The Truth About Eyeliner

Does Your Eyeliner Really Look as Good as You THINK it Does?

My generation has become quite experimental with makeup, specifically with regard to colors and drama. We are all about the face primer to ensure our dramatic look will stay put and shine bright and intense all day long. A major part of that desired intensity often comes from the use of eyeliner.

Liquid, pencil, gel, cream, eye shadow applied with an angle brush, however you do it, these days we chicks like to go to town on some eyeliner! The staple eyeliner option is usually black or dark brown pencil, often rimming the entire eye. It has become such a common inclusion in the modern-day makeup application ritual, that some woman rarely stop to check to see if it even looks right on them.

A common mistake I notice regularly is rimming the entire eye with black eyeliner. While this can achieve the goal of making larger eyes look smaller, it can equally make small eyes look even smaller and harsh. Black eyeliner really should be put on the shelf during the day and saved for nighttime play time. And if you should choose to wear black eyeliner during the day, wear it only on your upper lid, to avoid looking overly intense and unapproachable.

Contrary to what many women seem to think, most men prefer a more natural look to your makeup. Not to mention, you lose the “Wow!” factor when you get all dolled up, if dolled up is your everyday look. Why should your man take extra notice of you on a night out, if you always look that way? I prefer to tone it down during the week and pull out the glam on the weekends, which means less black eyeliner during the week. Then when you say, “Ok, I’m ready,” you can pause for that “Helloooo, Hottie!” reaction you were hoping for!



For your everyday look, opt instead for a dark brown liner and only line the upper lids. If you have larger eyes and want to make them appear smaller, choose a softer brown eye shadow and apply it with an angle brush just to the bottom lash line about a ¼ inch in from the outside corner. Obviously, if you have a darker skin tone, you should use the darkest brown liner and a darker brown shadow for your eye liner.

Another way to tone down your eyeliner would be by smudging the liner into the lash line. This creates a softened effect to your liner which helps you avoid that harsh, unforgiving look. A woman with beautiful blue eyes and brown hair will often look ten times more approachable in brown eyeliner than black.

Your goal should always be to bring out your best features when applying makeup. When a person is looking at your face the first thing they notice should never be your eyeliner. Eyeliner is intended to enhance the shape of your eyes and give them definition, not to be a distraction. Too many women try to mimic celebrities or pictures they’ve seen and liked hoping to achieve the same look on their own eyes. However, so often that particular look does nothing to flatter their faces, and sometimes quite the opposite!

As I always say, pictures never lie. Try a few different looks then take some pictures so you can see the difference. Share them with a friend and get her opinion. You may find that when you tone down your look you bring out your beauty.