All About Eyeliner

     “Eyeliner is the ultimate way to define and enhance the eyes.  It frames the eyes, makes them appear larger, and really makes them stand out.”  -Bobbi Brown

     I love eyeliner so much.  Black eyeliner is my favorite; it's classic!  I barely ever wear anything else.  Black eyeliner is also very versatile; almost anyone can wear it.  Just a little side note, always wear concealer with black eyeliner, because it will make your dark circles look darker. 

     There are several different eyeliner formulas—gel, liquid, pencil, and shadow. 

     Gel and liquid are what Bobbi Brown calls the bad boys of eyeliner.  They’re definitely longer lasting than the rest and they’re great to use when creating dramatic looks.  They’re a lot darker and also a lot harder to apply.  One mistake can make your whole eye look bad.  They take a lot of practice to master, but if you get the hang of it they work really great!  I personally prefer gel over liquid; liquid eyeliner sometimes changes the shape of your eye. 

     Pencil is by far the most popular and easiest to apply.  Pencil is great if you want more subtle eyeliner and you don’t want it very dark.   The downside to it is that it smudges very easily.  To keep it long lasting, get an eyeliner brush (or a cotton swab) and sweep some eyeshadow the color of the eyeliner on top of the line.  It’s also great to do that if you want a smokey look.  To apply use short feathery strokes, it makes it look more natural.  To soften the eyeliner, smudge with you finger or a cotton swab.

     Shadow eyeliner is exactly what it sounds like.  It’s using any powder eyeshadow of your choice as eyeliner.  Shadow can give your eyeliner a smokey look, but it’s not very dark.  Using shadow eyeliner requires a good eyeliner brush—one that is thin, stiff, and flat, with either a straight or a slightly rounded tip.  It can be applied damp or wet.

How to Apply

     I usually start from the middle of my eye and work outwards.  Then I come back and line from the inner corner to the middle.  You can start in the inner corner and work to the outer corner.  Or you can start from the outer corner to the inner corner.  Just make sure that the line is always thinner in the inner corner and gradually gets thicker as you work out to the outer corner.  When applying eyeliner, use small strokes instead of trying to do a continuous line.  It works a lot better for people with shaky hands.  If you have a lot of trouble with your hand shaking, place your pinky on your cheek to steady it. Always start with a thinner line; you can always make it thicker if you need to.  Never leave space between eyeliner and the lash line.  Try not to pull on your eyes when applying eyeliner; it cause premature wrinkles.  If you need to, use a cotton swab to hold your eye lid still. 

     If you line your lower lash line, make sure you keep the line thin and close to the lashes.  Always make the lower line thinner than the top line.  Otherwise, it will draw attention to under the eye and make you look tired. 

     Lining the inside rims of your eyes (your water line is on the bottom and your tight liner is on the top) can look really cool, but the problem is, is that it make your eyes look smaller if you use black and it comes off easily and gathers in the corners. 

     In Bobbi Brown’s book Makeup Manual she tells how to make eyes more intense by double lining.  Use a dark shadow with a dry eyeliner brush, and then repeat with a liquid liner or wet brush using a slightly thinner line.  The gradation in depth from the lash line will give a dense look to the lashes.  The technique can also be reversed—gel can be softened with shadows. 

     One of my favorite eyeliner looks is the cat eye.  Here’s a video with a simple tip to help you achieve the perfect cat eye.

       I hope that helped some of you guys!  Have a great week! (:

Becca xxoo



*Photos taken from Maybelline website.