeshadow blends really well," says social video producer Anita Chomenko. "It’s best with your finger rather than a brush. I feel like you need to set this for sure. It would be easy to swipe off or sweat off."
Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eye Shadow
Award: Best splurge cream eye shadow | Score: 4/5
"I have blue eyes and really love an orange-brown/terracotta eye shadow moment, and this product is perfect for that," gushes editor Amanda Fama. "I love the color, and it’s easy to apply. Plus, a little goes a long way!"
Lancome Idôle Tint Liquid Eye Shadow & Eyeliner
Award: Best splurge liquid eye shadow | Score: 5/5
"Out of all the liquid eye shadows I’ve tried in my life, I was probably the most satisfied with the user experience and overall look of this Lancôme pick," says Bender.
"The application was a little messy around the general eye area, but that’s less to do with the two-sided applicator (which is a really smart feature for more accurate eyeliner moments) and more of a problem with liquid eye shadows in general."
Gen See Mixed Media Liquid Eyeshadow
Award: Best overall liquid eye shadow | Score: 4.67/5
Ekman also now totally understands the liquid eye shadow hype. "This has a silky liquid texture that blended out seamlessly with just my fingers. It’s buildable but has decent color payoff and I loved the matte finish."
"It hadn’t creased at all on my oily lids after six hours — powder or cream eye shadows could never! After 12 hours when I went to take my makeup off, I did see slight buildup along my crease, but this way outperformed my expectations. I love the color I picked (orchid), and even got a couple compliments on it!"
Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Liquid Eye Shadow
Award: Best overall liquid eye shadow | Score: 5/5
"This eye shadow is amazing," praises commerce senior associate Donna Pilikyan. "Sometimes I have issues with liquid eye shadows drying out or even cracking by the end of the day, but I did not experience that with this liquid eye shadow!"
"I wore this for seven hours straight one day, at a packed concert, and during a park day; this eye shadow looked perfect at the end of the day every time."
Best eyeliners
Pat McGrath Perma Precision Liquid Eyeliner
Award: Best smudge-proof eyeliner | Score: 5/5
"I cried while watching a sad movie and wearing this liquid liner and it did not budge," Ricevuto admits in her review. "It looked absolutely perfect post-cry. I’ll be buying this again, for sure."
Cle Cosmetics Fluid Touch Liquid Eyeliner
Award: Best for precision liquid eyeliner | Score: 4.83/5
"This eyeliner is an A+ for me," says senior editor Francesca Cocchi Zabloudil. "It glides on smooth in one easy swipe — very little pressure is needed. It doesn’t smudge easily or have a sticky feel."
"The color is rich and dramatic," Cocchi Zabloudil continues. "It’s on the bold side (as designed), so controlled application may take a little practice for those who prefer a subtler look."
Maybelline Tattoo Studio Gel Pencil Waterproof Gel Liner
Award: Best gel eyeliner | Score: 4.67/5
"I normally don’t like pencil eyeliners, but this one surprised me," confesses associate editor Shannon Garlin. "It went on smoothly and had great staying power."
Best mascaras
Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Curling Mascara
Award: Best curling mascara | Score: 4.83/5
"Lashes were lengthened and lifted without the usual clumping," says Ashley Parrish, senior vice president of commerce. "The wand separated each lash and made application super easy. [It] lasted through work and a workout each day with no flaking or transfer."
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara
Award: Best budget lengthening mascara | Score: 4.5/5
"This mascara definitely lives up to its name as a lengthening mascara, who knew my lashes were this long? It also left my lashes looking curled, which is impressive because they’re normally pretty flat," says associate social editor Dani Musacchio.
"While this mascara isn’t super volumizing, I like how it feels weightless on my lashes and doesn’t feel like I’m wearing mascara at all. I have tried the waterproof version of this mascara and I prefer this “washable” version because it still lasts all day but will come off easily with a makeup remover or cleansing balm. Plus, you really can’t beat the price."
Lancome Definicils Defining and Lengthening Mascara
Award: Best splurge lengthening mascara | Score: 4.83/5
"This was my absolute favorite product, there’s nothing I didn’t like about it. My eyelashes were longer and thicker — I didn’t even have to curl my eyelashes!" says TODAY.com contributor Anne Smith.
