Beauty Mac Kajal vs Rival Kohl Pencils: Which Eyeliner Wins Out
We put our two top kajal style kohl pencils head to head across the factors that matter most for waterline wear and smoky eyes. One is a budget friendly blendable kohl built for smoke, the other is a clean waterproof khol with a built in smudger for polished definition. Here is how they stack up.
| Factor | e.l.f. Smoky Kohl Eyeliner, Eye Pencil f | Jillian Dempsey Khol Eyeliner: Clean, Wa |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Smoky blended looks on a budget | Clean waterproof definition |
| Pigment payoff | Rich plum in one swipe | Rich burgundy in one swipe |
| Glide | Very creamy, zero tugging | Smooth with light pressure |
| Blendability | Excellent, smudges easily | Good, built in smudger helps |
| Waterline safety | Comfortable for waterline | Clean formula, waterline use |
| Smudge resistance | Needs setting powder | Waterproof, minimal transfer |
| Price | Check price | Check price |
| Cruelty free | Vegan and cruelty free | Cruelty free |
Our Verdict
Choose the e.l.f. Smoky Kohl if your priority is creamy blendability for smoky eyes at an unbeatable price, and set it with shadow to lock it down. Choose the Jillian Dempsey Khol if you want a clean waterproof pencil in a rich burgundy with a built in smudger for polished definition. For most kajal lovers, the e.l.f. pencil wins on value and smoke, while Jillian Dempsey wins for clean beauty fans who want effortless blending.
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Want the Full Picture?
Plum and Burgundy Kohl: Colored Liner That Acts Like a Neutral
The two pencils here make the colored-liner case better than any tutorial: the e.l.f. Smoky Kohl in Plum and Go and the Jillian Dempsey Khol in Deep Burgundy. Plum and burgundy flatter nearly every eye color because they sit in the warm-to-neutral zone. On brown eyes, plum deepens the iris without the flatness of black. On green eyes, burgundy is genuinely transformative, because red undertones sit opposite green and make the eye color look more saturated. Hazel eyes pick up whichever undertone the liner emphasizes, so burgundy pulls the green notes forward.
The reason these shades work daily is that they read as soft black from conversational distance. Only up close does the color reveal itself, which means they carry none of the costume risk of blue or green liner. Wear plum as your full upper line for the office, or run burgundy along the lower lashes for evening while keeping black or brown on top. The Jillian Dempsey pencil's built-in smudger is made for this: draw the burgundy line, then melt the outer third into a soft wing of color. If you want one colored liner that replaces black for a month to test the effect, Deep Burgundy is the shade to try.
Lower Lash Line Honesty: Definition vs the Dragging Effect
Kohl on the lower lashes is the fastest way to add intensity and the fastest way to look tired, and the difference is entirely placement. Lining the lower waterline with a dark kohl closes the eye visually, which flatters large, round eyes but makes small or deep-set eyes look smaller. Lining the lower lash line, the skin just beneath the lashes rather than the waterline itself, defines without closing, and it is the placement that suits most faces.
The smoky route works best with these pencils: draw a thin line along the lower lash roots with the e.l.f. Smoky Kohl, then use a small smudge brush or the Jillian Dempsey smudger end to diffuse it downward no more than two millimeters. Diffused kohl reads as shadow and depth; a hard unblended line reads as harsh. Skip the inner third of the lower line, since product migrates toward the inner corner and collects there by afternoon. The raccoon-eye prevention routine is non-negotiable with soft kohl: press a matching powder shadow over the smudged line to lock it, and for long days choose the more tenacious of your two pencils on the lower line. Sensitive eyes that water should keep kohl off the waterline entirely; our kajal for sensitive eyes guide explains safer placements. The creamy pencil benchmark for comparison is in our Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On guide.
Cost Per Use: Budget Kohl vs Premium Pencil Math
This comparison pairs a budget kohl with a premium clean-beauty pencil, which makes the cost-per-use math unusually relevant. A drugstore kohl pencil typically costs a few dollars and, with daily use, lasts around two to three months before it sharpens down to a stub. A premium pencil costs several times more but often contains more product and a creamier formula that needs less pressure, so you deposit less per application. The honest calculation is price divided by months of daily use, not the sticker price.
For most buyers the math favors buying the budget pencil first: the e.l.f. Smoky Kohl lets you learn whether you actually wear kohl daily before investing. If the pencil becomes a daily staple, the premium upgrade pays for itself in application quality, a creamier core that skips less and a built-in smudger that replaces a separate tool. The break-even point is usually around the second repurchase: if you finished the budget pencil and immediately wanted another, you are a daily kohl wearer and the premium pencil's per-month cost is justified. If the budget pencil dried out half-used in a drawer, you saved money by not upgrading. Either way, store kohl capped and upright, since uncapped soft kohl dries out faster than any other pencil format. For waterproof long-wear alternatives at both price tiers, see our waterproof eye pencil guide.