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Eyeliner
Types, techniques by eye shape, colour, longevity and safe removal.
Eyeliner
The eyeliner guide
Eyeliner types compared, how to draw a wing, the line for hooded, monolid and older eyes, what eye doctors say about the waterline, and how to remove it.
Brown or black eyeliner: how to choose
Black eyeliner gives the most contrast and reads as a drawn line. Brown reads as shadow and suits daytime, fair hair and older eyes. Plum is the third way.
Coloured eyeliner: purple, gold and blue, and where to put them
Coloured eyeliner works when the colour is opposite your eye colour on the wheel and goes in one place: lash line, inner corner or above the crease.
Eyeliner for hooded eyes
Eyeliner for hooded eyes: map the line with your eyes open, keep it thin, draw a batwing that shows when the eye is open, and stop transfer onto the lid.
Eyeliner for mature eyes
Eyeliner for older eyes: a soft gel pencil in brown or plum, a thin line on the outer third with a small lift, a smudged edge, and a bare lower waterline.
Eyeliner for monolids
Eyeliner for monolids: draw a thicker line than feels natural, check it with the eye open, pick a straight wing or puppy liner, and tightline for density.
Eyeliner with contact lenses and sensitive eyes
Put lenses in first, draw liner on the skin at the lash line, skip the waterline and glitter, and take lenses out before remover. Optometrists explain why.
How long eyeliner lasts, and how to keep it clean
Eyeliner lasts 6 to 12 months after opening by its PAO symbol, but eye-care professionals advise replacing it after 3 months, sooner for waterline use.
How to do winged eyeliner, step by step
Winged eyeliner in seven steps: find the angle from the lower lash line, dot the tip, connect, build thin to thick, match both sides and fix a wobble.
How to remove waterproof eyeliner gently
Waterproof eyeliner dissolves in oil, not water. Hold an oil or biphase remover on the closed lid for 20 seconds, then wipe outward once without rubbing.
How to stop eyeliner smudging under the eyes
Eyeliner smudges when lid oil, tears or a hooded fold move a soft formula. Prime and powder the lid, set pencil with shadow and keep the lower line short.
Pencil, gel, liquid or kohl: which eyeliner does what
The four types of eyeliner compared on precision, wear time, smudging, ease and removal, with what is inside each formula and which one suits beginners.
Tightlining: the invisible line that thickens lashes
Tightlining fills the gaps between upper lashes so they look denser with no visible line. The six steps, the right pencil and the eye doctors' view.