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Rant & Rave: Brown Eyeliner
This Week’s Topic: BROWN EYELINER!
Your Mission: Tell us what you love, hate, or are otherwise indifferent to about brown eyeliners. What drives you bananas? What makes them necessary?
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I love brown eyeliners because I think they bring out my dark brown eyes better than any other color. Plus, brown is more subtle than black and it’s easier to practice your technique. I prefer the way brown liner looks on me, so I rarely wear black liner, and I really only wear green or blue liners in the spring and summer.
Eh, brown eyeliner doesn’t work for me but I’ve got weird coloring: bright red hair and ivory skin. Copper actually looks more neutral on me. But I like brown for those that have more conventional coloring, it can look a lot more natural and less harsh than black.
I often wear a brown liner because it works well with my colouring. Unfortunately, a lot of brown liners fade really fast or transfer badly on my hooded eyes. Sometimes both. It is hard to find a good, affordable brown liner that does all I need it to. I am having some luck with a Milani liner.
I much prefer brown over black. Black looks too harsh with my grey eyes and NW25 skin. I use UD’s 24/7 in Bourbon, but I’m considering buying the brown fluidline.
I love brown liners! I own UD Whiskey and Bourbon, and that’s my go-to color for my lower lash line. I think brown is friendlier than black, and doesn’t make the undereye area look too dark 🙂
Unless the brown eyeliner is very light in color or is some odd undertone, I can hardly tell the difference between brown and black eyeliner when applied to the eye area. I mean really, at a casual glance, they both look the same.
Urban Decay Corrupt is the best! I wish they made it permanent though!
I prefer brown eyeliner if I’m wearing a brown/black mascara and I’m going for a more subtle or natural look, which is extremely rare. Black is my usual, but on the rare times I choose to do a strong lip, I like to have my eyes appear bare. I actually really like taupe, as well.
I love brown eyeliner…much softer than black, better for day time and it really brings out my eyes. My issue is that I have a hard time finding the right brown for my coloring! I prefer browns with a bit of gray in it…cool dark browns rather than reddish lighter browns. I can’t use colors like UD Whisky or Bourbon because I just end up looking sick. I look better in things like Clinique’s Cream Shaper in Egyptian or Quickliner in Smoky Brown.
MAC’s Lord it Up is a pearlglide eyeliner that has quickly become my favorite eyeliner. It is a medium brown color that is pigmented, smooth, easy to blend and smoke out, and stays put. I also like that it has some shimmer in it and it works as a base all over the lid.
Maybelline’s Master Drama in Brown is a dark brown and feels like a gel liner but in pencil form. It is also smooth and stays put all day (on the lid but not on the waterline), but harder to blend.
Physicians Formula shimmer strips trio gel liners have a couple browns that are good. The one for brown eyes is a very dark brown and the one for blue eyes is a light-medium brown. These last on the waterline all day for me.
As you can probably tell, I love brown eyeliner! I have dark brown eyes and fair skin, but I find that brown liner makes me look more fresh, youthful, and gives me a softer look than black liner does. Although when I’m going for lots of drama, I do reach for a black liner.
I love brown eyeliner because they define my eyes well without being harsh! I like my black eyeliner too, but anyone with blonde eyelashes will understand the love for brown eyeliner. Brown eyeliner also makes my green irises stand out.
I’ve got 2 GOSH brown liners that I love – “Truly Brown” and “Metallic Brass”. I often wear them instead of black, especially for daytime/work. I do have to be careful with brown liners, though; if they have too much red in them, they make my eyes look sore or make me look tired or hung-over. UD’s Whiskey is “almost” in that category; I can wear it but it’s not something I’d repurchase (and it smudges on me).
I use mostly brown unless I want something more bold.
Bourbon and Demolition from Urban Decay, Mac Avenue Fluidline and technique Wholesome as it looks brown but reads black on my fair skin.
I love brown eyeliner especially for work/office makeup since it isn’t are dramatic as black can be. Right now I’m using Avon glimmerstick in brown chocolate.
I love brown eyeliner and wear it almost every day. I don’t wear black nearly as often because it looks too dramatic for everyday/work looks. I also like charcoal grey eyeliner for a lot of cooler looks that are not in the brown family because it looks softer for the daytime. Now that I think about it, I can’t remember the last time I wore black!
I love brown eyeliners, i have couple of it in different forms, e.g. pencil and gel. Dark brown eye liners go well with my dark brown eyes and hair color. It is the color i reach for a “natural” look.
LOVE. Especially Urban Decay’s Demolition!
I love brown eyeliners! I look a bit dumb with black eyeliner since I’m so fair. It’s just too harsh. I use brown eyeliner on my upper lid for just a little definition. It compliments my light blue eyes nicely. I love a waterproof one by Rimmel London.
I love brown eyeliners because they look very natural on me as I have dark blonde hair and brown eyes. I always reach out for my brown eyeliner whenever I want to create a natural effect – it makes my eyes look bigger and more defined.
Brown eyeliner is awesome – there’s a shade for everyone. My favourite is Revlon Luxurious Color in Sueded Brown, a lovely chocolatey colour with bronzey gold glimmer, very subtle.
Pupa Multiplay liner in 08 is a rather unusual donkey grey brown and I LOVE Chanel Stylo Waterproof in Taupe 84, it’s brownish with silvery lilac undertones and utterly gorgeous.
Brown has so many variations!
I love the sweetness and ease of brown liner, like a kitten instead of a cat. But it’s annoying how much of a red tone so many of them have. A red undertone in my liner just makes me look tired and sad. So I’m always on the hunt for a soft brown pencil liner in a neutral or slightly cooler tone.
