Applying liquid eyeliner....

lostinrates

I find liquid liner easier than pencils, I don't know why! I also find the cheaper liners have the easier applicators. ATM have Barry M...because it was what they had at the airport...its ok.

Its worth just setting an evening aside to experiment. The elbow on a surface method is meant to be by far the best, but it doesn't work for me.

I second having a cotton bud to hand, if you correct immeadiately you don't need to dampen with eye make up remover, it just wipes tiny smudges. I also gree that the harder you try the harder it is. The hardest bit I fnd is the flick at the end....where mine looks best has changed a little with age.

brighthair

use a gel/cream one, much more forgiving - I like Clinique or MAC Fluidline, a pot lasts ages

GrammarGirl

For liquid liners, like many have said, the felt tip ones are much easier than the brushes. I like Prestige. I start in the middle and perfect my flick first (I like cat eye style liner), then go from inner corner to middle.

For pencil liner, I love Barry M's soft Kohl. It's really easy to smudge over the lid for a smoky, messy look. I do a thick line on the top lid then use my middle finger to smudge. Then I do a finer line along the bottom lashes and smudge but only a little.

One tip for black pencil liner is to do a line of dots then use your finger to smudge the dots together into a relaxed line. Hope that helps!

jenniewb

I really rate the Bobbi Brown Gel liners- have tried and tested many, think this has got to be the best I have used in 15 years!. Bonjours is another good brand for precision, but for ease of use, the bobbi brown ones cannot be beaten IMO!

I would go to a make-up counter, that way when you buy, they tell you how to use it, you get some practice and its all for free! Its also done with the help of a pro and so you get a second opinion from an expert!

If you can, grab a magazine so you have an idea of the look you want to re-create. Try practising a few times before you go and put it on to go out, that way your less stressed to get it perfect before you go out.

As someone above me suggested, start in the middle, work out wards. If you want "flicks", imagine a line running from the inside of your nose to the outside of your eye-brow. Thats the line you draw your 'flick' against. But its so hard to get these even when your starting that I'd wait till your a bit more confident.

Try not line your under eye- its an old look that will age you if you get it wrong! And for most people will make your eyes look very small and take away any natural features in your look. It also reduces the impact of the upper lashes.

Do one step at a time, one eye after the other- what you do to the left, straight away do to the right, its harder to copy a complete look from one eye to the other and far easier to do things one step at a time.

aliasojo

jenniewb wrote: »

Try not line your under eye- its an old look that will age you if you get it wrong! And for most people will make your eyes look very small and take away any natural features in your look. It also reduces the impact of the upper lashes.

Have to agree with this. My friend is in her 40's and still uses make up in the same way she did when she was 20. Looks awful to me but each to their own I suppose.

Fuzzy_Duck

Practice makes perfect Give yourself plenty of time and use a eyeliner shaped like a felt tip pen. Rest your arm on a flat surface and stretch your eye in the direction you're applying, which will make it a little easier. I simply dab a cotton bud in water if needed and run it past the line if I've messed it up.

If you're still finding it hard, some people recommend drawing lots of dots along the line, then joining them up. If you fancy using a 'cat eye' flick it's easier to use a paint brush type eyeliner when you're a bit more confident about applying it.

Just practice as often as you can really, it's a lot more useful when you get to grips with using both hands so you can do your left eye with your left hand and see what you're doing more easily.

The best advice I have is don't think too much about it- a quick flick across your eye generally ends up looking better than spending lots of time on it. I apply liquid liner every day and have got to the sad stage where I can apply it lying on my back without a mirror So keep trying, whenever you have a spare moment to play around with it!

miamoo

I am rubbish at it, but I sort of lay the nib of the brush flat and press it onto my eyelid moving it along till I get to the corner, this gives me a perfect line everytime!
I cant really do a flick though.

flippin36

I'm a bit rubbish too. I think Amy Winehouse but end up looking like Ming The Merciless!

TeetersOnHeels

Thanks for all your tips! Am off to have (another) practise session!!!

venus_in_furs

Practice makes perfect...the more you do it the better you will get and will work out how you like it. I have been doing it for ages and it is a cinch now. You just need to build up to it. I love 50's flicks and the whole retro look so have that most days.