Eyeliner tips and tricks: 12 Beauty Panel ways to wear this versatile product

Date September 26, 2013

Can we get a what what for eyeliner? With endless formulas and application methods, eyeliner is one of the most versatile products in our makeup bags. While some prefer a subtle smudged line, others dig the high drama that comes with cat-eyes and winged tips. Seeking a pop of colour? Add a quick swipe of bright-blue liner. Want to make your eyes stand out? Smudge a little kohl at your lashline. However you wear eyeliner, there’s no wrong way to do it. But there’s always room for new tips and techniques, which is why we’ve turned to the Beauty Panel.

Challenge 29: What’s your favourite way to wear eyeliner? See the answers now! »

While we may have tackled the cay-eye liner in the past, with never-ending Fashion Week inspirations (think Rodarte’s ‘80s eyeliner and Versace’s rocker-chic look) new ways to wear eyeliner are always welcome. When it comes to how the Beauty Panel does it, every gal has her own preference. A Pop of Colour’s Shayna Wiwierski is a huge fan of her go-to winged liner that helps elongate the appearance of her eyes. While Alison Leong of Alison *Elle suggests applying black eyeshadow with an angled brush for a quick and easy smudged line look, The Bunnie Hole’s Gerry Xun’s loves liquid liners. Whether you wear eyeliner everyday or save it for big nights out, the Beauty Panel has you covered with 12 tried and tested ways to apply this iconic product.

Have a beauty question you want to see the panel answer? Send it our way at [email protected]. Read on for the answers to this week’s challenge and for more goodness, get to know all contributors on our Beauty Panel hub page.

Alison Leong
Vancouver | Alison*Elle

Most days I use black eyeshadow as a liner, applied with an angled brush, because it’s quick and easy. However, when I want a more dramatic look, my tried and true is a winged cat-eye with some soft, smoky eyeshadows and a deep black liquid liner. Felt-tip eyeliner pens, in particular, are super easy to use and give me the precise line I love. I also tight-line (applying colour to the base of lashes) my eyes with a black eyeshadow to fill in any gaps and make my lashes look more full.

  Products used: Marcelle Double Precision Liquid Eyeliner Pen, M.A.C Eyeshadows in “Grain,” “Mulch” and “Carbon,” Avon Perfect Eyebrow Kit in “Deep Brown,” Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara, Laura Mercier Mineral Powder in “Natural Beige,” Mark Great Finish Pressed Perfecting Powder in “Light-Medium,” M.A.C Blush in “Melba,” Avon Ultra Color Lipstick in “Poppy Love.”

Anjali Handa
Toronto | Rock That Look

Eyeliner has been my beauty go-to for as long as I can remember. I’ve tried everything from pencils, to gels, to liquids to powders and I must say, my favourite texture for a clean, crisp application is a pencil. I am currently using a product that seems to last forever, L’Oréal’s Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner. This little stick goes a long way – I use this on a daily basis to create an intense, dramatic look. For application on the lower waterline, I literally place the pencil in the inner corner of my eye, close my eye, and let the pencil follow the natural shape of the waterline. I personally prefer sleek, intense lines over a smudged look, so I took the advice of my sister and started using an eye primer on and around my eyelids, even when I am not wearing any shadow. Applying an eye primer before liner application will allow the product to stay in place with dramatic intensity without smudging or fading away.  Now, on the top of the lid, I recently started using The Super Slim Liquid Eye Liner from L’Oréal. I’ve never been one for liquid liners, but the intensity of the product and the ease of use was enough to convert me. One carefully applied swipe lasts all day, without the need to re-apply or clear away crease lines. My best advice for using a liquid liner is to 1) go slow at first – get used to the brush, the intensity and the texture of the product, and 2) stay as close to the lash line as you can. I promise that the more you practice the better you will become!  

 Products used: Arbonne Perfecting Liquid Foundation, Marcelle Velvety Eye Shadow + Primer, L’Oréal Voluminous Smouldering Liner, L’Oréal Infallible The Super Slim Liquid Eye Liner, Revlon Lash Potion Volume + Strength Mascara and Nars Blush in “Torrid.”

