Beauty Bar 101: Liquid Eyeliner

Liquid Eyeliner is sweeping the makeup world by storm for the definitive look it creates, its power to last long hours throughout the day and for its roots in Arabic culture. It can be very tricky to work with but when it’s applied correctly, it can transform a look in a second!

Whilst there are countless designs and styles you can play with when applying liquid eyeliner, this tutorial is going to show you the most basic way of applying liquid eyeliner, after all – it all has to begin with the basics!

So with some help from our fellow gurus, we are here to show you how to get it right, every time :)

Three main forms of liquid eyeliner:

Felt Tip (most suitable for beginners)

Brush Tip

Dip brush liner/gel liner

What you will need:

Liquid eyeliner
Heaps of cotton tips (q-tips) for touch-ups
Tape (optional)

Step 1:

Start by applying the liquid eyeliner to the mid section of your top lash line, and slowly making your way out towards the outer section of your eyelid.

Make sure to finish at the end of your natural lash line.

Step 2:

Fill in the inner section of your lash line, by connecting the line with the original one you drew in Step 1.

Step 3:

This step will be solely focussed on the ‘flick’ or the ‘wing’ of the eyeliner. Draw a curved line that ‘flicks’ upwards from the end of your lash line (which you have just drawn) towards the end of your eyebrow. The way you draw this is completely up to you.

It has been suggested that for beginners, you might want to try your application with some help from a piece of tape. (see right)

*note: We at beauty bar don’t believe that you necessarily have to use tape in this step, as it makes you constantly rely on something else other than practicing with your own hand and also, it may cause a blotchy effect if you apply foundation before you apply the eyeliner.

Step 4: (optional)

If you want to make the flick more like a wing, fill-in the space between the end of the lash line, to the end of the flick line (the ‘triangle’).

Step 5: (optional)

For extra glamour, hold your eyelid up and apply a coat of eyeliner onto the lash line, without being too close to your eye, just in case your lovely lashes were hindering the closeness of the liquid line onto the lash line. Once you have done this, hold up your eyelid again and with a wet cotton tip, run it along the inner part of your water line that is closest to your eye, so no eyeliner leaks into your actual eye.

Step 6: (optional)

If you would like to make your look more dramatic, continue the line on the inner section of your eye and curve it out towards your nose (see right).

Also, follow the same steps for the bottom lash line.

*note: when applying liquid eyeliner, cotton tips are your best friend! Use them to touch up your lines but be careful not to waste them.