Creating bold, dramatic eyes can be as easy as correctly applying liquid eyeliner. To enhance your eyes and stand out in the crowd, follow five simple steps to apply liquid eyeliner like a professional makeup artist.
1. Prep
Prep the eyelids with a light layer of foundation. This can help ensure the eyeliner goes on smoothly.
2. Begin at the roots
Begin applying the liquid eyeliner at the roots of the upper lashes in short dashes. It is easier to create an even line if you begin with a series of smaller lines. Always apply liquid eyeliner close to the roots of the lashes and work your series of lines from the inner corner of the eye to the outer corner.
3. Connect the lines
Connect the series of lines you have drawn so they form one continuous line. After you have practiced applying liquid eyeliner, you may consider skipping the series of lines and just applying it in one continuous line. However, if you tend to have shaky hands when applying eye makeup, short dashes connected will help you achieve the cleanest results. Remember that your eyeliner should be thicker near the outer corner of the eye and thinner near the inner corner. This will help give the appearance of a wider, more open eye.
4. The wing or flick
To achieve the cat-eye or Cleopatra look, extend the eyeliner past the outer corner of the eye slightly. Celebrity makeup artist, Daniel Sandler suggests pressing a credit card or ruler at an angle against the outer corner of your eye and using it as a guideline to draw the wing.
5. Lower lashes
Don't forget to line the lower lashes. Start at the roots, same as you did on the upper lashes. Begin your series of lines about halfway along the eye and work to the outer corner with the line getting thicker as you reach the corner. Connect the lines.
There are several brands and styles of liquid eyeliner. From CoverGirl to Maybelline and L'Oreal, liquid eyeliner can be found in major retail stores like Target, Walgreens and Wal-Mart. Bobbi Brown has a Long-wear Gel Eyeliner, and Urban Decay offers several shades and colors of their liquid eyeliner. Josie has an Argan oil-infused quick dry Magic Marker Liquid Eyeliner that can be found at retailers like Sephora.
Use these simple tips to learn how to apply eyeliner like pro. |
Learning how to put on eyeliner is often tricky and a little messy, but the opportunity to make your eyes pop makes the results more than worth the effort. |
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Permanent eyeliner uses a process similar to tattooing to deliver long-lasting results, though you should expect periodic touch up work to be necessary. |
When applied properly, eyeliner is a great tool for drawing attention to your eyes, looking more awake or creating a dramatic, glamorous look (see: Liz Taylor in Cleopatra). Still, with all the choices available it can be difficult to figure out what type of eyeliner is right for you. Learning the ins and outs of the different eyeliner types can help you navigate those numerous racks and cosmetic counters and take home eyeliner that will be the most convenient and useful for you. Pencil Pencil eyeliners are the most popular and least expensive of all types of eyeliner. You will find them in actual wooden pencils that you need to sharpen, as well as retractable sticks. Their size and shape makes them ideal for stashing in a clutch or bag; and that's quite fortunate because they don't exactly have the best staying power. The holy grail of eyeliner pencils would be one that is soft enough to apply smoothly, but firm enough to stick around for a while. Unfortunately, your choice is usually one or the other. Cream and gel Need major intensity and staying power? A cream or gel eyeliner might be right for you. Trickier to apply than their pencil counterparts, cream and gel eyeliners require a wet or dry eyeliner brush as well as a steady hand. When your lines are painted, they will dry and stay put for the most part, until you wipe them off. Liquid eyeliner No muss, no fuss -- liquid eyeliner is a long lasting, all-in-one package that allows you to swipe and go without cleaning brushes or sharpening pencils. You control the thickness of the line by how you swipe, and it's a cinch once you get the hang of it. The downside? Mistakes can be messy, so until you get used to applying it, it's best to keep some eye makeup remover nearby. Eyeshadow as liner Matching your liner to your eyeshadow can be a very stylish look, and an easy way to do so is using your eyeshadow to line your eyes. This is also great when you're in a pinch and temporarily out of your normal eyeliner. Use a wet liner brush to apply the shade as you would with a cream or gel. Unfortunately, this doesn't have the staying power of the other methods and can also have a tendency to flake off and fall on your cheeks. To keep this to a minimum, make sure the shadow is nice and wet when you apply it, and use as little of the shadow as you can. |
When applying eyeliner, keep it on the slightly natural side, no matter the color, shape or amount used. Whether you use an eyeliner pen, a pencil or liquid eyeliners, you still need to follow certain guidelines for when you apply the eyeliner and the colors you choose. |
Eyeliner styles are as varied as the many looks liner can provide. |
Learn what makes eyeliner styles different from one another and which styles yield the best results. |
