Even if you have been wearing eyeliner since you were a preteen, it can still somehow be the hardest product to apply. Foundation and blush are intuitive in their application and are relatively easy to learn to use, but when it comes to eyeliner one wrong move of the hand and you’re back to square one. Even if you’re a makeup pro, it can’t hurt to read a few hacks in the hopes of learning something new.
The following are the most genius eyeliner hacks we could find:
1. Line your eyes with dots and connect them
Dot your eyelids with dots, the size of which should be the same as the thickness of the line you want to shape your lids with. Then connect the dots with the liner.
2. Draw a line with a swab and petroleum jelly
If it is tough to get a perfect line, draw a rough line first and then use a cotton swab dipped in petroleum jelly to smoothen it. The petroleum jelly will give the liner a shiny finish to complete the look.
3. Use your eyeliner to apply in between the lashes
Fill in your top lashes from the underside with a thin brush and brush it up. This will give the effect of fuller lashes, like applying mascara. You can use this technique when you have gaps in your lashes where there is no hair.
4. Use skin-colored eyeliner to fix smudges
Despite all the care taken to draw the eyeliner if you have smudged your liner a bit too much, use a skin-colored liner to match your skin color, and draw over the dark eyeliner. You can also sharpen or smoothen the edges of the liner with a skin-colored liner. Skin tone liners are often overlooked. When shopping for an eyeliner always buy one skin-colored liner to suit your skin tone. Once you get used to using the skin toned liner you will realize that it’s worth it.
5. Learn the eye makeup lingo
Familiarise yourself with the parts of the eye for eyeliner application. You may know eyebrow, eyelid, etc., but that’s just not it. You have to learn the makeup lingo. Figure out the inner rim, outer rim, water line, crease and so on to understand the place of application of the liner.
6. Use white liner to line your waterline
Line the inner rims of your eyes with a white or a light color eyeliner for a brighter and bigger look. Using a dark liner may make your eyes appear slimmer but when you want a bold look go for a light color.
7. Try a brown eyeliner for a flattering look
When we think eyeliner we tend to think black. An ash brown or a dark brown eyeliner looks good if you want a subtle look. It suits all eye colors and shapes and it is not as harsh as the black. If you are prone to dark circles, apply a light eyeshadow and apply the eyeliner on the eye shadow.
8. How to apply liquid liner if your hands are not steady
If liquid liner suits you well but you are not good at applying it, line your eyes with a pencil liner first and then trace over it with liquid. Pencils are simple to draw. Use a lightly pigmented pencil to draw and then trace over it. Make sure you sharpen the pencil well so that you do not draw a very thick line.