Crossing That Fine Line – Eyeliner Fun

As a very observant makeup artist I’ve come to the conclusion that most women have a love/hate relationship with liquid eyeliner. Or eyeliner in general, for that matter. I’d say that eyeliner is up there as being one of the most important things in your makeup bag, yet it’s one of those products women tend to have a great excuse for not using. In fact, I’m sure whoever came up with the saying ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again’ was having eyeliner trouble too. Because I totally agree. It’s not the easiest of products to get the hang of (memo – practice makes perfect), so imagine my dismay at seeing ‘Arti-Tech’ liner splashed all over the runways and magazines as one of the top trends for this season. The questions I’ll face in the coming months will be a little more complicated than ‘Where should it start? Where does it end?’.

MAC’s latest lookbook is full of Arti-Tech liner ideas which Val Garland showcased brilliantly at the Mary Katrantzou show. It is basically a sharp fancy line around your eye that goes anywhere, apart from near your lash line. It’s very geometric. It’s very angular. Its very high fashion darhhling and isn’t for the faint hearted. You can’t go wrong with this look because, any line goes and it’s all considered ‘artsy’. If you have never tried liquid liner because it scares the living daylights out if you, then I wouldn’t suggest this as somewhere to start unless you want to scare the living daylights out of everyone else. Halloween is coming up soon though, right?

Somewhere hidden in your eyeliner pen or pencil is magic. The things you can do with eyeliner is something Houdini would be envious of. You could get lost in the the shapes and styles you can create. I love changing the shape of the eye, making it more feline or more dolly-like. You can open your eyes, you can brighten your eyes, you can make it look like your lashes start from way up higher.. All it takes is a bit of time in finding what suits you, time I would strongly advise that you invest. One of the best things about eyeliner is it’s a lazy girl’s makeup must have, it actually looks like you’ve made so much more of an effort than what you might have done. But, before you rush out and buy the first liner that winks your way, read my tips below and take a little time to choose the right one for you. You wouldn’t want to end up looking like Crayola attacked you now, would you?

1) Use a liner that feels comfortable in your hand. If it sits awkward, it’s harder to get a clean line. When you shop for a liner hold it like you would if you were applying it, this will tell you if it’s comfortable or not. NYX makes an eyeliner called ‘The Curve’ which sits perfectly in your hand.
2) If you have a shaky hand, rest it on something like your dressing table, or steady it with your opposite hand. Think stabilizer on a bike.

3) Look down into a mirror when applying on the top lid, look up into a mirror when applying to the bottom. This will ensure you don’t have gaps between your lashes and your liner.

4) The tip of the liner is very important as it dictates the finished look. A fine long brush is very hard to use if you never have before, but it will give a really thin precise line which can be good if you want it to look very natural. Not good if you want to create a thicker line and a feline flick as it would take a few ‘swooshing’ movements to achieve. Bourjois has a good one called ‘Clubbing Liner’. A sponge tip applies a little thicker and is good if you want people to notice you have it on. Also very good for shaky hands because if the edge is a little jagged it isn’t noticeable as much. I like the L’Oreal ’Super Liner’. I’ve always avoided a felt tip liner after my first one dried up after one use. It also tends to run. For everyday I use a Mac gel liner called ‘Fluidline’ and dip a brush into it. It isn’t as harsh as a liquid but gives the same defined finish. I also find the brush easier to control because it’s thinner.

4) The more pressure you apply, the thicker the line. So for you newbies, start with light strokes and build the line up.

5) Always work in an upward motion. Eyeliner can make your eyes look sad if the line droops down at the end.

6) If you find it easier you can hold the eye taut with the opposite hand. Don’t hold it too tight as when you let go the line could look jagged and uneven.

7) For a feline flick start at the inner corner and with one ‘swooshing’ movement pull the line all the way to the outer corner. Open your eye to do the flick as you want to see how it looks when your eyes are open, not closed.

8) If your eyes are quite small or close set, apply liner from the middle of the eye to the outer. This will open them up more. As would using white pencil in the water line.

9) If you are still not sure, use a pencil first. You can always go over it with a liquid for a deeper, more defined line when you feel more confident.

10) Last but not least, experiment! See what suits your eye shape and what you feel comfortable and confident with!

Remember – it is only makeup and it can quickly and easily be removed. It’s annoyingly the quickest part of the whole process!