"It feels so natural on my lashes too, and as someone who doesn’t wear a lot of makeup, this was a draw to me too since it didn’t feel heavy on my eyes."
Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara
Award: Best overall tubing mascara | Score: 4/5
"It has a nice lift after two applications and I really enjoyed the fanning on the lower lashes," says Bender. "There was slight smudging around the lower lash area after applying setting spray, but it generally lasted the duration of the day, even during sweatier times. It was also generally easy to remove, though a few small clumps remained on my face after a double cleanse."
Best brow products
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer
Award: Best overall product for bolder brows | Score: 4.50/5
"I love Anastasia’s other brow products, so I was eager to try the brow definer," says Ekman. "I was surprised by the flat triangle shape of the pencil, and I’ll admit that it took me a couple tries to get the hang of it. I think this is great if you have sparse brows that you want to fill in quickly."
"The spoolie on the other end is great to brush out the brows and distribute the product evenly," Ekman adds. "I also appreciate the shade range."
Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow+ Tinted Volumizing Eyebrow Gel
Award: Best tinted eyebrow gel | Score: 4.89/5
"I’ve been using this since it’s first iteration, around 2011,” claims Deabler. “Now they’ve added a lot more color options, and added undertones to really customize the color."
"I have no cons to this, I think this is extremely easy to use and helps add volume and pigment to your brows, even for someone who is a makeup novice. It’s just like a mascara for your brows.”
Kulfi Free The Brow Volumizing and Laminating Brow Gel
Award: Best clear brow gel | Score: 4.89/5
"I was immediately impressed with this when I saw that it had a brow brush and comb attached to the applicator," notes associate editor Kamari Stewart.
"I love products that are multiuse/make it easy to travel with. I was able to smooth, shape and hold my brows in just a few seconds and they stayed in place all day. It’s the same price as most other brow gels/tints but you get additional tools that you don’t get with those."
Best makeup removers
Makeup Eraser Pro Classic
Award: Best reusable makeup remover | Score: 5/5
"I loved this product!" raves TODAY.com trending editor Nicoletta Richardson. "For the girlie that is so exhausted at the end of the night and wants to do the minimal, this is for her. It easily took my makeup off AND had an exfoliating side, and it quickly dried so I didn’t have to do anything additional to use it the next morning."
CeraVe Comforting Eye Makeup Remover with Hyaluronic Acid
Award: Best liquid eye makeup remover | Score: 5/5
"Loved this product!" says Maura Hohman, TODAY.com senior health editor. "[It's] super gentle on my eyes and didn’t leave much of a film. [I] only had to rub a few times to get all of the eye makeup including mascara off."
Almay Oil-Free Gentle Eye Makeup Remover Pads
Award: Best remover pads | Score: 5/5
"It’s been so long since I’ve used a regular eye makeup remover instead of micellar water and I forgot how nice it is!" says Sam Kubota, TODAY.com senior evening editor.
"I was able to get my eye makeup off with just one or two swipes, generally. I also don’t think it left as much residual eye makeup, like specifically mascara. Even though it’s oil free, this product did feel a little heavier than say micellar water, but it did not bother me."
Meet the experts
- Armando Kole is a celebrity makeup artist based in Los Angeles.
- Dr. Michael Bassiri-Tehrani is a double board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon based in New York City.
- Clayton Hawkins is a celebrity hairstylist based in Los Angeles, specializing in wigs and extensions.
- Dr. Michelle Henry is a board-certified dermatologist and Mohs Surgeon based in New York City.
How we choose
We sorted through nearly 1,200 new launches, editor recommendations, trending and tried-and-true products to come up with 155 winners. We hosted an in-house glam session, putting them through practical experiments to see if they meet requirements when it comes to value, satisfaction and quality for makeup, skin care, beauty and hair products and tools.
Over the course of up to four months, our team of editors and writers tried products in every beauty category: hair, body, skin and makeup. Finally, our panel of experts reviewed some of our winners to give their sign-off based on ingredients and other factors.
Has your product been featured?
Shop TODAY is editorially independent and our team of editors and writers work hard to pick the best products to share with our readers and viewers. We may license our logo to brands or products that have been featured on Shop TODAY. Click here if you’re interested in licensing your inclusion in Shop TODAY content or to learn more from our licensing partner, Wrights Media.
