Tips for Applying Liquid Eyeliner

I started applying eyeliner when I was 16 years old. Surprisingly, during my time, most of my friends are not yet applying makeup, save for the lip gloss or flavored lip balm and the face powder. Well, I've always been conscious of my eyes. I find them small and at a young age, I've been fond of big eyes with luscious eyelashes.

So for 15 years now (OMG, I'm that old...), eyeliners have been a basic part of my make-up kit. Applying liquid eyeliner on your eyelids will take some practice and steady hands. Mistakes cost a lot of time (and frustration when you're late for work or for a meeting) and can be very messy. I would like to share some tips with you on successfully applying liquid eyeliner:

1) Choose your liquid eyeliner carefully. Take a look at the applicator and make sure that the tip is pointed and not a thick brush. I personally use KATE liquid eyeliner in black.

2) Check the viscosity of the liquid. It should not be sticky or it means the stock is old. A sticky one will be harder to apply and will be thick on your eyelid.

3) It is best to apply the liquid eyeliner on top of your eye shadow to maximize effect. But if you are scared to mess it up then you need to re-apply your eyeshadow again, you can start with applying your eyeliner first then your eye shadow. Once your confident in applying, you can put the eyeliner on top of your eyeshadow. Make sure that you also have your eye make-up remover on-hand as liquid eyeliners are very challenging to remove. You can use baby oil or petroleum jelly if you don't have an eye make-up remover.

4) When applying, lean your elbow on the table if you're sitting or against the mirror if you're standing. This way, your hand will be more steady while applying.

5) Start from the inner lid then swoop your eyeliner outwards. Try to create one smooth outline first, don't worry if the line looks thin or very light. You can re-apply on the outline you have created to make it look thicker. You can also choose to create a cat-eye effect by extending the line to the end with an upward curve. 

6) Wait till the eyeliner is dry and try not to blink at all. Then you can apply your mascara.