6 Best Eyeliners if You Have Sjogren’s Syndrome or Sensitive Eyes!

eyeliners for sjogren's
“Eye” am going to get real with you….lol. Alright, alright, I’ll stop. Seriously, though, it’s very hard to find eyeliners that don’t irritate your eyes even more when you have Sjogren’s Syndrome.

I cannot count how many eyeliners I have tried over the years. Some have been good; some have been bad. Many of them have been black.

And, then it became increasingly more difficult to find eyeliners that I could stand to wear. This was devastating as a former makeup artist who absolutely loves makeup.

Shopping for Eyeliners When You Have Sjogren’s:

The last 5-10 years it has been harder than ever to find eyeliners that I can stand to wear all day. I have very sensitive eyes, allergies, and have two autoimmune diseases, including Sjogren’s Syndrome.

If you have Sjogren’s, then you know the awful, constant eye frustrations. Some of the eyeliners marked for sensitive skin cause so much irritation it’s rolling down my face by the time I’ve finished breakfast.

Not cool, guys. Not cool.

The Best Eyeliners if You Have Sjogren’s:

After trying many, many eyeliners, I feel very confident that the following 5 suggestions will guide you in the right direction.

Let’s talk about each of them:

1. Maybelline Hyper Easy Liquid Eyeliner:

maybelline liquid eyeliner

This is a newer find for me and I’m hooked. Here’s why: as I’ve gotten older, I find that the kohl eyeliners drop into my eyes at some point in the day no matter which one I’m using. Yes, some are much better than others, and I recommend the ones I will use below, but with Sjogren’s even the smallest fleck can irritate my eyes all day. So, I’ve been using a lot of liquid eyeliners for the last year or so.

I know liquid eyeliners can be difficult to control and get a tight line, especially if you have small hooded eyes like me, so this stiff, tight lined liquid eyeliner changes the game. This is almost as easy as using a kohl liner, but it’s liquid, so it’s not going anywhere. This one is a waterproof formula, so when my eyes decide to suddenly start watering, it doesn’t roll down my face. The satin finish also gives it a nice matte look and it has a similar result to pencil.

This is a budget version of the Benefit liner I share below. Either one of them are what I use on a daily basis most days now. At under $10, this one is a must-have.

Shop it here.

Satin Finish, Waterproof Formula

2. Burt’s Bees Nourishing Eyeliner:

eyeliner for sjogren's syndrome

Listen, I was surprised, too. I only thought about Burt’s Bees as a baby brand. It didn’t occur to me that their makeup line might actually be good. Like, really, really good.

The eyeliner is very smooth, sharpens very well, hangs on tight all day, barely smudges, survives a little water, and comes off clean at night. I really like the black, but I also really, really like the gray and reach for that on a lot of summer days for a more subtle look.

And, it rings in at around 9 bucks?!  SCORE. 

Grab it here. 

3. Benefit Tar Extreme Liquid Eyeliner:

eyeliner for sjogren's syndrome

This is a new one from Benefit and it’s replaced an old eyeliner that I loved for years that is no longer sold. Honestly, this one is even better, so I am thrilled.

This is SO easy to apply, if you’re nervous about liquid liners. It almost does the work for you. The color is a saturated, rich black and it doesn’t budge until you wash it off later – and then it comes off very easily.

The tip is a super fine and firm, so you can get a line as thin or thinner than a kohl pencil and will have almost the same level of control. The benefits of liquid are that there is less product that will fall into your eyes as the day goes on.

As the years pass, I find my eyes are more and more sensitive and even the Burt’s Bees will irritate my eyes if left on all day. This is definitely one to try if you’re looking for an eyeliner that will work for Sjogren’s.

Grab it here. 

4. 100% Pure Eyeliner:

eyeliner for sjogren's syndrome

I recently tried this eyeliner from 100% Pure for the first time and I had no idea what I was missing.

