5 Common Eyeliner Application Errors


An eyeliner is perhaps the most important makeup product in the theatre. It can magically define eyes or make an actor look 40 years older. Forget the lipstick, but not the eyeliner. During my acting days in the theatre, some of my co- student actors would always ask me to apply eyeliner on their eyes because they say that I’m the expert when it comes to eyeliner application.


One of my perfect lines. I have bad days too! :D

Truth be told, I’m not, really. I just know how to apply it properly. It doesn’t really take a special degree or class to know how to apply eyeliner correctly. When I’ve observed how some of my colleagues would apply eyeliner on their eyes, I knew right then and there that they were doing a couple of mistakes. And so I’ve gathered and compiled these common errors in this post. Read on and know how to correct them.



Error 1: TILTED HEAD

I’ve noticed that some of my colleagues would tilt their heads prior to applying eyeliner, or they gradually tilt their heads as they apply eyeliner. This is incorrect because you’ll end up with a slanted line. An eyeliner can make or break your look. And if you tilt your head, you will end up with the wrong kind of definition.

Correct: Straighten up your head and you’ll create a straight line. A straight head also helps you create precise line shapes.


Error 2: ROLLING EYES AFTER APPLICATION

It’s the perfect move to create disaster. You’ll end up smudging the upper and middle parts of your lids, ergo you'll repeat your eye makeup from square 1.

Correct: Regardless if you’re using a gel, liquid, cake, or cream type eyeliner, make sure you open your eyes ever so slightly after application to prevent eyeliner, and upper and middle lid contact. Keep your eyes down for a few seconds to let your eyeliner dry up completely. If you have excessively oily lids or if you sweat a lot, you might want to use an eyeliner sealant to prevent it from smudging.


Error 3: INWARD-OUT APPLICATION

One of the most common mistakes in eyeliner application. It results to uneven and unnatural looking lines.

Correct: Always start at the middle part of your lash line then move the brush towards your outer lash line. And for the final touch, fill in your inner lash line to seal your look. When applying eyeliner, always try your best to imitate the natural look of your lashes/lash lines.

Tip: Your lashes are usually sparse at the inner part, and it gradually thickens up until the outer lash line.

Error 4: OUTWARD-IN APPLICATION

An error that’s much worse than the inward- out technique. You can end up smudging eyeliner on your nose, or much worse, poking your eyes!

Correct: Same as the tip on Error 3.


Error 5: THE FLAT- FACED BRUSH TECHNIQUE

Most of my colleagues would apply gel, liquid, and cake eyeliners with the help of an eyeliner brush. Correct. But almost all of them are using their brushes the wrong way, like the example above. Yes, it’s correct to use the tip of the brush, but positioning the brush upwards makes the technique wrong. You can end up with jagged lines or a poked eye.

Correct: Regardless of what kind of eyeliner brush you’re using, make sure the brush is pointing towards you--not upwards.

There you go! Feel free to add more. :)

Post a Comment

15 Comments

  1. sis, what eyeliner brush yung best for newbie like me?i have slanted eyeliner brush and i find it ok to use. tama ka, may error ako usually yung inward-outward. mabuti na lang naka pag share ka ng ganito. I'm fond of lining my eyes these days. saka sis pano magiging thin lines yung mggawa?parang sakin lagi thick, d ko ma control

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  2. Very good! What a very helpful post! I agree to you Ms. Martha, that eyeliner is one of the most important make-up. I found it true kasi sometimes, kapag nagmamadali ako or malelate na ako sa isang appointment, eyeliner lang swak na! Thanks for pointing out those mistakes, sometimes kasi nagagawa ko yun, specially the outward-in application. Happy weekdays!

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  3. I'm guilty of the Inward-Out Application:p

    Thanks for these tips! Will definitely keep them in mind.

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  4. i have stopped applying eyeliner a long long long long time ago (yup, during my theater days too- about 15 yrs ago)because I end up looking funny,what with all the jagged lines i created.

    kasi naman, inward to outward ako. middle pala dapat magsa-start! duh! and gosh, ngayon ko lang nalaman. buti na lang sinabi mo :). thanks

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  5. Very informative post, Martha! I've done some of those errors before. But with a lot of practice, I eventually got it right! Now my classmates also asks me to apply eyeliners on them. I'll probably share this to them so they can practice it right too! :P

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  6. wish I was at home and try the techniques Im reading kaya lang nasa work now. Lately Ive been applying eyeliner with the eye pencil. dati brown shade ginagamit ko , naubos na. Now Im using this pencil which my friend gave to me, It glides smoothly, soft hindi gel like. What i like about putting the eye pencil it makes ur eyes pop out. Na eenhance nya maigi ung eyes mo , esp kung maganda ang shade ng eye shadow mo.

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  7. kath: it's from the tony moly backstage self smoky kit. :) any brush will suit you as long as you know how to use the brush correctly. :)

    jillsabs: glad you like it dear! me too, was guilty of the same thing before hehe. :D

    jakie: eyeliner ka na ulit! :D

    peachy pink: true! practice makes perfect indeed. :) yehey! thanks for sharing. :D

    magz13: thanks for sharing! If you like eyeliner pencils, always go for the soft pencils as they're easier to use and blend, and more comfortable then hard pencils. They can double as eyeshadows too! :)

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  8. Error 2= GUILTY!! especially on days na nagmamadali ako. :) I'm more comfortable though using eyeliner pencils.

    Thanks for sharing, Martha. Very helpful and informative.

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  9. im very much guilty sa tilted heAd ..hehehe..kaya pala laging hindi pantay yung outcome eh..ngayun alam ko na..im fond of using pencil eyeliners..gumive-up lang ako dahil di ko magawa ng maayos..thanks for sharing this..:D

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  10. Anythinggoes: hahaha. now you know how to correct it na. :) no prob, glad you liked it :)

    alpha: no problem. oh, correct your posture na ha! :D

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  11. Hehe, one of my frustrations in life. It's not that I'm impatient but I everyday I always have to chase time. I'm good with putting on just a mascara, blush-on and lipstick but I want this year to change. I'm now a full-blown lady so I need to learn more about this. Thanks for this tips to remember, Ms. Martha. =)

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  12. Tala: thanks for sharing tala. It just takes practice. Before I really take time in applying eyeliner. but now, I can do it in less than 2 mins.! :)

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  13. nice post Ms. Martha.. very informative! I myself have soooooo many errors in applying eyeliner.. I even remember when I was still in elementary,during programs where we need to apply makeup, that's one thing I dislike because it gives me teary eyes!

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  14. 4 out of 5 errors! good thing you pointed it out now i know bakit ako nahihirapan. buti nalang nag-back read ako :)

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  15. nice post Ms. Martha im very much guilty sa error 1 :) hahaha.. i will try to practice more putting eyeliners salamat sa post na ito :)

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