The Book of Beauty

Eyeliner Tips and Tricks

•For winged eyeliner:
Place your pen at the outermost part of your nostril, then angle it upwards to meet the outer edge of your eye. Lower the tip of your liner where it lands and draw down toward your lash line.

•Make your eye makeup last longer by setting your eyeliner with a matching eye shadow.
First, line your eyes with a pencil liner, and then lightly dust eye shadow in the same shade on top to hold the liner in place, but be careful not to mess your eyeliner up!

•Use a pencil liner as a guide for tricky liquid liners.
If your hand isn't steady enough for liquid eyeliner, line your eyes first with a pencil liner, and then trace over it with liquid.

•Make a less pigmented eyeshadow more vibrant by covering your eyelid with a white eyeliner first.
This will help cancel out the color of your skin, creating a base for the shadow and making the color pop more.

•For a really natural look, tightline your liner by applying it in between the lashes instead of across the top of the lash line.
The easiest way to do this is to fill in your top lashes from the underside. This will make your eyelashes look fuller but won't leave you looking too made up.

•Simplify drawing a straight line by lining your eyes with dots first, and then connecting them.
Make sure your dots aren't too big. They should be the same size that you'd like the width of your line to be.

•Use the edge of a business card to get the perfect flick/wing.
Try tracing the line if freehand drawing is too tricky.

•Line your waterline with white liner to make your eyes appear bigger.
Lining the inner rims of your eyes with a dark eyeliner is great for a smoky eye look but can make your eyes appear slimmer. Opt for a white liner for a brighter and bigger look.

•Add glitter liner to instantly transform your look from day to night.
If you don't like to wear eyeshadow but want to amp up your makeup for the night, trace over your liner with a glitter liner.

•Use brown instead of black for a more universally flattering look.
An ashy brown liner works on all eye colors and shapes, and is less harsh than black. (I like using this trick for a daytime look).

•Use clear tape as a no-fail cat-eye guide.
Place the edge of the tape in line with your bottom lash line and angle the top toward the end of your eyebrow. (Favorite trick!)

•Which eyeliner color to use:
Use eyeliner that has the undertones of the opposite color of your eyes. Blue eyes, use copper eyeliner. Brown eyes, use navy blue eyeliner. Green eyes, use purple eyeliner, etc. Complementary colors help each other stand out, making your eyes pop!