Makeup How-To: Liner Notes

By Guest Blogger Sidory Dan-Perry

When choosing an eyeliner, we all want something that stays in place, does not smudge or fade away and most importantly, it has to be easy to use. Not all of us have a steady hand with makeup, so most of us rely heavily on the cosmetic companies to make everything user friendly.

Image: Stila

Stila makes a great gel eyeliner called “Smudge Pot.” It’s a two-in-one, working as an eyeliner and an eye shadow. If you decide to use this product as an eyeliner, you must use a brush. I suggest Stila’s #28 double-ended brush. One side is a small thin liner tip for precision and the other side has a small round tip best for a smudging effect.

If you intend to use this product strictly as an eye liner, I also recommend using a firm small angled brush like M·A·C’s #208. This brush was designed for brows but is the perfect shape for lining the eyes. It also works well with crème based liners and eye shadows.

Image: M·A·C Cosmetics

Now that eye shadow is more commonly used for eye lining there are some challenges that accompany the new use. The main issue we face with this innovation is excess shadow falling onto our cheeks. The best way to prevent this is to tap off the excess onto a tissue before each application. Some make-up artists use other methods like placing a tissue or applying loose powder under the eye area. The powder catches the excess color which simply just has to be brushed away after.

Then there is the old reliable pencil. In theory, it’s one of the easiest application methods but to this day, some of us end up poking ourselves in the eye. So here are some tips to avoid that. You should have a mirror in front of you that you do not have to hold. Using a pencil takes full concentration and having both hands free is essential. Tilt your chin up slightly and rotate your head when needed. Hold the pencil as if you’re writing and start in the inner corner of your eye. You may want to stabilize your hand on your cheek. As you draw along the lash line slightly rotate your head. This step will help avoid the unnecessary tugging. These simple steps make application a lot easier.

Just remember tilt and rotate!

Sidory is a freelance make-up artist based out of Washington D.C. She is also a contributing beauty writer and blogger for several online fashion publications and web sites. If you think she doesn’t do enough already, she’s also the Editor in Chief of her own beauty blogzine, beautyverve.com. Somewhere in between all this, she is a mother of two girls, wife, and abstract artist. Her friends call her a workaholic; she calls herself a rock star.