10 Tips For Beginners To Apply Eyeliner

Eyeliner is a staple in any beauty routine. From artistic cat-eyes to the smoky eyes and even the natural, barely there make-up has some type of eyeliner involved. Eyeliners are a great way to subtly call attention to your eyes, make your lashes look longer, your eye colour more vibrant, and even make you look more awake. However, flawless application of eyeliner requires practice.

Unfortunately, not all of us are blessed with the steady hands of a master calligrapher and sometimes doing even the basics with a liner can become tricky. However, whether you are doing it for the first time or trying a new style, a couple of tricks and secret cheats can give you the finesse of a pro!

First and foremost, you need to stop being afraid of using an eyeliner. It is in fact a great makeup tool to add instant glam to your look even if you don't really want to do anything else on your face.

Here are 10 eyeliner tips which will help you:

* Recognize your eye liner

There are three basic types of eyeliner; pencil, gel and liquid. An eyeliner pencil is the most common (and easiest) type and perfect for an everyday look. Gel eyeliner on the other hand requires steadier hands and a little trickier because you decide how much product to apply. Gels have an amazingly creamy consistency, so they can glide across the eyelid without pulling or tugging like a pencil can. However, since it is in a pit, it can dry out faster. The most advanced liners are the liquid category. These inky beauties are unparalleled at creating cat-eyes and other dramatic eye shapes but they can be the messiest of all as well. It’s crucial to find a technique that works for you with liquid liners to master the delicacy needed for proper application.

* Hold your eye for more control

Most liners tend to get stuck or skip across your lid, so start off by using your pointer and middle finger to pull the skin above your eye taut, creating a smooth canvas for your liner to glide across. Just be sure not to manhandle the delicate skin around your eye

* Choose the right colour

Depending on the colour of your eyes you can play around with different colour-enhancing shades of liners to make your eyes look bigger and brighter. For blue gazes that means picking something in the warm browns, bronze, or copper family. Green beauties should try violets and purples, while brown-eyed girls can go bold with bright blues or keep it simple with navy. Hazel eyes, with their multi-tonal colours, have the option to play up either the browns or greens in their eyes. To make them look browner, try rich earth tones, gold, and green. Bring out green by using bronze or eggplant. And as always, don’t be afraid to experiment outside of these suggestions, too.

* Don’t forget to blend

When using a pencil, blend it out for a more natural look.A dual-ended pencil with a sponge attachment at the end makes this process a lot easier. Did you know you can use your liner to create the easiest smoky eye ever?Take your liner and place it about halfway across your lower lash line. Draw a line outwards, making sure to keep it directly against the rim of the eye. Extend the line past the edge, angling it up towards the tail end of your eyebrow. Don’t go all the way — stop when you are level with your eyelid crease. Then place the line at your crease, just above that first line, and follow the crease until you are halfway across the eyelid. Use your liner to colour in the space between that V-shape you’ve made. Use your finger to smudge the colour outwards and now you’ve got a smoky eye look using just one product.

* Line your waterline in a nude shade

Instead of using black on your inner rims, choose a nude shade for a bright-eyed effect. You can also use a champagne or metallic rose hue to really brighten things up. Try applying it to both the waterline and smudged into the inner corner of your eye for a more ethereal effect.

* Trace the outline for a flawless cat-eye

To make flawless cat-eye lines, just hold a business card diagonally against the corner of your eye, and trace alongside it to draw your cat eye flick. You can also put a piece of tape in the same area and use that as a guide, but be careful not to yank or rip it off lest it damages your skin. There are even stencils and liners developed to help you master the look

* Fix mistakes with cotton swabs

Mess up? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. Instead of starting from scratch, dip a cotton swab in makeup remover and use it like an eraser to carefully remove any mistakes. Just remember to get to it quickly —it’s easier and less of a mess to erase it while it’s wet than it is when it sets into your skin

* Leave your liquid eyeliner to dry

Avoid any smudging while your liquid liner is still wet by keeping your eyes closed for 30 seconds after applying.You can also lock it in even more by dipping a small shadow brush in translucent powder and gently dabbing it over the top of the line.

* Use a primer

Creating a base line using a primer will help your eyeliner last all day.

* Experiment

Do not be afraid to experiment with different types and shades of eyeliners. Sometimes, knowing what works best for your comes only after trying it on!