eye pencil application

With a little patience and practise, you can be a whiz at applying eyeliner in no time. It’s not THAT difficult.

Eyeliner can make even the smallest eyes appear larger. Applying it correctly is key, you don’t want the line to be too dark, harsh and obvious or you risk looking overdone. Here we share our favorite eyeliner tips and then give instruction on how to apply liquid eyeliner, pencil eyeliner and two looks: basic and smoky.

Smoky violet pencil eyeliner would go well with green eyes. Use slate, blue, gray and plum eye shadows for brown eyes, pink, salmon, mauve and brownish pink for green eyes and brown, camel and taupe shades for blue eyes. If you have a larger eyelid area, you can go for thicker and softer eyeliner. Choose thin and intense eyeliner if you have small eyelid area.

Liquid eyeliner

A typical way to apply liquid eyeliner is to line the eye from the inside of the lashes outward in one big sweep.

You can also line the eye from the middle of the lashline outward. Then finish the line from the inner corner of the eye to the middle.

Stopping your eyeliner at the corner of the eyes will make them appear round and wide. Sweeping the line a little longer will lend a more exotic look.

Apply the eyeliner as close to the lash line as possible.

If you are just learning how to apply eyeliner, you may find it easier to sit at a table with a standing mirror in front of you.

Alternatively, lay a mirror down on a table so you can look down into it. Rest your elbow on the table to prevent shaking while applying eyeliner. A sure, quick stroke is far easier than a slow and seemingly controlled one.

Pencil eyeliner

Always sharpen the eye liner pencil to remove any bacteria that has built up.

If the eyeliner pencil tip is quite dry, it may pull at the delicate eye tissue.

Stretch the eye as you are lining it. Focus the eyeliner just above the lashes on the top lid.

Avoid greasy or slick eyeliner pencils to line the lower lashes as they smear and smudge.

The basic eye

This is the perfect work or weekend look for women who want their eyes to “pop” without looking overly made up.The key to the basic eye is to apply with a light hand. If you’re fair skinned, opt for a lighter shade than kohl or black. The basic eye is all about appearing natural. This look calls for liquid or pencil eyeliner, a deep-hued eyeshadow and an eyeliner brush.

Step 1: Holding the skin of your upper lid taut, apply eyeliner from the outside corner of the eye, stopping two-thirds of the way along the eyelid. Apply with short strokes, drawing the line into the lash line rather than above it. For a more dramatic look, make the outside line a bit thicker than the inside.

Step 2: Set liner with a deep eyeshadow. Dip eyeshadow brush into the shadow, then apply shadow over the eyeliner. This will set the eyeliner, which tends to rub off on eyelid.

Step 3: Apply eyeshadow to lower lashes. Using your eyeshadow brush, apply the deep-hued eyeshadow along the bottom lashes, from the outside in. Unless you have wide-set eyes, don’t line the entire lower lid. Instead, stop halfway across. For a more natural look, don’t dip the brush into the shadow again, instead, use the excess that’s still on the brush for the lower lashes.

Step 4: Clean up any mistakes with a earbud.

Extra tips: To make eyes appear wider, trace the inner rims of eyes with a white pencil.

The smoky eye

Always on-trend, the key to the smoky eye is to blend well. Also, make sure to keep all other makeup light or you risk looking overdone.

Step 1: Holding the skin of your upper lid taut, apply eyeliner from the inside corner of the eye outward. Draw strokes into the lash line. The middle of the line should be a bit thicker than the edges.

Step 2: Use a finger or earbud to “smudge” the liner.

Step 3: Dab an eyeshadow brush into a deep-hued eyeshadow and apply over the eyeliner to set the line. (Blow on the brush first to remove any excess shadow). Layering liner with a shadow is the secret to a perfect smoky eye.