How to Keep Eyeliner From Smearing Without Using Waterproof Eyeliner

Heavily lining your eyes may look as if your eyeliner has smudged.

Eyeliner frames your eyes and draws attention to them. Applying eyeliner is challenging if you don't have a steady hand. Incorrectly applying eyeliner can lead to smears and smudges, especially when you don't use waterproof eyeliner. Over the course of the day, sweat, heat, humidity and oily skin can smear your eyeliner and make you end up with raccoon eyes. To avoid dark eyeliner smudges, learn how to properly apply it and use the correct type of liners.

Things You'll Need

• Primer
• Eye shadow
• Powder

Instructions

1. Apply primer to your eyelids and wait three minutes, so all of the product is absorbed. Primer forms a solid base for your eye makeup, which is essential for lasting eye makeup. Avoid applying moisturizer to your eyelids, because the moisture can make your eye makeup bleed.

2. Color your eyelashes with a powder eye shadow before applying your eyeliner. If you apply eyeliner before your eye shadow you can smudge the liner.

3. Dust translucent, loose powder over your eyelids to absorb oils that may cause smudging.

4. Apply eyeliner to your upper eyelashes. Use a pencil eyeliner or a powder eyeliner, because these don't smudge as easy as liquid eyeliners do. Avoid applying a thick layer of liner because this makes it more prone to smearing. Start at the inner corner of the eye and work your way outward. Make the outer part of the line the thickest.

5. Apply liquid eyeliner over the pencil or powder eyeliner if you want more dramatic eyes. Keep your eyes closed after applying the liner; wait 30 seconds before blinking.

6. Dust translucent powder over the eyeliner to help set it. As an alternative, use a commercial eyeliner sealer. Eyeliner sealer is a clear liquid that sets over your eyeliner and keeps it in place all day long.

7. Apply pencil eyeliner to your lower eyelashes. Line the entire lower lash line for dark dramatic eyes, or line two-thirds of the bottom lash line for a softer look.

Tips & Warnings

• Remove eyeliner smears with a cotton swab dipped in eye makeup remover.

References

• Become Gorgeous: How to Make Eyeliner Stay in Place
• The Cosmetics Cop: Apply Eyeliner Like a Pro
• WebMD; The Makeup of Makeup: Decoding Eyeliner; Liesa Goins