How to: Tight-line your Eyeliner

Dolce & Gabbana Spring/Summer 2013 show makeup look

So Tight-lining is magic. I kind of forgot how awesome it was, but a good friend of mine at Bobby Brown reminded me of its power to produce awesome natural looking makeup. I give natural looking makeup some flack some times for being boring, but done well it makes a woman look so good! Tight-lining is the process of lining the inner rims of the eyes to get rid of the gaps and make the lash line look thicker.

Tight-lining with gel liner

Now if I haven’t scared you off the whole prospect when I mention inner rims, just roll with me here. See how she is gingerly lifting the lashes and lining at the base? That’s exactly how you want to do it. The idea is to fill the gaps between the lashes to fake more lashes. You want to wiggle the liner between the lashes without wiggling all the way through (it takes a bit of practice but it is well worth it). Contrary to popular belief you are not in fact trying to draw the line on the waterlines of the eyes because nothing, no matter how waterproof is going to stay on the waterlines and it is just going to smudge all over. You are filling in the base of the lashes.

You can really use any colour of liner you want to tight-line because you are using such a small amount of liner. Just pick something dark. For me, and my eye shape, I usually just line the top lash line but you can line the bottom in the same manner, you just have to use a light hand as far as how much you end up putting on. You could also use a lighter colour like a taupe or a copper, or a fun colour like a green or turquoise on the bottom so it isn't as harsh. In the D&G runway look above they have lined all the way around including the inner corners. Unless you have huge doe eyes like the model here, I probably would stop where the lash line naturally ends for the most natural and wide-eyed look. Try tight-lining and then drawing on your liner as you usually would on top of the lashes. It makes your regular makeup look more intense and your eyes mysteriously pop more.

Another D&G Shot

I only use waterproof pencils. You want it to stay where your eyes might water, and be soft and sharp so it is easy to apply. I personally don’t use gel liners because I find them very irritating to my eyes but they do work just as well, just make sure you are using a good (not frayed) liner brush that is small enough to get in there and not poke yourself in the eye. I love the liners from Urban Decay; they are super soft, waterproof, are super pigmented and come in a ton of colours:

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils
I use Demolition, a really dark brown, for a natural look, second from right)

I know there have been some things come out from different brands called 3 dot liners, that sort of look like a mini-stamper liquid liner with three points. I am not a fan because it takes too long and I am way too lazy to be precise enough to actually get my dots lined up. Inevitably, I poke myself in the eye as well. DO NOT USE REGULAR LIQUID LINER. You will get it in your eye, you won’t be able to see, it will smear all over, your eyes will be red and you will hate me. So don’t do that, K?

So, are you eager to try tight-lining?

Or is this something you always do already?

What are some of your favourite liners?

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