Makeup Monday: Liner

Happy Monday - I hope your weekend was fabulous.

I should preface this blog by mentioning that The Bachelor is on in the background and I'm squirming just a little in my sweatpants. 1) Why does the bachelor guy [don't know his name] wear so many turtlenecks and 2) why does that Vienna girl wear such dark eyeshadow all the time?

I'm all for dark eyeshadow in the right situation, but we'll get in to that at another time - today is dedicated to eyeliner. In University, that two day, overlined & smudged eye look was in. These days, the nude eye is the Blair Waldorf of Manhattan.

I want to keep this post short, because eyeliner shouldn't be the focus of your eyemakeup [with the exception of the winged liner look]. I think the days of heavy liquid liner on the top and bottom lashlines is a tad too much, and some of the best smokey eyes can be created without any liner at all. So this post will be dedicated to a few eyeliner tips I've learned along the way.

1) Connect the dots: the easiest way to create a smooth line with any style of liner (kohl, liquid, gel) is to use short strokes [I'm giggling] instead of trying to draw one straight line. Create small, even dots or small lines along your lashline as close to your lashes as possible and then either use a brush, or the liner to connect the dots - doing it this way will keep the liner close to your lashes and eliminate an uneven line.

2) Tighter is better [giggling again]: tightlining is essentially pushing eyeliner into your lashes instead of drawing a line on the lashline. Tightlining gives the illusion of thicker lashes without looking like eyeliner and its my favourite way to use liner. I use a cake liner [powder form] for tightlining which works really with a wet liner brush, but you can use a regular pencil (freshly sharpened) or gel liner as well. What you want to do is [note: being close to a mirror is key here] simply dot your liner in between your lashes on the inner rim of your upper lashes. You can do this two ways - using one hand to gently lift your eyelid to see exactly where to press the liner, or simply lean close to a mirror, look up, and tilt your head slightly up as well to see the inner rim of your upper lashline and place the liner between your lashes. Voila: a thicker lash base without the thick liner. Another tip? Skip liner on your lower lashline [especially for the workday] and take a brown pencil liner and dot it between your bottom lashes. Smudge with your finger and it will create a thicker lashline without heavy liner.

3) Swap liquid for gel: I'm not a fan of liquid liner. Aside from being unforgiving and difficult to apply, liquid liner tends to be harsh. New gel liners are a little softer, easier to apply and still provide great payoff especially when doing a winged liner look. Bare Escentuals new Buxom Lashliner is amazing - it lasts all day, is gentle on your eyes, and is designed to condition and grow your lashes. WIN

4) Simplify the winged liner look: I know you aren't all a fan of devil kitty, but all of us can work the winged liner cat look - and application isn't just for pro's. Two easy ways to create this look:

• Kohl Liner: sharpen your liner and start by making small strokes working from the inside of your eye out, keeping the liner precise and close to your lashes. Once you get halfway up your eye, when you draw the rest of the line, instead of using the tip of the pencil, angle the pencil in your hands so the side of it drags down your lashline, creating a thicker line along the outer part of your eye. You can stop at the end of your lashline or take one more stroke [ew] and wing the liner slightly up and past your eye - quick & easy, just the way I like it.


• Gel Liner: Using a liner brush, make small strokes along the lashline, connecting the dots while focusing on the outer corner of your eye. Don't take the liner past your lashline, instead draw a thin, thin line from the very outer corner of your eye and up, it should almost look like another eyelash. You can leave the liner like this to make your lashes look longer, or you can connect the small line to the liner on the lashline to create a thicker wing that looks amazing with top-lashes only mascara

Like I said, unless you are creating a winged liner look, eyeliner shouldn't be the focus of your makeup, especially if you have smaller eyes. More liner will make your eyes look smaller and increase the chance of that sexy black eye look should the night get a little messy.

Speaking of that black eye look, that black eye girl just snuck into turtleneck boys bed in this castle that they are apparently renting for the evening. He is now telling her to go back upstairs. FAIL for her. She's crying and wearing a glittery purple top in her personal interview thingy, and my bet is she goes home without a rose or a chance to live in turtleneck harmony for the rest of her life. Shame.

Tootles,

xxLM