Archived Post
How did you get the hang of liquid liner?
How did you get the hang of liquid liner? Share your tips & tricks!
The biggest thing is practicing — the more you do it, the more comfortable you get with it. One thing you can do is to apply it before you do your eye makeup, because if you make any mistakes, you can easily remove it entirely without ruining your pretty eye makeup. You can either try to apply your actual eyeshadows and the like around it, or not worry too much about it and then carefully go over the line again at the end.
Thanks to Tammy for today’s question!
Got a question idea? Submit yours here.
i haven’t. i gave up and started using gel lines/eyeliner brushes, which i ended up liking way better anyway.
practice and plenty of flops. During my teenage years, the q tip dipped in makeup remover was very handy until I got it down!
steady hand, and not too much product. It’s easier to put more on, than to remove!
I always lean up against the mirror. Looks weird, but keeps my hand steady and control pressure.
It’s all about applying it in small strokes. When you are brand new at liquid eyeliner, don’t make the mistake of dragging it all the way across your eyelid in one stroke!
I haven’t gotten the hang of it yet! But like my Spanish teacher used to say, ” Practica, practica, practica!”
I rarely use liquid liner, but I just take my time and make sure I have a steady hand. I apply it before my other eye makeup and to fix any mistakes, I dip a cotton swab in a little makeup remover and gently go over it.
I do the connect the dots thing. It’s the only way I can make it perfect 100% of the time.
Practice!
I found that starting the line in the middle of the lid and drawing it toward the outer corner deposits the most colour and a thicker line and then you have less product on the applicator when you start again at the inner corner and join it up in the centre.
Me too! I always start in the middle.
the brush makes all the difference! oh, and the formula — i prefer gels because they are malleable yet stay put when dry. it’s best to start with a thin line and gradually make it thicker by outlining and then filling in afterward.
i had problems getting the hang of making both eyes even, but i figured out a trick to help with it: line your eyes with eyeshadow first and then go over the line you made with the liquid liner! easy =)
Don’t dip the brush/wand/whtv back into the pot between strokes. Do the top lid first, and then do the bottom. That way, there’s less on the brush when you do the bottom, so it is easier.
really? I never thought it would be a problem. I think liquid liner is easier and neater.
I don’t use liquid liner myself but I heard from a friend that she tends to use pencil liner first then line over with liquid so that there’s less stress for her. 🙂
practice practice practice! I agree about applying eyeliner before your makeup so you won’t mess up. Also find out what kind of applicator works for you, when I started out, I couldn’t use the thin “paintbrush-ey” brush, i kept messing up! Then I discovered L’Oreal’s lineur intense, which has a felt tip, which made application much easier! Now that I’m more comfortable, I’ve switched back to brush 🙂
Well…practice!
i use felt tip liners.. it’s quite easy to work with them!
This! And practice.
I still have to be very careful and take it slow. My biggest problems are at the outer corners, it seems like those eyelashes interfere and make the brush go all wonky. I don’t make one continuous line–I make a series of small lines connected so I can stop and readjust my hand as necessary. Ever since I found the Urban Decay 24/7 liners, though, I don’t use liquid liner that much. The 24/7 texture is really, really smooth and I love it.
Practice! But I agree with JC – I much prefer gel liner that comes in a pot and that you apply with a brush.
I got the hang it it right away. I think it’s because of the nail art I do on myself. 🙂
I find that if you really want the crisp liquid liner look, sketching the line in with shadow first is helpful, especially if you’re better with a brush than one of those silly applicators. I usually use a gray or something, just to be sure that I like the line, then I trace over it with liner.
Yes, practice — and patience is key. Don’t be in a hurry to apply it, take your time. I also find that the type of applicator makes all the difference in the world. Stiffer types tend to be more forgiving than loose, brush types. The new MUFE Aqua Liners have a great applicator. 🙂
practice practice practice. Also, lancome artliner is the most amazing liquid liner ever
Practice, practice, practice and make sure the first liquid liner you use is a felt tip applicator (read: looks like a pencil liner but isn’t) – its the easiest applicator to work with and once its master you can graduate to liquid liners with brush applicators which I feel are the better liquid liner applicators.
Just practicing. And I prefer liquid than gel liner, I think it’s much easyer.
Totally agree, practice makes perfect. And always start out with a thinner line, because it is much easier to thicken than it is to have to wipe it off and start again!
