Having lopsided or smeared eyeliner seems to be a precursor to how the rest of my day goes, sooner than later everything else just ends up a disaster. It’s like your life turns into one of those melodramatic infomercials where you just keep spilling coffee on your white blouse. Basically, eyeliner can be an entirely frustrating ordeal. From the price, to the application, to raccoon eyes–it’s not fun. So, I decided to create a sort of ultimate eyeliner guide to address some of the most common eyeliner woes I commonly head myself and lady friends complain about.
1. The Eyeliner
There are about a million kinds of eyeliner out there, the trick is to find the lesser of the evils, which can be a tedious and expensive process.
First off, let’s talk primer: If you’re going to wear shadow, look in to getting an eye primer, or at least swab some foundation over your bare lid to keep the oil at a minimum. If you are prone to oily lids, definitely use the primer, and set it with a translucent powder so there’s no smudging.
Instead of using a classic eyeliner, like liquid or pencil, you can even try using an eye shadow with a thin brush, even a very thin art paint brush if you’re looking to save some money. Just make sure that your brush is not short and stumpy, you want it to glide around your eye easily. Many people use the art brushes with their liquid liner instead of the brush that comes along. I can assure you that anything is better than the liners with a felt tip, it might be nice for now, but sooner or later that sucker is going to dry up.
If you have pencil liner and it’s cold outside, consider rubbing it in your palm or in between your fingers, so it can go on smoothly. If it’s hot out, stick your liner in the fridge or pop it in the freezer for a few minutes before you get ready so it doesn’t melt.
2. The Application
First of all, the beauty industry is in business to make us look young and beautiful, if you pull your eyelids out to the side when applying liner, get ready to start giving cosmetic companies more money. Pulling your skin, especially the sensitive skin around your eyes, can create wrinkles down the road, or exaggerate them further so play nice. Softly shut your lid and run your liner over it, when you get the urge to tug, just think of your grandma. Do not want.
Also, depending on what method you use, it’s usually best to work in small strokes with your arm resting on a surface. Start inwards, at the tear duct or somewhere in the middle for a more subtle look and work your way out. If you mess up, grab a q-tip with some coconut oil or whatever make-up remover you prefer.
Be wary of mineral oils in make-up remover or other product, because mineral oil is basically a pretty word for saying “pore clogging byproduct of petroleum.” Just be careful with using the coconut oil, it can be a little messy, it’s best to be used in small doses, since it can cause some smearing if you use too much.
If you have uneven eyes, there are several things you can do to make them less noticeable: the darker your make-up, the smaller your eye will look, so brighten up your little guy. If you use a slightly lighter shade of shadow or liner, like a charcoal instead of black it can help make your eyes look even. No one will notice, unless you have some really shallow friends who carry around magnifying glasses.
If you’re doing the cat eye, it’s really up to you how you want it to go–just a slight wing, or full on Amy Winehouse, it’s up to you. I found this YouTube tutorial pretty helpful, even though I usually don’t make my wings so angled, I still use the scalene triangle method to connect the dots.
After you have your basic eyeliner on, try putting a white or light toned liner on your waterline, it’ll make your eyes pop, and look much bigger. Dust a translucent powder over them for extra staying power
3. Touch-Ups and Removal
Eyeliner can be tricky depending on your situation, if you’re going to a sweaty rave party, you better get some waterproof liner and check your face from time to time. They make small purse-sized make up removed pads and q-tips for quick touch ups if something is out of line. Literally.
When you get home, and you think about going to sleep with your make-up on–don’t. If you’re planning on being lazy, go spend the $2 and get yourself some of those make-up removing and facial cleansing wipes. Some liners require a special remover to take it off, but if not, again, I will suggest using coconut oil and lightly wiping it over your eye with a cotton ball. Remember to protect your skin, wear a moisturizing under-eye cream to bed and sunglasses during the day to protect those peepers.
