Applying Eyeliner
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Assuming
you have a steady hand (if not, try this sitting down so
you can steady your arm by placing your elbow on a table),
position your brush, pencil, or applicator so it is as
close to the lash-line along the eyelid as possible.
Then draw a line from the inner to outer corner using
one fluid stroke, following the curvature of the eyelid.
Do not extend the line past the outer corner of the eye
or hug the tear-drop area of the eye. To start, keep the
line as thin as possible, and if a thicker line is
desired, repeat the process either across the entire
lash-line or simply on the outer third of the lid along
the lashes. Making the line along the eyelid a solid,
even one, starting thin at the front third of the lid
and becoming slightly thicker at the back third of the
lid can be an attractive classic look.
You can line all the way across the eyelid if you like,
from the inside corner to the outer edge, or you can
stop the line where the lashes stop and start. Along the
lower lashes, line only the outer two-thirds of the eye.
Be sure the lower liner is a less-intense color than
the upper liner. Also make sure that the two lines
meet at the back corner of the eye. As a general rule,
avoid lining all the way across the lower eyelashes.
Leaving some space on the inside corner of the eye where
the lashes end near the tear ducts gives a softer, less
severe look. Plus, wrapping a complete circle of
eyeliner around the eye tends to create an eyeglasses
look and can make the eyeliner a stronger statement than
the eye itself.
How thickly can you line the eye? As a general
rule, for a classic look, the thickness and intensity of
the eyeliner is determined by the size of the lid—the
larger the eyelid area, the thicker and softer the
eyeliner should be. The smaller the eyelid area, the
thinner and more intense the liner should be. If your
lid doesn't show at all, forget lining altogether.
What about applying eyeliner in the rim of the eye?
There are many reasons why this is not a good idea. The
first is that this kind of application smears in a very
short period of time and creates goopy dark specks in
the eye. Applying any makeup that is destined to smear
in less than an hour or two is not a good idea. Pencil
applied along the rim of the eye usually causes the area
to become irritated; after all you are putting a foreign
substance next to the mucous membrane of your eye. I am
equally concerned about the health of the eye area when
this technique is used. While there are no studies
indicating there are any risks associated with pencil
being applied to the rim of the eye, it seems
problematic to put cosmetic ingredients (that include
coloring agents and preservatives) that close to the
eye.
Which eyeliner color should you use? For a
classic eyeliner application, choose shades of dark
brown, gray, or black eyeshadow for the upper lid and a
softer shade of those—tan, taupe, chestnut, soft brown,
soft gray, or soft black—along the lower lashes.
Eyeliner is meant to give depth to the lashes and make
them appear thicker. If the liner is a bright color or a
true pastel, attention will be focused past the lashes
to the colored line, as opposed to the more subtle flow
of color from dark lashes to dark liner. Test it on
yourself. Line one eye with a vibrant color, the other
eye with brown or black, and see which one looks like it
has thicker lashes. Then, if all my attempts to convince
you have failed, and you still prefer to use bright or
pastel liners, go for it.
Checking for
Mistakes
After using powder eyeshadow as eyeliner, check for
drippies under the eye and on the cheek. Drippies are
those little powder flakes that fly off the brush and
land on the cheek. Knocking off the excess from the
brush every time helps prevent drippies, but there will
always be flakes that end up where they don't belong.
The best way to go after drippies is to use your sponge
and simply wipe them away. If you do this, your next
step is to touch up your foundation if that has gotten
smeared. Always double-check the intensity of your
eyeliner application and blend away any thickness or
color that is more dramatic than you intended. If you do
choose to wear pencil eyeliner, check for smears under
the eye as the day goes by. This is annoying, but
letting it go without blending away the smears can make
any well-applied, eye-makeup design look like a mess.
Eyeliner
Mistakes to Avoid
- Do not use greasy or slick pencils
to line the lower lashes; they smear and smudge.
- Do not use brightly colored pencils
or eyeshadows to line the eye; they are distracting
and automatically look like too much makeup. All you'll
see is the color and not your eye.
- Do not extend the eyeliner beyond
the corner of the eye (no wings).
- Do not make the eyeliner the most
obvious part of the eye-makeup design.
- Do not line the inside rim of the
lids, between the lash and the eye itself; it is messy
and can be unhealthy for the cornea.
- If you do use pencil to line the
eye, apply a small amount of eyeshadow over your
pencil eyeliner to help set it and keep it from
smearing.
- Do not apply thick eyeliner to
small or close-set eyes.
- Do not use eyeshadow as eyeliner
unless you use the proper brush (one with a small,
precise, fine-tipped point).
- Do not line the eye with a circle
of dark or bright color. Both are too obvious and
create an eyeglass-style circle around the eye.
- Do not overblend, spilling your
eyeliner onto the skin under the lower lashes; that
makes dark circles look worse.
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