Perfectly applied, sharp as the blade of katana and pitch-black eyeliner is a dream of every makeup lover. However, those sharp wings are just as hard to draw on as actual academic drawings, they even demand as much time and skills! Want to learn how to draw a perfect cat eyeliner on your eyelids before summer? Then you better start practicing your wings right away while you still have plenty of time to master the art of eyeliner application. And these top 10 eyeliner tips and hacks will help you along the way.
- The Smaller The Better
I would like to start with one of the most obvious, yet crucial eyeliner tips for every makeup beginner. Not every one of us was born with ideally shaped eyelids that are large and can pull off any makeup look. Those of us who have small eyelids, hooded and monolid will benefit from very fine eyeliner brushes. A few years ago I got two angled eyeliner brushes with very fine and short synthetic hairs. These were the best spent two dollars ever. Long handles give me total control over the whole process of eyeliner application, while fine brush hairs ensure precision.
- Sketch Before Apply
No masterpiece is ever made without preliminary planning. Luckily, we don't need to draw Mona Lisa in the corners of our eyes but still can lightly sketch the desirable eyeliner size and shape before drawing it with an actual gel or liquid eyeliner. I like to use one of my angled brushes dipped in wet black or gray matte eyeshadow or loaded with a black pencil. For the inner corner and lash line, I don't need a sketch, but the actual wing can be lightly drawn on the skin. Made a mistake? No problem, softly remove any error with damp cotton or touch it up with a concealer. Finally, go over the sketch with your favorite eyeliner product and enjoy the perfect makeup look.
- Low-key Colorful Eyeliner
One of the best ways to add color to your everyday makeup is by trying out colorful eyeliner. Of course, not everyone has a rainbow of eyeliner colors at their disposal, so the next trick is going to be very useful for those who crave some makeup diversity. To create an effortless, low-key colorful eyeliner you are going to need creamy black eye kohl and pigmented color eyeshadow (matte, shimmer, or glitter.) Draw a winged eyeliner on your eyes as you like and set it with colorful eyeshadow, gently patting the pigment onto the line. Clean any fallouts and emphasize the sharpness of the wing with an opaque concealer.
- Eyelash Curler Eyeliner Trick
The eyelash curler eyeliner trick is suggested by my favorite makeup artist Wayne Goss. He noticed that loaded with product eyelash curler curve leaves almost perfect print on the eyelid, shaped like a winged eyeliner. For this eyeliner hack, you'll need an eyelash curler and creamy black eye kohl, slightly warmed up on the back part of your hand. Open the curler and load the upper part with the pigment. Now, curl your lashes as you normally would do and press the pigment on the eyelid. In just 30 seconds all the pigment will transfer onto the skin and you'll get almost perfectly lined eyes! Isn't this trick fabulous?
- Magic Guide Line
Creating that one-stroke line on your eyes is challenging, especially if you are new to makeup. But, there is one useful hack that you can always lean on. Yes, I'm talking about a good old plastic card, spoon, or even silicone mask brush, which I previously demonstrated in one of my eyeliner hack blog posts. These everyday tools will help you create that magic guideline and ease tricky eyeliner applications.
- No More Smudging
Smudging is one of the most common makeup issues, associated with all kinds of eyeliner products. Mostly it affects those of us, who have small or hooded eyelids and live in hot and humid climates. Waterproof eyeliner can solve the smudging problem, but, if you don't have one in your makeup arsenal, here is what you can do. After you applied eyeliner (gel, cream, or pencils) go over the line with pigmented black eyeshadow. It will fix the eyeliner product in place, reducing shine and preventing smudges.
- Tightlining Habit
One of my favorite eye makeup hacks that literally takes any makeup look to a whole new level is tightlining. This technique is one of the most popular among professional and amateur makeup artists and I regularly use it for my makeup tutorial. So, what is eye tightlining? It is a process of covering up blank spots and makeup-free areas on your upper and lower lash and water lines, that helps to intensify the eye look. All you need to tightline your eyes is creamy, soft black eye kohl, which you should apply directly on both water lines. It might not sound like something important, but creates such a dramatic difference in eye makeup.
- Bobby Pin Eyeliner Hack
The next eyeliner hack is one of the most effortless and works wonders for makeup beginners. I published a detailed bobby pin eyeliner hack tutorial in the past, so don't forget to check it out for step-by-step instructions and pictures. To execute it, you'll have to find a regular bobby pin and remove the ball from its end. Strangely, mine didn't want to leave the pin, but I still managed to get the perfect line even with the ball attached. Lay the bobby pin flat on the corner of your eye with the v-shaped side, creating the desired angle. Fill in the shape of the eyeliner wing and simply fill it in with the product. Isn't the result fantastic? I'm still surprised with how it turned out to be! Strongly recommend the bobby pin eyeliner hack for every makeup beginner.
- Irregular Wing Shape
Another useful eyeliner hack for small and hooded eye shapes is drawing an irregular wing shape. When you have small or hooded eyelids, a regular xat eyeliner shape tends to "break" in the crease of the eye when it is opened. But you can solve this problem by cheating the eyeliner shape, personalizing it to the shape of the eyelids. Instead of smoothly connecting the tail of the eyeliner with the main part, draw a v-shape that looks even, when the eye is opened. Maybe my explanation does not make too much sense, but I hope you'll get the idea by looking at the tutorial.
- Concealer = Eraser
The last, but one of the most useful makeup hacks that will not only help you to fix eyeliner mistakes but also define the shape (and even color) of your lipstick and eyebrows. For this task, you'll need to use an opaque and creamy concealer that won't melt or bleed into the lines. It should be easy to apply on the skin and blend. Just like for eyeliner applications, I like to use an angled fine brush to erase any eyeliner errors.
Woah, that was quite a large blog post, but I really hope some of you will find it helpful and somewhat useful. These were my top 10 eyeliner tips, which I regularly use in my daily makeup routine. If you have any interesting tips or hacks, please feel free to share them with me and other readers in the comment section, I'm excited to hear them out.
Lots of love,
Liz