I mostly use soft black or intense black for liner. I usually wear pigmented black mascaras, and I feel the point of liner is to thicken the look of the lashline, so it would seem weird to use brown when the roots are going to look black due to the mascara. I usually wear brown liner on the bottom lashline to tie certain warmer looks together.
Some favorite brown liners:
MAC Buried Treasure – Blackened-brown with gold shimmer. I can get away with using this with black mascara because it is so dark and doesn’t look too contrasting.
MAC Powersurge – I love this bronzed-brown on the lower lashline.
MAC Costa Riche – Warm dark brown. Use this between lower lashes a lot with warm brown or bronze looks.
UD Demolition – Great dark brown! I want to say this is a neutral brown. Doesn’t pull too cool or too warm.
Brown is practically all I use. I have super pale skin so black just looks too harsh on me. A deep brown gives me the definition that I want without look too unnatural.
I definitely think brown eyeliner has it’s place in makeup collections. I’ve heard many a makeup artist tell us “NOTHING BUT BLACK” but for some women, black is simply too harsh looking. Very fair-skinned, fair-haired women or women with red hair and especially aging women look far better with the softer look of brown than a hard-edged black. I am a medium skinned brunette with blue eyes. I am also 54 years old and black eyeliner makes me look like a freak show! The brown, however, is perfect.
Love it! I do prefer black for a “makeup” look or to fake it a little more, but for an enhanced natural face I put Bare Minerals Espresso Liner on my waterline (does travel throughout the day but not as badly as some black liners I’ve used) and/or YSL eyeliner moire in Chocolate Reflections on the top, as close to the lashes as possible. With the YSL, I look 100% makeup free, yet my eyes are wider, more awake and more alluring. Love!
I definitely think brown eyeliner has it’s place in makeup collections. I’ve heard many a makeup artist tell us “NOTHING BUT BLACK” but for some women, black is simply too harsh looking. Very fair-skinned, fair-haired women or women with red hair and especially aging women look far better with the softer look of brown than a hard-edged black. I am a medium skinned brunette with blue eyes. I am also 54 years old and black eyeliner makes me look like a freak show! The brown, however, is perfect.
I just can’t wear black. It looks so harsh on my fair skin tone. Especially on my lower lash line. Gives me racoon eyes everytime. And I use nothing but UB eyeliners.
Funny enough, I was talking with a coworker about liner the other day. I’m fair with dark hair and eyes. She is fair with red hair green eyes. She always looks amazing with black liner.
I used to think I didn’t have use for brown eyeliner because it doesn’t offer much contrast to my NC35-40 skin. Now I’m slightly obsessed with the wide/bright-eyed look, and I find that MAC Teddy emphasizes my eyes just enough for me to look awake while remaining subtle. 🙂
Once in a while Ill do a cool brown but they seem to be aging. I stick with bronzes, olives and greys.
I like to use it for a brown smoky eye look. It’s subtle and soft for the day, which is great. I use the Too Face Perfect Eyeliner in Perfect Brown. Def my fav one!
I like UD Bourbon…Brown is good….not so harsh as black.
most of the time it just doesn’t look natural.
i prefer brow powder when it comes to filling in my brows!!
sorry for my english.. i’m swiss
most of the dark colour liner. ex blacken purple, deep navy, black, dark brown etc look similar on my tan skin.
but I normally buy black.. easier
Love brown liners, especially coz it suits my dark brown eyes and dusky skin tone quite well. Was always black liner person until I started using it…can give a subtle look as well.
I actually LOVE brown eyeliners. I have dark brown eyes, super fair skin, and dark brown (almost black) hair. At first I used black eyeliner on a regular basis, but it seemed too harsh. I’m LOVING Covergirl’s Liquiline Blast in Brown Blaze. It lasts all day, and smudges nicely. It really brings out my brown eyes by actually making them appear lighter (always a plus!). Plus if I mess up a bit, its less noticeable lol
i realy dislike that so many (easily availible) are a red-ish brown. cool tones look much better on me 🙂
Love it! I do prefer black for a “makeup” look or to fake it a little more, but for an enhanced natural face I put Bare Minerals Espresso Liner on my waterline (does travel throughout the day but not as badly as some black liners I’ve used) and/or YSL eyeliner moire in Chocolate Reflections on the top, as close to the lashes as possible. With the YSL, I look 100% makeup free, yet my eyes are wider, more awake and more alluring. Love!
I definitely think brown eyeliner has it’s place in makeup collections. I’ve heard many a makeup artist tell us “NOTHING BUT BLACK” but for some women, black is simply too harsh looking. Very fair-skinned, fair-haired women or women with red hair and especially aging women look far better with the softer look of brown than a hard-edged black. I am a medium skinned brunette with blue eyes. I am also 54 years old and black eyeliner makes me look like a freak show! The brown, however, is perfect.
For tan girls like me (middle eastern), Lancome black coffee is THE color for an enhanced natural face!! When I’m doing makeup on fair women, I use black coffee for a dramatic look without being too harsh. For an enhanced natural look on a fair girl I’ll use a lighter brown–this can be tricky though, because some brown eyeliners have a reddish tint to them which looks awful. For fairer girls wanting a more natural liner, I like UD 24/7 liner in Whiskey.
I wear brown eyeliner pretty much everyday. I have fair skin with dark auburn red hair, and although I can get away with wearing black, brown just looks the best for everyday.
Ditto! It’s my new fave.
Daily staple: Urban Decay’s 24/7 Eyeliner in Bourbon. The perfect reddish-brown, completely work-appropriate, softer than black eyeliner, and complements my dark brown eyes.
Also love a darker brown for more definition and yet still less harsh than black in Bobbi Brown’s Gel Eyeliner in Espresso.
Definitely can’t live without my brown eyeliner!