I still don’t have the hang of it yet but I really wanted UD’s Minx eyeliner so I’ve been trying. I think I’m slowly getting the hang of it. I also think the short handle/applicator help a bunch. 🙂
Both my eyes are different shapes and the same type of liner doesn’t suit each eye, so instead of trying to make them the same I stuck to the liner which suited each eye, even if the wings weren’t symmetrical. After I got over that hurdle I just practised, the easiest liquid liner to use for me is loreal carbon black lineur intense…I can get the thinnest line ever with it
Everyday I practiced with pencil liner first, then I went over it with liquid liner. Once I became comfortable with that, I transitioned into liquid liner only. Practicing with pencil liner made the transition very easy.
I’ve always used liquid liner and never had any problem with it tbh. Gel liner on the other hand.. I struggle with that big time! Totally backward, I know.
I used to HATE liquid liner. However, after using cream/ gel liners and having them smudge onto my eyelid when I opened my eyes, I just began using liquid liner and haven’t switched ever since.
I didn’t get the hang of it until recently, when I switched to Japanese brand Dolly Wink’s liquid eyeliner~ http://hachidork.blogspot.com/2011/03/dolly-winks-liquid-eyeliner.html
I think it all depends on the liner you use. All liners are different and some are easier to apply than others!
I usually like to rest my elbow on a flat surf while applying eyeliner,it helps,also start off with small ,thin dots,then connect them and thicken more,and lastly I use a eyeliner flat tip brush and go over it with black eye shadow. To hold in the color and help it look more smooth. Xoxo
still waiting for liquid liner fairy to sprinkle me with pixie dust
Practice! Usually i do small strokes until i have a thin line all across the lash line and then gradually make it thicker on the outer corner, and then where my lids connect on the outer corner, i drag a line upward, make a triangle and fill in, and there’s a cat eye! recently i switched to gel liner and angled brush, it makes it much easier.
I didn’t 🙁 I’m a little better with dry shadow/mixing medium, but I still have issues getting my eyes to match.
I am a huge fan of liquid liner and for me, it’s all about the brush it comes with. The one that comes with the L’oreal brand is by far my favorite and the liner itself is good too. If there is another brand that I like, I have an extra clean L’oreal brush that I use. I find those stiff pointy applicators very difficult to get right. For me personally, after some practice, it seems to be best to do a quick even swoop. I find when I try to take my time and go slower, I have more problems lol. I also make sure the wand doesn’t have too much product on it. Nothing like having full eyeshadow on and ruining with liquid liner.
…. I still don’t have the hang of it!!! but I’m not crazy about the look of it- I love ge liner though!! <3
Super skinny brush with a handle on the shorter side (this is important for me because I like to get really close to the mirror)then lots and lots and lots of practice. Some days I actually find that straightening my lashes with a lash curler makes it easier to get the brush close to the lash line.
For winging it out I would suggest that you look at face charts rather than watching tutorials. It is much easier to see the actual shape of the liner.
Finally, don’t worry if your liquid liner is not right against the upper lid line. The space that you see when you are up close is not noticeable from a reasonable distance and I find that once i put on mascara it does not even bother me up close.
I think finding the right type of liner for you– pen-style, felt tip, brush, etc. Then, practice!
I pull my eyelid to the side a little and lift my eyebrows so I can get a really thin line. Then I start at the center and go laterally making it thicker. Then I do the inner part as thin as possible. I also use small strokes instead of one large stroke.
Steady hand, rest your hand on your cheek, get as close as you can to the mirror, slow small strokes. Practice, practice, practice!! 🙂
i was just ‘okay’ at liquid liner until i tried the physician’s formula liquid liner. it has a brush tip that is flexible and doesn’t dry up. love it love it love it!
I still can’t make a perfect unless the applicator is foam tip. Before foam tip, I could not do it well at all.
Let your pinky finger rest on your cheekbone and your elbow on a table so you get a steady hand, apply it by parts (begin from the middle to the outer corner of the lid) don’t do a line directly cuz you can make more mistakes this way.
Use product little by little and practice a lot! 🙂
Definitely tons of practice. I wear liquid eyeliner everyday and can do it in a flash. The next thing is the brush – felt tip is a must! It makes drawing a perfect, steady line the easiest thing ever
i was always somewhat decent with it – i use a super thin artist paintbrush to get the product off the felt tip and apply it onto my eye. i recently have have found the kat von dee tatoo liner to be perfect – ultra thin line and applicator is amazing.
Before I would line my eyes with Kanebo Kate felt-tip eyeliner before using my Mac Liquidlast liner so I have a line to follow. Lately I can forego the felt-tip liner and just directly use liquid liner! It lasts longer than gel liners too! (and I have very oily eyelids!)
I still don’t have the hang of it. I have to draw my line and wing with a liner brush and black eyeshadow and then go over it with liquid liner.