Another article dedicated to the greatness that is Sualey...
Basics:
+ Prepare the eyelid my applying a light coat of foundation or a liquid concealer.
+ Seal with a light dusting of powder.
+ Rest your elbows on a steady surface like a table.
+ Draw a line on the back of your hand to make sure there isnt too much product on the tip of your brush.
+Tilt your head back slightly and raise your brows.
+ Use only the tip of the brush to get a fine line. You can always go over it again if you want the line to be thicker.
+Don't apply any pressure to the brush, the product should glide on.
+ Don't attempt to draw the line all in one go if you don't have a lot of practice. Draw short in strokes along the lash line instead.
+ If you have trouble getting both eyes even- do both sides alternately: start on one side (inner or outer corner) and draw a short bit then do the same on the other eye.
+ Use cotton swabs (where one side is sharpened) and OIL-FREE makeup remover to correct mistakes.
A lot of people suggest pulling your lids outward but i find that that will just distort the line. If you apply no pressure to your tool there shouldn't be a problem to get the colour on evenly.
Experiment with different types of applicators, angles you put your hands, if you want to stretch the lid or not etc- applying eyeliner takes a little practice.
Liquid Eyeliner
This is probably the toughest one to apply since you have a high pigmentation in the product and it dries to a line like paint so its not easy to correct mistakes and all crooks will be visible.
If you still see skin between the lashes and your eyeliner when done (if you have very light lashes put on a very thin coat of mascara to get an idea of the end result)but are worried you will mess up your line by filling that in, use a freshly sharpened pencil instead. Try to get the colour right to the roots of the lashes (now you can pull your lid a little if it helps) because any space between your eyeliner and your lashes will just make you look silly. I suggest using a pencil for this as the waxy consistency is closer to the liquid and gives a similar finish. Eyeshadow will look too dull and ashy compared.
+ Also you must put on mascara..there is just no way a liquid eyeliner will ever look good withoot mascara!
Pencil Eyeliner
There are different types of pencils- ones that look more like a regular pencil and "twist" liners. The first one is sharpened with a cosmetic sharpener while the latter usually has a little plastic sharpener hidden on the end of the tube that not a lot of people know about.
Pencils are usually a bit easier to handle than liquid liners but don't last as long since they don't dry but stay a waxy consistency. They also tend to smudge more easily.
+ To set the liner and make it more durable apply some eyeshadow on top with a small slanted brush (using the same colour as the pencil) following the line you made.
+ When choosing a liner make sure its soft enough to glide on your lid (find a tester and use it on the back of your hand). You will know its too dry if you need to push it down for it to draw. Absolutely no pressure should be needed to get the colour transferred.
+ Work as closely to the lash line as you can using short feathery strokes. Fill in any spaces you see between the line and your lashes.
+ Using a pencil alone will give you a softer slightly blurrier line than a liquid liner but if you use both pencil and shadow you can achieve a similar finish in terms of opacity.
It's not really according to my makeup artist codex to advise anyone to use pencil on the inside of their eye since ophthalmologists would kill me but if you do only ever use pencil, no liquid liners. Make sure it's freshly sharpened (i.e. clean)and- like with needles- don't share!
Remember, though, that using a dark colour will make your eyes seem smaller.
You might have read that using a white pencil on the inside will make your eye appear bigger but really: it will just make you look like you're wearing white eyeliner on the inside of your eye.
Also the liner will run and end up in your lower lashes making them look grey. It can be a good look for fashion photos but i have yet to encounter someone who can pull it off in real life.
Eyeshadow Eyeliner
This is probably the easiest of them all...
Using eyeshadow as your liner will give you a very natural finish.
+ Use a fairly stiff-haired slanted brush. dip it in in your shadow, tap excess off and then stipple along your lash line. Eyeshadow will be quite forgiving so you don't have to be super accurate.
+ You can incorporate this into your daily routine as it will create depth and fill your lash line rather than seem like a real "eyeliner".
I use this technique on both the upper and lower lash line on almost every makeup I do. From a distance your lashes will just look fuller and your eyes are enhanced. If the lower line seems too harsh smudge it with a q-tip or your finger.
+You can also try this if you don't normally wear mascara but want a little more definition on your eyes. I also use this technique on men who have very few or very fair lashes as they might look like they have none at all on a picture (especially black and white pictures) but i choose a light and matte (!) sand colour just to get some definition.
+ If you want a more enhanced version and something closer to a liquid liner version dampen the brush -the shadow will be more opaque- and draw a thicker line.
