If you start up a conversation about makeup with your girlfriends, you’ll quickly find out that almost every woman has an eyeliner horror story in her past. Whether your high school yearbook picture included layers of bright blue on the inner rim of your eyes or great swooping wings of black liquid eyeliner applied with an unsteady hand, it’s time to move on.

Although it can be tricky to apply, eyeliner can add an attractive dimension to your daytime or night-time look when it’s done properly. Without liner, your eyes may not be getting the attention they deserve. A bit of defining colour can go a long way toward highlighting one of your most enticing facial features.

Some women report that they are hesitant to incorporate eyeliner into their beauty routine for fear of applying it incorrectly. With the right techniques and a bit of practice, your confidence will grow. Before you know it, you’ll be an eyeliner pro. Here are a few tips from the experts to help you get started.

Set the stage. Before you apply eyeliner, wash your face and make sure all lingering traces of eye makeup are removed. If you’re using a pencil, make sure that the tip is sharp. Lightly sweep a sparing application of facial powder over your eyelids as a foundation.

From the outside in. Hold the eyeliner in one hand. Place a finger from your other hand on the inner corner of your eyelid, holding it steady. Beginning at the outer corner, work your way towards the centre of the eyelid with short, overlapping strokes of the pencil. Then, repeat the procedure from the opposite direction until you’ve achieved the look you’re after.

Think soft and sexy. In most cases, a sharp, thick application of eyeliner is not a flattering style. This look can be aging, and it can also make your eyes look smaller than they really are. After you’ve applied your eyeliner, you can soften the line by gently smudging it with a damp sponge applicator.

Clean up. If you’ve made any mistakes while you’re applying your eyeliner, you can erase them by using a damp cotton swab. If you’re using liquid eyeliner or a waterproof formula, dip the cotton swab in a liquid makeup remover – this should easily clean up even the most egregious mistakes.

Ready to give eyeliner another try? Check out our extensive selection here.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 at 12:45 pm and is filed under Makeup Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.