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. :)