A Quick And Easy Guide To Apply Liquid Eyeliner Like A Pro

Drawing a line on our eyelids. There can’t be much more to it than that, right? While liquid eyeliner might sound like an easy thing to do that we all magically just learn overnight, it’s usually far from the case. After all, how long can you go without blinking while drawing a line using a mirror and on one of the smallest parts of your face?

What about avoiding the smudge that almost inevitably always comes from trying to use liquid eyeliner? That’s where a quick and easy guide to apply liquid eyeliner comes along. While everything takes a little practice, knowing the ropes is sure to see us become a pro at liquid eyeliner in no time.

1. Prepare your eyelids and set the base

If there is one thing most of us could do with learning about makeup application, it’s that the base is the most important part - and we’re not talking about our foundation. Learning a skincare routine we can use before our makeup - because, yes, this can be different from our standard skincare routine - is the first step. We need to remember that our eyelids tend to be one of the oiliest parts of our face, so cleansing and preparing the area is vital to making liquid eyeliner last all day. After cleansing and using any creams for your eyes, add an eye primer. These help our eye makeup stay all day long by creating a layer between the makeup and our skin’s oils. Just be sure to use your ring finger to avoid applying too much pressure.

2. Create a guide with some dots

Learning how to apply liquid eyeliner all starts with the tools we use. Most people benefit from using a pen-type eyeliner, so they have the point and tools they need all in one. Once you have your eyeliner set, start by thinking about how thick you want the line to be. Decided? Great! Now, draw a dot in the middle of your eyelid as close to the lash line as possible, making sure it’s the thickness of the lie you eventually want across your entire lash line. From there, add another dot in the inner corner of your eyelid where you want your line to start and another on the outer corner of your eyelid. Finally, think about where you want your wing to go. Use the angle of your lower lash line to determine the flick, and finish with a small dot, so you have somewhere to aim.

3. Connect the dots with liquid eyeliner

The third step in applying liquid eyeliner is simple: join all your dots together. Be sure to rest your elbow on a stable surface, such as a vanity, to avoid shaky hands, and gently rest your wrist against your face. From there, use the thinnest part of your eyeliner brush to join the inner corner dot to the middle. Then, join the center to the outer corner and finally return to the smallest part of the brush to complete your flick. Try to avoid pulling at your eyelid, as this can cause unnecessary tension around your eyelid and could cause your eyeliner to look off once you release your skin. Instead, place the mirror lower than your chin and look down into the mirror so you can keep your eyes open while revealing as much of your eyelid as possible.

4. Clean up the edges and add any flare

Once you have one side done, it’s time to get the other eye complete. Just like our eyebrows, our eyeliner should be sisters and not twins, but that doesn’t mean we can leave all our mistakes for the world to see. If one side is a little thicker than the other or there is a bit that looks a little off, use a Q-tip that’s been dipped in oil-based makeup remover to gently clean up the area. To finish things off, either run your Q-tip along the underside of your flick to make it as crisp as possible or use a little concealer to touch up and crisp the edges.

Who knew that a quick and easy guide to apply liquid eyeliner could be just that? After a few practice runs, using liquid eyeliner should feel like a normal part of our makeup routine and not something to be scared of anymore.