Pencil vs. Powder Pencil eyeliners are a quick, convenient option, but they do have problems; they tend to smear and unless you are using a twist-up pencil they are tricky to keep sharpened. Another option for applying a line is to use a tiny eyeliner brush with an appropriate color of traditional eyeshadow powder. You can use a dark-toned, matte eyeshadow color (almost any medium to deep eyeshadow color can work) and a tiny brush. Apply the eyeshadow by wetting the brush and using it as “liquid” liner. The application is more controlled, but once it dries you have the soft look and the staying power of a powder without the hard edge that liquid eyeliners can create. A tiny, thin eyeliner brush allows absolute control over the thickness of the line around the eye. Another benefit to using powder and a brush is that you can use the powder as an eyeshadow just by selecting a different brush size. Applying Eyeliner Assuming you have a steady hand (if not, try this sitting down so you can steady your arm by placing your elbow on a table), position the brush, pencil, or applicator so it is as close to the lash-line along the eyelid as possible. Then draw a line from the inner to outer corner using one fluid stroke, following the curvature of the eyelid. Do not extend the line past the outer corner of the eye or hug the tear-duct area of the eye. To start, keep the line as thin as possible, and if a thicker line is desired, repeat the process either across the entire lash-line or simply on the outer third of the lid along the lashes. Making the line along the eyelid a solid, even one, starting thin at the front third of the lid and becoming slightly thicker at the back third of the lid can be an attractive classic look. You can line all the way across the eyelid if you like, from the inside corner to the outer edge, or you can stop the line where the lashes stop and start. Along the lower lashes, line only the outer two-thirds of the eye. Be sure the lower liner is a less-intense color than the upper liner. Also make sure that the two lines meet at the back corner of the eye. As a general rule, avoid lining all the way across the lower eyelashes. Leaving some space on the inside corner of the eye where the lashes end near the tear ducts gives a softer, less severe look. Plus, wrapping a complete circle of eyeliner around the eye tends to create an eyeglasses look and can make the eyeliner a stronger statement than the eye itself. Makeup artists sometimes recommend that women over 40 not line the inner corner of the eye either on top or on the bottom. Instead, highlighting this area with a light shade of matte eyeshadow can be a very attractive alternative. How thickly can you line the eye? As a general rule, for a classic look, the thickness and intensity of the eyeliner is determined by the size of the lid–the larger the eyelid area, the thicker and softer the eyeliner should be. The smaller the eyelid area, the thinner and more intense the liner should be. If your lid doesn’t show at all, forget lining altogether.[pagebreak] Which color should I use? For a classic eyeliner application, choose shades of dark brown, gray, or black for the upper lid and a softer shade of those–tan, taupe, chestnut, soft brown, soft gray, or soft black–along the lower lashes. Eyeliner is meant to give depth to the lashes and make them appear thicker. If the liner is a bright color or a true pastel, attention will be focused past the lashes to the colored line, as opposed to the more subtle flow of color from dark lashes to dark liner. Checking For Mistakes After using powder eyeshadow as eyeliner, check for drippies under the eye and on the cheek. Drippies are those little powder flakes that fly off the brush and land on the cheek. Knocking off the excess from the brush every time helps prevent drippies, but there will always be flakes that end up where they don’t belong. The best way to go after drippies is to use your sponge and simply wipe them away. If you do this, your next step is to touch up your foundation if that has gotten smeared. Always double-check the intensity of your eyeliner application and blend away any thickness or color that is more dramatic than you intended. It is not possible to blend or correct mistakes with liquid liners. If you choose to wear pencil eyeliner, check for smears under the eye as the day goes by. This is annoying, but letting it go without blending away the smears can make any well-applied eye-makeup design look like a mess.
