White eyeliner is older than it looks. Vice's history of eyeliner describes the 1960s as a decade of heavy liner, popularized by models like Twiggy and Brigitte Bardot and by downtown it girls like Edie Sedgwick, and it notes that in 1965 the model Pattie Boyd published a tutorial on getting the look right. In the 1970s, the same history says, the trick was "a line of white eyeliner alongside the black to make the eyes look bigger and deeper."

It came back in a very different form with Euphoria. Vogue Singapore's roundup of the show's second season compared Jules's white-liner flicks to the Nike swoosh and pointed out that "Red eyeshadow truly shines when it is paired with white eyeliner." Suddenly white liner was graphic, not just brightening.

So there are two ways to wear it. The first is soft, a creamy white or nude on the lower waterline to make the eyes look more open, which is what most of us want on a tired morning. The second is graphic, a clean white wing or a line above the crease, which works best with little else on the eye.

The first grid is the white liners, from creamy waterline pencils to gels and a cream pot. The second grid is nudes and softer whites, which look more natural on the waterline. My tip: warm the pencil on the back of your hand for a second, then gently pull the lower lid down and draw one slow line.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On in Hemp Milk is the most reviewed liner in this edit by a long way. It is a creamy, waterproof pencil with vitamin E and jojoba oil, and Hemp Milk is a soft white that works on the waterline without looking stark.

Sephora Collection 12HR Retractable Eyeliner in 02 Matte Snow is the travel pick, with a built-in sharpener, so the tip stays fine. tarte fake awake in White is a tug-proof gel liner that is ophthalmologist tested and safe for contact lens wearers, which makes it the one I would give to anyone with sensitive eyes.

Make Up For Ever has two. Artist Color Pencil in 104 All Around White is smooth and buildable for dots and graphic lines, and the Artist Waterproof Color Cream in 02 is a pot you can use as a liner or an all-over shadow, with 24-hour waterproof wear.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Drawn This Way in 100 Salty is a sharpenable gel pencil made for wings and cat eyes. Wonderskin 1440 in Icing is the long-wear pick, waterproof, transfer-proof and smudge-proof. Dior Diorshow On Stage Crayon in 009 White is a waterproof kohl you can blend into a smoky look, though it has the lowest rating in this grid.

What I would skip: a stark matte white on the lower waterline for everyday. It can look harsh in daylight. Use Hemp Milk or a nude from the next grid, and save the bright whites for graphic looks.

Nude liner does the same brightening job as white with less contrast, and it is what I reach for most days. Urban Decay 24/7 in Beige Flag is the same creamy waterproof pencil as Hemp Milk in a beige. tarte fake awake in Universal Nude is the gel version, again safe for contact lenses. Marc Jacobs Beauty Drawn This Way in 110 Nude Attitude gives you a nude you can sharpen to a fine point.

Dolce&Gabbana Sleek Kohl Glider in 08 Blushing Nude has the best rating in this grid. It is creamy, transfer-proof and waterproof, with ten hours of wear. Make Up For Ever Aqua Resist Color Pencil in 13 Boundless Bisque is a gel pencil you can blend before it sets.

Sephora Collection has two picks here. The 12 Hour Colorful Contour Pencil in 54 Coconut is a soft white with thousands of reviews, and the Colorful Multi-Stick in 00 White Matte is a jumbo pencil you can use as a liner or blend out as a shadow, though its rating is the lowest here. Anastasia Beverly Hills Glidr in PEARL is a cream shadow stick with 12-hour wear, and it is the easiest way to brighten the inner corners.

What I would skip: nude liner on the upper lash line, where it mostly disappears. Keep it on the lower waterline and the inner corners, where it actually opens up the eye.

I think white eyeliner is easier than it looks once you pick a job for it. For a brighter, more awake eye, run a soft white or nude along the lower waterline and stop there. For a graphic look, draw one clean white line or flick and keep the rest of the eye simple, the way the Euphoria looks did. Start with a creamy pencil, because it is the most forgiving, and move to gels and cream pots once you know where you like it.