Gerry Xun
Vancouver | The Bunnie Hole

Having been around the block, I confess I am a diehard liquid liner girl and I am rarely seen without my signature flick. It can be graphic, elegant and everything in between.   Pick a liquid liner with a slim felt tip (pen types are even better), a longer tip also helps to get in close to the lash line and draws an easy cat eye when laid slightly on its side.   Match the tip of your brush to the outer edge of your eye, angling at the degree, which you would like the flick of your eyeliner to be (10-15 degrees usually looks best). In one smooth motion, pull the tip down towards your lash line then along it, gradual thinning out to a fine line at the inner corner. I tend to wear my wings 1-1.25cm out but you can adjust this according to your eye shape and the false lashes you may be wearing. Working outside in will take some practice but it will guarantee a sharp and crisp outer wing with little to no clean up. Fill in between your lashes with a black creamy waterproof pencil then rim the bottom lash line with a taupe pencil for some subtle smokiness. Voila, now go flirt with those eyes!   

Products used: Rimmel Scandaleyes Kajal in “Black,” Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner in “Black,” Nars blush in “Desire” and Rimmel Lipstick in “Nude Delight.”

Shayna Wiwierski
Winnipeg | A Pop of Colour

I absolutely love eyeliner! From pencil to gel to liquid, I am an eyeliner fiend. If I’m feeling lazy or have a lack of time, I will pop on a cat eye with some mascara and I am out the door.

Although I use all three, the one I reach for the most is gel liner, because I find it’s a bit easier to work with as you can choose the brush you apply it with. More often than not, I will do a winged liner because it elongates the eyes and just makes that area of your face look so chic.

Products used: Rimmel London ScandalEyes Waterproof Gel Liner in ‘Black.”

Ellie Somfelean
Montreal | My Beauty Box

I have to say, not a day goes by without me wearing eyeliner. It helps define my eyes, makes my eyelashes look thicker and completes every eye look, whether it’s a smoky eye, a neutral look or a power lip. Regardless of the occasion I need my liner to stay on the entire day (or night) and the key to a long lasting look is in the products you choose. I am currently obsessed with Physicians Formula Eye Booster, which has a sleek tip, great for achieving those crisp, precise lines. It has a shiny finish and the most intense pigmentation and it lasts all day, without smudging.  During the day I tend to wear it just on the top lash line, a cat eye or sultry flick being enough for work or school, while at night I pop on my lower lash and in my waterline for that sultry, Cleopatra like look.

  Products used: Physicians Formula Eye Booster Eyeliner, Physicians Formula Jumbo Lash Mascara, Mufe 210 Small Shader Brush and Catrice Cosmetics Eyeshadow

Dani Fuentes
Vancouver | Call It Beauty

For a time, I enjoyed wearing my eyeliner as a cat-eye flick… I still do, actually. However, I have been enjoying a softer look as of late. What I currently like to do is to line my eyes with a pencil eyeliner and creating a tiny bit of a flick at the end, then I brush through the edges with a firm pencil brush to blend and soften the look. I find that blending the edges creates a smokier effect, which I much prefer to a hard edge. I also find that it helps the eyeliner to last longer.   For this eye look, I used the purple shade in Avon’s Crushed Velvet palette, which I blended along the lid and along the lower lash line. I lined my eyes using the technique I mentioned above, and then applied some of the matte black shade from the palette to the outer corner of the lower lash line. I also lined my upper and lower water lines with the eyeliner. I like this look because it utilizes colour while still being appropriate for most corporate settings. I hope you guys like it, too!

Products used: Avon Extra Lasting Liquid Foundation, Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer, Avon Wrapped in Velvet Eye Palette in “Crushed Velvet,” Nyx Mechanical Eye Pencil in “Black,” M.A.C Sculpting Powder in “Sculpt,” M.A.C Mineralize Blush in “Subtle Breeze,” M.A.C Extra Dimension Skinfinish in “Superb” and Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in “Muse.”

Shivani Malhotra
Calgary | Adorable On Your Vanity

I love my dark, sooty eyeliner. Nothing like a deep dark black to bring out my brown eyes. First, I like to tight-line my eyes with M.A.C Smolder Kohl – an incredibly smooth, pigmented and long lasting kohl. I like to line on top of the lids too, but being a kohl, it is bound to smudge. A primer is a must; therefore I use my trusted Too Faced Shadow Insurance. After lining, I like to set it up a matte black eyeshadow, which almost always is M.A.C Carbon with an angled brush. It is the least complicated and the most dramatic way to bring out my big brown eyes.  

Product used: Too Faced Shadow Insurance, M.A.C Eye Kohl in “Smolder,” M.A.C Eyeshadow in “Carbon” and Marcelle Twist PushUP Mascara, Make Up For Ever Face & Body Foundation, Benefit Girl Meets Pearl Highlighter, Annabelle TwistUp Retractable Lipstick in “Monroe.”

