Eye Liner Techniques
Proper eyeliner application can emphasize the beauty of your eyes and enhance your appearance. Understanding a few basic techniques, such as choosing the right type of color and creating the right thickness of line, helps ensure the best possible results. Does this Spark an idea?
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Choosing the Type
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Liquids and hard pencils create clean, crisp lines, while soft pencils, gels and eye shadows produce softer, blendable lines suited for subtle or shadowed looks.
Choosing the Color
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Black and dark browns create classic, natural looks that blend with your eyelashes. White or light colors brighten and draw the focus to your eyes. Glitter liner adds a slight shine to your look that's fun for evening.
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Choose the Thickness
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Thicker lines create more dramatic effects. Thinner lines define your eyes in a natural, subtle way.
Basic Application
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Use your dominant hand to apply eyeliner and rest your elbow on a hard surface. Use your other hand to stretch the upper eyelid upward and to the side, toward the outer edge of your eyebrow. For pencil and gel liners, hold the liner like a normal pen or pencil and draw a line across the upper lid in short, even strokes, as close to the lash line as possible, to create a smooth line spanning the entire lid. For liquid liners, use the liner brush to dot the liner in between the lashes, making your lash roots look thicker instead of focusing on creating a single line. Keep your eye open until liquid liner dries completely. Repeat for the lower lid, if desired, stretching the lid downward while applying.
Example Look: Smoky Liner
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Use your eyeliner to further your smoky eye look. Apply a dark smudge to the upper lash line, a slightly thick smudged line under the lower lashes and a dark line along the inner rim of the lower lash line.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit eye liner image by pst from Fotolia.com
