Have you noticed – as I have – that applying eyeliner has gotten just a bit trickier as you’ve gotten older? As we all know, our eyeliner application can go very wrong very quickly. And I think we’ve all been down that road.
There are many reasons why our eyeliner can become more challenging to apply. First, not too many of us have the same vision we had when we were in our 20s and 30s – or – we may have developed hooded eyes. In addition, the texture of our eyelids certainly changes and perhaps our hands may not be quite as steady as they once were… or it may even be a combination of several of these factors.
Fortunately, there are some eyeliner application tools, techniques and products that can make the application beautifully doable.
Eyeliner Can Make a Huge Difference
No matter our age, eyeliner can make a huge difference in helping us look our best. Since our lashes get lighter and shorter and become less dense as we get older, it’s more important than ever to highlight our eyes by giving them more definition and dimension. Our lashes can look fuller and thicker with eyeliner, and eyeliner can also better define the shape of our eyes.
The Most Important Tips
Have you ever thought you did a great job with your makeup and then when you jumped in your car and looked in the rear-view mirror, you cringed?
Tip #1: Magnifying Mirror
To avoid the cringe we need to invest in a magnifying mirror or magnifying makeup glasses since it’s essential to get up close and personal around our eyes.
Tip #2: Minimize the Shakiness
If our hands shake a bit, it can help immensely to sit down, plant our elbows on a firm surface and rest our pinky finger on our cheek. These three things can help us gain greater stability as we apply eyeliner which can make a huge difference.
Tip #3: Apply a Good Eye Primer
Eye primer not only covers up discoloration that most of us have on our eyelids, but it also keeps all of our eye products in place longer – especially if we have oily eyelids or hooded eyes. Three excellent eye primers are Sigma’s Eye Base in the shade “Ignite” or “Persuade,” Urban Decay’s Eye Primer Potion in the color “Eden” and Makeup by Mario’s Master Eye Prep and Set which comes in Light, Medium and Deep.
Tip #4: Choose a Creamy Eyeliner Formula
Since many of us have eyelids that aren’t quite as smooth and taut as they once were, it’s important to think about the type of eyeliner formula to use. We want to choose a product that’s creamy so it will glide on more easily over a textured surface and won’t tug or pull that delicate eye area skin. We can use cream eyeliner, gel eyeliner, pencils, liquid liners or eyeshadow – whatever we find easiest to use.
For most of us, eyeliner pencils or eyeshadow are the easiest products to use. And if we’re using a pencil that needs to be sharpened, we want to make sure it’s sharpened before we begin our application. And since many of us have issues with eyes that water, choosing eyeliner that’s waterproof and not irritating can also be important.
In the video I demonstrate eyeliner application by using the two easiest products – automatic eyeliner pencil on one eye and eyeshadow on the other. On the eye where I’m using an automatic pencil, I apply eyeliner along the eyelid as close as possible to the lashes. The eyeliner I use is from Revant Cosmetics and I love it because it glides on. Revant products are made specifically for those of us with mature skin in mind. In addition to their brown and black eyeliners, they’ve also recently launched four gorgeous colors: purple, green, grey and navy. I’ll use the brown eyeliner on top and a softer and lighter application of it on just the outer 1/3 under my lower lashes.
Important Eyeliner Application Techniques
Smudging
First, we want to pull the eye slightly taut so any texture we have in our eyelid area doesn’t cause an uneven application. Then we want to apply the eyeliner as close as possible to the base of the lashes – or even between the lashes. Sometimes it’s easiest to just apply dots or small dashes and then connect them with a smudging tool which easily smooths and blends the eyeliner together so it looks perfect. Smudging our eyeliner creates a softer look which flatters our mature eyes.
Tightlining
Tightlining is a technique where eyeliner is placed under the upper lashes and in the waterline of the eye. Although it can look great, I do want to mention that most eye doctors do not recommend it. This is because there are 30-40 oil glands on the waterline that make oil for our tears. And unfortunately, placing eyeliner in this waterline can worsen dry eyes, cause styes or inflammation of the eyelids.
The Tools We Use Are Important
Smudging Brush
The small, angled smudging brush I mentioned earlier can make your eyeliner look perfect, but here’s another way you can use it. Rub it against the eyeliner pencil several times to pick up the eyeliner pigment and then use the brush – which is far more forgiving – to actually apply the eyeliner. And then you can smudge it out if you need to with the brush, a smudger or a Q-tip.
Cover Up with Eyeshadow
If you’re still not totally happy with how the eyeliner looks, go over the eyeliner color with eyeshadow to smudge it out a bit further. Applying the eyeshadow over the eyeliner works wonders to cover up any mistakes. It also softens the look of our eyeliner, and it can help our eyeshadow last longer.
On the other eye, I apply eyeshadow as my eyeliner using my small, angled brush. It’s important to know that not all eyeshadows will work effectively as eyeliner since some don’t have enough pigment and will disappear quite quickly. So it’s important to experiment with a few different eyeshadows to see which ones will be long lasting.
Oily Lids? No Problem!
If you have really oily eyelids or hooded eyes an eye primer is a must. Additionally, it can be helpful to take a very small amount of translucent powder on a brush and apply it very lightly over the eyeliner so it will stay in place longer. And, of course, applying eyeshadow over the eyeliner – as we just talked about – can also help.
Turn Your Eyeshadow into Waterproof Eyeliner
If you have eyes that water easily, let me suggest two products that can be used to turn any eyeshadow into waterproof eyeliner: Makeup Forever’s AquaSeal or Inglot’s Duraline. You simply put a drop of Aquaseal on the back of your hand, pick up some eyeshadow on a brush and then dip the brush into just a tiny bit of the Aquaseal and apply it to the eyelid. You’ve now turned your eyeshadow into waterproof eyeliner. But, you do have to wash out the brush that’s been used right away or it will stiffen and become unusable.
Erase and Do Again
Finally, let’s touch on what you can do if you make a mistake when applying your eyeliner. Usually, it’s possible to easily clean it up by dipping a pointed Q-tip into some makeup remover to clean up the mistake. Or there are also makeup remover pens.
I hope you found today’s tips helpful!
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Have you found an eyeliner that works well for you? If your eyes water easily, what do you do when applying your makeup? Please share any tips or products you have found helpful!
