On the Line

I love eye liner. Eye liner is almost always used to accent performance makeup, but with a little practice it can become a part of every girl's daily beauty routine. I first started practicing with liner at around 14, when I was asked to apply it on myself and the other girls on my high school drill and pom team. I hated it. It seemed impossible to draw a straight line on a curved lid and to keep it in one place without smudging it all over my eye. Wings? Forget it.

After a while I became so frustrated with it that I gave up. I only applied liner to my inner rims until my senior year of high school. In college, inspired by other fashion forward girls with perfect liner (my roommate), I practiced HARD and finally got it down. With that said, the number one rule to eye liner is practice. A close second is tracing and wings/cat eye come in at third.

Liner Tutorial:
1. Begin at the inner corner of the eye closest to the bridge of the nose and trace the upper lash line in one solid movement all the way to the outer corner of the eye. STOP.
2. Angle brush diagonally and draw a line upwards from outer corner towards the brow. Line if extended should be about half an inch from the brow (less to make eyes look closer together, more to draw eyes further apart).
3. Trace the same line at a slightly higher angle, making the two lines meet at the outermost point. Fill in space in between lines to create a cat eye/wing.

Liner Wars



ARDENCY INN PUNKER in jet black. The world's baddest eye liner is indeed very bad. I'm not a fan, but it doesn't mean you won't be. This liner is great for drawing paper thin lines. DO NOT use this liner if you want heavy pigmentation. I traced the line several times and only got a dark grey.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner in jet black. My personal favorite. This liner's felt tip applicator is extra fine and stays wet with liquid for precise drawing. The liner does not smudge and is easy to trace over. Cap it like a pen and take it with you on-the-go. For the girl that needs a perfect line FAST.

Kat Von D Autograph Liner in Puro Amor. Far better than the Kat Von D Tattoo liner pens, line goes on smooth and lasts for hours. Water resistant, but not waterproof. The brush and pot take me back to the days of my first eye liner.

MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline. I am a Sephora girl so I can't commit to the whole MAC line, but I am in love with this pencil. My best friend gave this to me as a birthday gift (after she noticed I'd been stealing hers) and I've been wearing it everyday since. Use this pencil to line your inner rims for an intense black and a lasting smokey look. Don't forget to line the upper inner rims as well. This takes practice. Don't take an eye out.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink. An average liner for daily use. Easy to use with Bobbi's ultra-fine liner brush. Wet the brush for even easier application. I did have to trace the line a couple of times to achieve a jet black, but the liner doesn't clump together. WARNING: This is not an easy liner to draw wings with.

PRO TIP

Dry your eyeliner quickly by taking a blowdryer to your face. Gives your liner more hold.