Applying liquid eyeliner

By Janice Wacuka

It's understandable that many women are scared of applying liquid eyeliner because if not done well, the results are disastrous.

Liquid eyeliner takes precision, but a few tricks can help you maintain a steady hand while drawing and you can fix mistakes without ruining the line.

Nowadays, there are felt-tip liners, which are great for beginners as the marker-like point is sturdy and offers more control than a brush liquid liner.

A brush tip liquid liner requires a steady hand because the bristles wobble, but one can make short tentative ones until they form a line. Once you’ve mastered this type of liquid liner, you can draw different shapes, widths and winged ends better than with a felt-tip liner.

Starting out

Hold the pen in the middle to give you better control when drawing and rest your elbow on a counter or support it using the other hand. While looking in the mirror, tilt your head back slightly so you can see your lash line clearly.

Begin at the eye’s inner corner. Place the pen’s tip on your lash line and follow it outward, drawing one continuous line. Go over the line again if there are any gaps.

If the line looks uneven, dampen pointed cotton bud with water and wipe it along the edge to smooth it.

For a day look, draw a thin line along your top lashes, but for night you can go dramatic and sexy cat-eyed by thickening the line and winging it outwards. Wait about a minute for the liner to dry and then apply a lengthening or volumising mascara.

Tips

Remember to apply eye shadow before you apply the liquid liner and go for shades that will be enhanced by the liner.

When choosing a coloured liner, avoid anything in the red family as these can make your eyes look sickly.

Don’t match eye shadow with your eyeliner as a strip of eyeliner works just as well on it’s on. Just add mascara.

Liquid liner tends to stay longer without fading like eye shadow, so it will be worth it.