Best Kajals in India- Affordable & Smudge-Proof!

Best Kajals in India- Affordable & Smudge-Proof feat Maybelline, Lakme, L’Oreal, Faces & MAC!

‘Kajal’ or ‘Kohl’ is such an integral part of Indian women’s beauty regime that all the makeup brands have their own kajals in the market. The addiction is certainly not new for us; use of Kajal goes back to ancient Indian history when it was called ‘Surma’ and the scenario prevails. Kajal is one such makeup product which is loved by the masses! There may be times when even makeup addicts & beauty lovers like us might just ditch everything else but would never step out of the home without defining the eyes with a dash of Kohl. With so many kajals in the market, we are here to help you out and choose the best smudge proof and affordable kajals available in India.

Best Kajals & Brands Available in India- Affordable, Smudgeproof & Intense!

Maybelline The Colossal Kajal 12 Hour: The Maybelline Colossal Kajal in Black (Price Rs. 199) is my personal favorite and I don’t even remember how many of these I have re-purchased till now. The is an intense black kajal pencil and it stays put for 3-4 hours on the waterline without smudging much. The formula is smooth and creamy and it does not sting the eyes either. It is a great everyday option which is one of the best affordable kajals available in India. Maybelline recently launched it in the shade Turquoise (Price Rs. 249) as well which is great for adding a pop of color!

Lakme Eyeconic Kajal Black: The Lakme Eyeconic Kajal in Black (Price Rs. 200) is very similar to the Maybelline Colossal Kajal except for a few differences. This retractable pencil packaging which does not require sharpening is slightly less intense in color as compared to the Maybelline kajal.The point where it supersedes the Maybelline Kajal is it’s wear time (5-6 hours), it lasts much longer on the eyes and does not budge or smudge easily. Lakme Eyeconic Kajal is definitely the best smudge proof kajal in India which is also easy on the pocket. Lakme’s Eyeconic range of kajals are also available in 5 more shades: Brown, White, Grey, Green & Blue (Price Rs. 250)

L’Oreal Paris Kajal Magique: If you prefer natural looking and not so black kajals then L’Oreal Paris Kajal Magique (Price Rs. 245) is the one to try. Barring the low color pay off, it delivers in terms of pigmentation and staying power. It easily lasts for 6-8 hours with minimal smudging & fading which makes is the best kajal for oily lids. L’Oreal Paris Magique Kajal would be great as an eyeshadow base for smoky eyemakeup.

Faces Long Wear Eye Pencil Solid Black: Though this is not marketed as a kajal but it very well could be and would make it to the top spot of all the ‘Best Kajal List’. Solid Black is a rich deep black color which shows up easily in a swipe. Gives an intense finish be it on the waterline or eyelids and stays put for a good 6-7 hours without smudging or budging. A great contender as one of the best kajals in India, this is priced at a decent tag of Rs 449.

Lakme Absolute Kohl Ultimate:  This is the blackest black of all the kajals mentioned in the list. It is super intense and highly pigmented, you just need one swipe of this Kohl and you are good to go for the entire day. It lives upto its claims of 8 hours of wear time on the waterline without smudging. Once applied, it sets quickly and does not budge. It is water resistant and requires proper makeup remover to get completely removed from the eyes. Thanks to the built in sharpener and smudger, smudged kohl-ed eyes is a child’s play with this one. Only hitch with this kohl is that it needs to be sharpened which leads to wastage. With a price tag of Rs 725, this Lakme variant is pretty expensive for a kohl.

MAC Eye Kohl Smolder: Though we primarily wanted to include the best kajals in India which are smudgeproof and affordable but we could not help but include MAC Eye Kohl Smolder (Price Rs. 1300) It is a cult favorite with MAC lovers & Makeup Artists for creating smoky eyes as it is easily smudge-able. The color is intense black and is very much comparable to the Lakme Absolute Kohl Ultimate in that aspect. It has a very creamy and smooth texture which glides easily without tugging or pulling eyes. However, it needs to be sharpened which again leads to wastage of the product.

HBM Edit: Personally, I prefer the Lakme Eyeconic Kajal over Maybelline as it shows up much more easily on my waterline and stays put longer however it isn’t so suitable for those with overly sensitive eyes. You must try them out as both the brands have equal loyalists 🙂

So those were our top picks as the Best Kajals/Kohls & brands available in India. Let us know which ones are your favorites

Guest Post By Ria

MAC picture C/0 Google Images