I love liquid eyeliner but it’s not exactly easy to apply. I can remember when I was younger, going on YouTube typing in “how to put on liquid eyeliner” and trying my best to follow what the beauty gurus were doing. With enough practice, I finally learned and now I will teach you how to properly apply your liquid eyeliner without making a mess, even if you are a beginner!
There are two types of liquid eyeliner, felt tip and brush tip. So let’s go over both of them and figure out which one will work best for you.
Felt Tip Liquid Eyeliner
Felt tip eyeliners have a pen-like nib that eases the application process. Felt type eyeliners are easy to control, offer quick precision, and are great for thick lines. The problem is they are prone to smudges, often need to be layered, and are hard to remove. The tip is stiff so if you are a beginner you’ll want to be careful not to poke your eye.
Brush Tip Liquid Eyeliner
Brush tip liquid eyeliner gives the look of a liquid with the ease of a pen, making it easy to perfect your lining skills. What’s great about the brush tip eyeliner is that it’s great for thin, sharp lines. Think of it like a paintbrush – where you can just paint your eyeliner on. It has a nice matte finish and it removes easily. The downside is it requires time to apply and a precision that most beginners just don’t have. I also hate that it takes longer to dry and I’ve noticed it can flake over time. It’s not something you want to choose for a long day or an all-night event.
The Jennifer Chiu Technique
- She uses a brush tip liquid eyeliner (NYX Studio Liquid Liner). She starts off by shaking the tube so the formula is nice and smooth.
- The most important thing is how you hold the brush. You want to lay it flat. You don’t want to go straight in with the tip of the brush because that always gets a little messy.
- Start in the middle of the eye. Get as close to the lash line as possible. Start in the middle because if you start in the inner corner it can leave a big glob there and nobody wants that! When you start in the middle and drag to the outer corners you are using the leftover product to go and line the inner corner.
- If you want a little wing action, follow along the lower lash line going upwards. This is a great guideline to make sure that your eyeliner is even. When that’s done fill it in and go over the wing if you want a more dramatic look.
The Connect The Dots Technique
- Hold the eyeliner like you would hold a pencil, and place your pinky finger on your cheek while pulling super gently downwards.
- Now you can start making little dots or dashes, whatever you find more comfortable, as close to the lash line as you can. For this we advise that you have a clear view in front of a mirror, do not use your phone’s reflection or camera just yet because it’s not very easy at first.
- Only when you have reached the end of your upper lash line, you can extend the dotted line as far as you’d like, curving it a little bit upwards. It is much easier for many girls to start with the inner part of the eye and go away from them, than starting by the tip of the wing and going inwards.
- Now using short and very light strokes start to connect the dotted line. It is very important that you do not hurry this part, as if you use too much force you may ruin part of the line and need to clean your skin and start again. Continue going up the line until you reach the end. The only thing you should keep in mind is that you can always grow the line thicker or further up without any issues, but doing the reverse is a little more complicated. So go easy.
- When you are done, apply a little bit of eye shadow of a similar color so that the line does not change, and some mascara as the finishing touch.
Does liquid eyeliner expire?
Yes, absolutely. Liquid eyeliner has the same expiration date as mascara, about six months. Pencil eyeliners are good for about three years but you don’t want to keep your liquid eyeliners for more than six months with average use. If you don’t throw out expired products it’s likely to cause an infection like pink eye.
Some common eyeliner mistakes
- Don’t pull or tug your eyes too harshly when putting on your eyeliner. When you pull and then release your eyes, it bounces back and well, your eyeliner does too. This creates an uneven texture.
- Don’t just line your bottom line. I have a friend who used to do this all the time. This creates a heavy undereye, making your eyes look unbalanced.
- Don’t line your entire eyes – top and bottom. This could close up your eyes and make them look smaller. Go heavier on the top but lighter on the bottom to make your eyes look bigger.
- As tempting as it is, don’t close your eyes when putting on your eyeliner. You want to apply eyeliner to look best with your eyes open so this is why you always want to apply eyeliner with your eyes open.
