The very dramatic, perfectly (or should I say purrfectly?) winged-out cat's eye is all over the place this fall. To get the look, you need to know how to use liquid eyeliner without looking stupid.
Even though I am skilled at using pencil and cream eyeliners, the mere sight of a liquid eyeliner makes me sweat. I dread using it! I find it cumbersome and am always a little too heavy-handed, so instead of looking sophisticated in my black liquid liner, I end up looking like Amy Winehouse. What gives?
So, to help all of us get a grip on this trend, here are some tips for using (yikes!) liquid eyeliner:
- Start off with your eye shadow. Since you're going to be adding a very definite, bold line to your eye, keep your shadow warm, soft, and neutral.
- Make sure you're using the right kind of brush. Hopefully the bottle of liquid eyeliner came with a pointy-ended brush. You need something that will allow for a precise, clean line, so the smaller and more pointed, the better.
- Open your eyes! If you close your eye while applying your liner, you're more likely to end up an uneven or bumpy line...not the look you're after! If you keep your eye open while you apply the liner, you'll find it easier to follow the natural shape of your lashline.
- Stroke it! Instead of painting on one long, continuous line, try drawing on three dashes: one toward the inner part of your lid, one in the center, and one at the outer corner. Once the three strokes are in place, connect them and build up the outer line, curving up to the familiar catty point.
- When all else fails, cheat! If you have a hard time getting the shape you want with the liquid liner, first draw a guideline with a pencil. Once you've established the look you want, go over your line with the liquid liner.
- Be prepared for mistakes. According to the good folks over at Elle, a Q-Tip dipped in moisturizer can be used to tweak any mistakes.
- Above all, the best advice is practice, practice, practice.
