Eyeliner...Friend or Foe...

Happy Monday everyone!  I can say that with all of my heart.  After having such a rough week last week, we finally received good news about our house.  What we thought was going to take 3 to 4 weeks to finish is only going to take 1 1/2 to 2! Which means in 2 weeks we can sleep in different rooms then our CHILDREN!!!! (I love them, I do, but come on.)  There is a light at the end, of what has been, a very dark tunnel.  YAY!

Can you tell what I am going to be writing about this week from my creative title...they can't all be gold. ha ha ha

This is my friend Nellie and she asked me a to a specific kind of blog post today.   

(She is one of my heroes.  Not only does she carry the title of publish author -Caskets and Conspiracies by Nellie K Neves available on Amazon.com-, but she is a battling worrier and spokes person for MS.  She is just a bad-a chick and I am thankful that my husband annoyed her enough to become one of her best friends.)

""@masterofmakeupmom I had to try it.  I lined under my eyelashes.  I hated it, but you were right.  I got over it.  I then learned that either my eyes are pretty hooded, or I need new mascara.  Maybe both! Fix me Nat!..."
"I read all your posts.  I think we all need one on eyeliner. Personal opinion. ;)"
Nellie N

If I am being totally honest, I think what Nellie is doing already is flattering.  She knows what she is doing, but if you ask you shall receive and she asked.

Fist I am going to have you all go to my favorite "Eyeliner for Dummies," page that I love on Pintrest.  It is a column from Buzzfeed.com that shows eyeliner hacks for beginners.  I love it.  I learned so much. My favorite is the chart on the type of eye shape that you have and what you can do to flatter that shape even more. It is so important to know your shape.  It not only lets you do what is most flattering for your face, but also saves you from wasting time on the trends that are not. 

 One of the things I learned was that I can't do eye liner on my waterline. I used to do it all the time and it just never looked right. Now I know why.  It makes my eyes disappear. I have small "almond," shaped eyes. Great shape, but I can only do so much with the actual size of my eyes.  So now, instead of covering up what little I have  I just use a smudge brush and apply a bit of shimmery eye shadow to the bottom lashes.  OMGOSH! It has been a game changer. 

Here is the link. https://www.buzzfeed.com/nataliebrown/because-cat-eyes-are-hard?utm_term=.hnA6rMyWkm#.gtPprkN8dE (I hope I did that right.  I am not computer savvy.)

It took me a while to figure out how I wanted to do this.  I decided to just show you the different ways that I wear my liner and you readers can take it from there.  Remember it is all trial and error when it comes to makeup and making it your own.

Here is what I did: (By the By I was doing so many different techniques that I thought, "Oh I shouldn't do mascara on any of them because I have to take it off every time and I don't want my eyes to get all red."(I say in a stupid voice.)  I am a dummy.  I should have put it on to show the impact each technique has on your eyes. Sorry readers.  It is trial and error for me as well.  Ha ha ha!)

1.Making/Using eye shadow as eyeliner

This is much easier then is sounds.  I just take my Matt finish spray and a smudge brush.  I spay on the back of my hand and dip the brush in the spray. (Honestly, you can use whatever liquid you want.  I have used water in a pinch,)   Once that happens I put the brush in whatever eye shadow I want and apply it as thin or thick that I want across my upper lid line.   I normally do this look when I want my line to appear soft and I am not wearing any other eye shadows. It keeps things clean and simple.  Plus, it allows you to have fun. (As seen in below picture.)

I know it is hard to tell (I HATE THE LIGHTING IN THIS UPSTAIRS BATHROOM!) I used Flirty from The Balms Nude Dude palette as my liner.  I also smudged this same color under my lash line instead of my waterline.  (The waterline is that wet top line at the top of your bottom lid.) Pair this with some brown mascara and I am ready to go.

2. Pencil Liner and a eye shadow.

I am going to be honest here, I truly dislike pencil liner.  You have to shappen it when it gets dull and they haven't invented a "makeup pencil shappener" that acutally works on eyeliner pencils. What is with that. They should be called "Pencil Eyeliner Destroyer!"  Plus, no matter how much the box says, "Applies on smooth, just like a liquid," it doesn't. When you have to take a liter to something before applying it to a very this piece of skin next to your eyeball then it might be time to learn how to use liquid.  Sorry.  I had to do my rant.

For those of you who do prefer pencil over liquid:

I took my pencil liner, that I normally only use for under my upper lash line, and rubbed it on the back of my hand. I was trying to get it to warm up so it would apply smoother to my eyelid.  As you can see on the top right, it still came out all Skippy, like an old compact disk in the very first portable walk-man.  Thank goodness for eye shadow.  You just take your smudge brush,  rub it in the color of your liner, and then rub it across the pencil line.  It comes out flawless and helps it stay on longer. 

3. The half liner.

This is more for day time.  It is for the women who loves to put liquid liner on her top and bottom line in the day time even though she knows that she shouldn't.  (You know who you are. Ha ha ha.)

This look is easy and is perfect for day time or work.  You still get to play with liquid liner without looking like you are going to a night club at 11 a.m.  All you do is take your liquid liner and go to the center of your eye lid and draw your line out from there.  Then you do the same thing to your waterline. This would have looked much better if I put on mascara. (Slapping hand to forehead...now.)

4.  Black liquid liner with a double cat eye. Meow!

This is something that I just learned how to do and am finally fine tuning it.  This is fun for date nights or those Sunday church or brunch outfits that just scream for something a little more...

This is pretty simple.  I take my favorite $1 eyeliner and thinly line my top lash line.  I can't do thick of a line because I have teeny tiny eyelids. They would completely disappear if I did anything different.  If you have big lid then I say go for it.  Play with the thickness of your lines. Work those lines!  I just know that for me I am stuck with sliver lines.  What I lack in lids I make up for with my almond shaped eyes that I love oh so much.  I take my line and just run it to the very tip of my eyelid, which happens to be a natural cat eye.  Now, what I do next actually changes the shape of my eye to make, not only my lashes look loner and fuller, but my eye itself seem longer.  I go underneath the already cat line and just swish a second line.  I don't understand its magic, but it truly does change the shape of my eye. I then add my black pencil liner under my top lash line, and yes, you will get used to it. I finish the look with what ever black mascara hasn't dried out.  (Ha ha ha! I seriously need new mascara.  It is sad really.)

5.  MY eye popping liner.

This line I do during the day or add to my bottom lashes for date night.  I use brown liner all the time because it is just an all around softer look.  I also use brown mascara to go along with it.  I just love what it does to emphasize the natural almond shape of my eyes. 

For those who are hesitent to use a liquid liner there is a simple way to learn that is less messy then just jumping right into it.  Play connect the dots (or dashes.)Every one can has played "Connect the Dots."  If you look in the middle picture I took my liquid brown liner and just did dots as close to my lash line.  Then go back and trace over those dots or dashes. I then add the pencil brown liner under my top lash line and then brown mascara to finish the look. 

The final look:

Facing the picture: left eye is the brown everyday eyeliner.  Right is the double cat eye black liner.  As you can see there is a major difference in the shape of my eye just by adding that extra swish.  CRAZY!  It is results like this that make me love makeup even more then I already do.

I hope this helped some of you with your eyeliner needs.  Remember that it is all trial and error.  First things first is to figure out what shape eyes you have and then go from there.  All shapes are beautiful in there own way.  So learn to make it your way.  (Pretty sure I took that from a McDonald's add.  Whoops.)

Remember readers, I may be a jack of this trade, but I am a master of none.

Natalie