Basics:
+ Prepare the eyelid my applying a light coat of foundation or a liquid concealer.
+ Seal with a light dusting of powder.
+ Rest your elbows on a steady surface like a table.
+ Draw a line on the back of your hand to make sure there isnt too much product on the tip of your brush.
+Tilt your head back slightly and raise your brows.
+ Use only the tip of the brush to get a fine line. You can always go over it again if you want the line to be thicker.
+Don't apply any pressure to the brush, the product should glide on.
+ Don't attempt to draw the line all in one go if you don't have a lot of practice. Draw short in strokes along the lash line instead.
+ If you have trouble getting both eyes even- do both sides alternately: start on one side (inner or outer corner) and draw a short bit then do the same on the other eye.
+ Use cotton swabs (where one side is sharpened) and OIL-FREE makeup remover to correct mistakes.
A lot of people suggest pulling your lids outward but i find that that will just distort the line. If you apply no pressure to your tool there shouldn't be a problem to get the colour on evenly.
Experiment with different types of applicators, angles you put your hands, if you want to stretch the lid or not etc- applying eyeliner takes a little practice.
Liquid Eyeliner
This is probably the toughest one to apply since you have a high pigmentation in the product and it dries to a line like paint so its not easy to correct mistakes and all crooks will be visible.
If you still see skin between the lashes and your eyeliner when done (if you have very light lashes put on a very thin coat of mascara to get an idea of the end result)but are worried you will mess up your line by filling that in, use a freshly sharpened pencil instead. Try to get the colour right to the roots of the lashes (now you can pull your lid a little if it helps) because any space between your eyeliner and your lashes will just make you look silly. I suggest using a pencil for this as the waxy consistency is closer to the liquid and gives a similar finish. Eyeshadow will look too dull and ashy compared.
+ Also you must put on mascara..there is just no way a liquid eyeliner will ever look good withoot mascara!
Pencil Eyeliner
There are different types of pencils- ones that look more like a regular pencil and "twist" liners. The first one is sharpened with a cosmetic sharpener while the latter usually has a little plastic sharpener hidden on the end of the tube that not a lot of people know about.
Pencils are usually a bit easier to handle than liquid liners but don't last as long since they don't dry but stay a waxy consistency. They also tend to smudge more easily.
+ To set the liner and make it more durable apply some eyeshadow on top with a small slanted brush (using the same colour as the pencil) following the line you made.
+ When choosing a liner make sure its soft enough to glide on your lid (find a tester and use it on the back of your hand). You will know its too dry if you need to push it down for it to draw. Absolutely no pressure should be needed to get the colour transferred.
+ Work as closely to the lash line as you can using short feathery strokes. Fill in any spaces you see between the line and your lashes.
+ Using a pencil alone will give you a softer slightly blurrier line than a liquid liner but if you use both pencil and shadow you can achieve a similar finish in terms of opacity.
It's not really according to my makeup artist codex to advise anyone to use pencil on the inside of their eye since ophthalmologists would kill me but if you do only ever use pencil, no liquid liners. Make sure it's freshly sharpened (i.e. clean)and- like with needles- don't share!
Remember, though, that using a dark colour will make your eyes seem smaller.
You might have read that using a white pencil on the inside will make your eye appear bigger but really: it will just make you look like you're wearing white eyeliner on the inside of your eye.
Also the liner will run and end up in your lower lashes making them look grey. It can be a good look for fashion photos but i have yet to encounter someone who can pull it off in real life.
Eyeshadow Eyeliner
This is probably the easiest of them all...
Using eyeshadow as your liner will give you a very natural finish.
+ Use a fairly stiff-haired slanted brush. dip it in in your shadow, tap excess off and then stipple along your lash line. Eyeshadow will be quite forgiving so you don't have to be super accurate.
+ You can incorporate this into your daily routine as it will create depth and fill your lash line rather than seem like a real "eyeliner".
I use this technique on both the upper and lower lash line on almost every makeup I do. From a distance your lashes will just look fuller and your eyes are enhanced. If the lower line seems too harsh smudge it with a q-tip or your finger.
+You can also try this if you don't normally wear mascara but want a little more definition on your eyes. I also use this technique on men who have very few or very fair lashes as they might look like they have none at all on a picture (especially black and white pictures) but i choose a light and matte (!) sand colour just to get some definition.
+ If you want a more enhanced version and something closer to a liquid liner version dampen the brush -the shadow will be more opaque- and draw a thicker line.