I’ve always loved 100% Pure, but found their products a bit expensive. But, now that I don’t wear makeup every day and I really need it to be as clean and gentle as possible, I am feeling like it’s worth it to splurge a bit on higher quality products.

This one is absolute gold.

5. MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder:

eyeliner for sjogren's syndrome

Probably no surprise here. MAC’s makeup game is always tight. But, that’s not always enough when it comes close to your eyes.

On this, MAC gets it right. This one does hang on longer than Burt’s Bees and takes more effort to get off. Most of my gentle face washes struggle to get it all off the first time, so be aware of that.

However, if you’re going to be sweating, around water, or going to a special event then this is what you’ll want to reach for.

Price: Cha-Chings at $18 dollars.

Grab it here. 

6. Colorscience Eyeliner in Black:

eyeliner for sjogren's syndrome

I’m such a fangirl of Colorscience. I’ll write more about some of their other products that I cannot live without very soon.

Their eyeliner is one of them. Whenever I feel like applying eyeliner with a brush to really get that super rich, fun look with the wingtip at the endthis is what I use.

It’s absolutely infallible. It’s also a splurge at $29. Use sparingly. I haven’t had any issues with it drying up on me before finishing it, and I don’t apply it anywhere close to once a day. #kids #lazy #life

Eyeliner Tips:

Put head-to-head, these eyeliners have a similar pigment, meaning they have a nice saturated hue that doesn’t require lots of application.

If you have SUPER sensitive eyes, stay away from the kohl eyeliners and go straight for the liquids and gels. They are going to have less chance of flaking during application.

Wait to apply your eyeliner until after your eyes have stopped watering from using eye drops to keep it from washing off.

*****

I hope one of these eyeliners helps you if you’ve been struggling to find one that works if you have dry eyes, eye pain, an autoimmune disease like Sjogren’s, or just bad allergies.

I know I feel better when I am a little bit put together and every bit helps us as we fight for our wellness.

If you liked this post, check out the best mascaras for Sjogren’s and my 10 top tips for treating dry eyes.

Do you have a favorite eyeliner? I’d love to hear it in the comments below.

To our health,

E

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9 Comments

  1. Mary B.
    May 28, 2021 / 5:02 am

    This was so helpful! Thank you!

    • Erica
      Author
      June 2, 2021 / 10:20 pm

      I am so glad it helped you, Mary! It can be so hard to find beauty products that don’t flare up Sjogren’s!

    • Nancois
      October 24, 2022 / 3:29 pm

      What did you finally select for concealer, eyeliner, mascara and maybe a beige shadow for Shogren’s? Please email me!

      • Erica
        Author
        March 13, 2023 / 8:58 am

        I do tend to try different products, so it changes, but lately, I’ve been loving a lot of products from Benefit Cosmetics. They are pricey, so I also have drugstore versions I wear when I’m just hanging out or driving kids around. I need to write a post soon on my favorite drugstore makeup for Sjogren’s.

  2. B
    January 21, 2022 / 8:59 pm

    Wow! Like I needed this 😃

  3. Lizzy
    February 24, 2022 / 1:24 pm

    Thank you so much

    • Erica
      Author
      February 25, 2022 / 8:33 am

      You’re welcome! I hope you found something that will work without irritation.

  4. Beth
    February 1, 2024 / 6:19 am

    I have watery eyes as well and have never got the hang of eyeliner the way it it was meant to be used but I do use it on my upper waterline. Have you found that these eyeliner suggestions worked well on the waterline?

    • Erica
      Author
      February 1, 2024 / 8:47 am

      I do not personally put anything on the waterline because it washes into my eyes and my eyes get very irritated, no matter what the product is. Your eyes might be watering more because you are putting product there (but maybe they do that anyway, idk). I always put eyeliner right above the eyelash line on the top and right below the eyelash line on the bottom, so I’m not sure how these would do on the waterline.

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