Aïda Michelle Lopes
Montreal | I Fell For That

I am a cat eye kind of gal, I love it, I dream about it and I pause whenever I’m reading a magazine and see a perfect cat eye to analyze it. The timing of this challenge is spot on because I just learned how to perfect Make Up For Ever’s Academy eyeliner technique, a three (super simple) step method. (Disclosure: I work for Make Up For Ever.)   To do it you just need a cream eyeshadow and an eyeliner brush—I use a beveled one. The first step is to draw the line at the end of your eye of where you want your cat eye to end. After that, you go from the middle of the lid and join this line to the one you previously made & fill the empty space. The last step is to go from the inner corner of the eye and draw a line to meet the rest of your cat eye. Then you can make it thicker by going over the full line you now have.

  Products used: Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow in “Black” and a beveled eyeliner brush.

Marilou Moles
Ottawa | Twenty York Street

Although a smudged liner works well for an evening look, it could be a bit too dramatic for the office and that’s why my all time favourite look for eyeliner is crisp straight lines! Start with applying a primer—or even a bit of pressed powder is a good alternative on your eyelids, this will ensure your eyeliner stays put all day/all night. Next, apply a kohl pencil liner from the inner to the outer edges of your upper lashline.  For an edgier and more noticeable look, go for a winged tip or the classic cat-eye! Apply the liner with an angled or pointed brush from the inner to the outer edges of your upper lash line. The key to achieving the right winged tip or cat-eye is to really consider the shape of your eye but a good guide is drawing your at a 45-degree angle, starting from your outer corner. Instant glam!   

Products used: Nyx Cosmetics Fierce Eye Palette, L’Oréal Excess Voluminous Mascara, Maybelline Master Precise Eyeliner and Maybelline’s Sensational Vivids Lipstick.

Genevieve Peeke
Montreal | Gen In The City

For eyeliner, I like to choose long lasting formulas that I am confident won’t budge throughout the day on my rather oily eyelids. My favorite formula is gel eyeliner, which I apply with a brush and then set using a similar colored eye shadow. This helps keep the liner lasting all day and if you smudge it out a little it can give a nice effect. The gel liner that I am obsessed with at the moment is the Essence gel eyeliner. I use the same eye shadow trick to set my liquid liners as well. My favorite liquid liners are by Essence and Urban Decay. I tend to use highly pigmented and long lasting kohl pencil eyeliners on my waterline and my favorites are the Clarins Kohl Eye Pencil and the Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eye Pencil. I prefer a nice classic clean line when it comes to my liner during the day but it’s always fun to smudge it out a little for the nighttime!

Jennifer Francis
Durham | Spiced Beauty

I use a mix of liquid and gel pencils as eyeliner. On my top lid, I always use liquid. I like thin crisp lines and I find that L’Oréal Infallible Super Slim eyeliner makes the best thin lines. It’s long lasting and very pigmented. Perfect for that cat eye flick. Plus it dries quickly! You don’t have to worry about blinking.   I like using gel pencils on my lower lids. Deep midnight blacks make my eyes stand out. Pixi’s Silky Eye Pen in “black” glides on like a dream! I hardly get any transfer by the end of the day. I would totally buy it in bulk!

Products used: L’Oréal Infallible Super Slim eyeliner and Pixi’s Silky Eye Pen in “Black”

Christa Potter
Kawartha Lakes| Perilously Pale

My favourite way to wear eyeliner is a gel or pencil eyeliner tight-lined onto the upper lash line. This means working the eyeliner right into the base of your lashes from underneath the lash line. When I’m feeling rushed I do it with a pencil, but my preferred method is pushed into the lashes with a brush and waterproof gel eyeliner like M.A.C Fluidline in “Blacktrack.” Liquid eyeliners or tiny angled brushes with a gel liner work great for doing a thin line or cat eye on the upper lash line. Push liner brushes work great for pushing product right into the roots of your lashes.  When it comes to avoiding eyeliner meltdown it is important, even if you are applying a waterproof formula, to prep the eye area. If you apply your eyeliner to an eyelid that has natural oils or any greasiness from skincare present then it can’t properly adhere. If you are the kind of person who always wears full eye looks then this isn’t an issue but if you are someone who likes to only wear eyeliner on occasion then you need to apply an eyelid primer or a wash of a subtle eyeshadow to keep your eyeliner from migrating.  

Products used: L’Oréal The Super Slim 12H Infallible Liquid Eyeliner “Black,” Shu Uemura Lasting Gel Pencil Eye Liner in “Black”, Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in “0L Black,” M.A.C Fluidline Gel Eyeliner in “Blacktrack,” Bdellium Tools Push Liner Brush in “714,” M.A.C Small Angled Brow Brush in “208”, Bdellium Tools Small Liner/Brow Brush in “760.”