Thread: Eyeliner woes

I recently started wearing eyeliner every day (I'm turning 30 soon and I feel like my older face could use some help). I've been having this problem though...one of my eyes is a little bit puffier than the other, so it is slightly more hooded, and my eyeliner transfers onto the upper part of my eyelid and leaves a black mark. It's really annoying and I end up rubbing my eyes to get rid of it and then all my eyeliner smears. It's just a mess. Any tips on how to apply/set the eyeliner so it doesn't do this? Or maybe I need to pick a different kind of eyeliner? I've tried 3 kinds and they all do it. Does waterproof eyeliner help? Liquid?

Does it transfer right after you put it on? If that is the case, try putting on the eyeliner and leaving your eye mostly closed until it has a chance to dry a bit. Liquid eyeliner especially can transfer when wet. I have a similar issue with mascara, if I wiggle around too much while it's wet I can get smears underneath my eye. Patience, sigh.

You could try going over the eyeliner with a dark eyeshadow as well, to "set" it. An angled brush or other very narrow brush is good for this.

Also, using a q-tip cotton swab to clean up smears/mistakes is more controllable (and safer for the skin near your eyes) than using a finger.

try waterproof liquid liner and let it dry. that should help. pencil tends to smudge

I've had good luck with this one staying put - Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner Stingray Ulta.com - Cosmetics, Fragrance, Salon and Beauty Gifts.

i tend to like the urban decay 24/7

but its a ***** to get off!

Echoing Teophania's advice -- especially about going over either liquid or pencil eyeliner with a matching shadow and a small brush; it gives a softer look to liquid eyeliner as well. Alternatively, you might prefer to use a fine brush to line with shadow *before* you apply the liner. This also seems to help prevent transfer, IME, and is good for a "smoky" look. Weirdly, I seem to have better luck with non-smearing pencils on the cheap end of the spectrum. Rimmel, for example.

Moving past the fact that almost 30 doesn't qualify you yet as "older"

Your moisturizing products may be the culprit. Your eye cream may be breaking down your makeup. As the day goes on, oils from moisturizers seep back out of the skin. Try an eyelid primer to create a barrier between moisturizing products and color products? I personally like MAC paint pots. They have a few flesh tones.

Yes to waterproof products. Also, try lining with shadow and a wet angle brush for day. Many eyeliner pencils have a lot of oils in them and can "slip around" on the skin.

Also---sometimes just a neutral shadow on the lid will keep your eyeliner from transferring----that's what i do for daytime---non-BD life.

Originally Posted by sabrinabellydancer

Also, try lining with shadow and a wet angle brush for day. Many eyeliner pencils have a lot of oils in them and can "slip around" on the skin.

This is the method I use. I wet an angled brush and use regular eye shadow to line my eyes (being careful to not fully open them until the line is dry). Asian eyes are notorious for smudged/traveling eyeliner, and this method has helped me tremendously.

You may want to try a powder eyeliner as it doesn't really need time to set. And put a primer on your eyelid before you apply.

Ditto on the primer - it really makes a difference in helping your liner go on smoothly, lasting longer, and not slipping around. I'm partial to Urban Decay.

Originally Posted by phillyraqs

Ditto on the primer - it really makes a difference in helping your liner go on smoothly, lasting longer, and not slipping around. I'm partial to Urban Decay.

Tritto(?) on the primer. I also like Two Faced primer, if the Urban Decay bottle annoys you as much as it does me...

I have oily eyelids, and I sweat a lot when I dance, so sometimes I feel like the queen of smudgeproof research. If you're looking for a sharp black line, I haven't found anything that stays put better than Wet'n'Wild gel liner, applied with an angled brush. For a softer look, believe it or not I really like MAC's kohl pencils - if you just draw a line on it tends to smudge, but if you draw it on and then sort of soften it and work it into your lashline with an angled brush it really seems to stay put.

For dancing I'm also really partial to Ben Nye LiquiSet, but that's a bit much for everyday

My super power is repelling foreign substances from my body- including make up! I swear my eyelids sweat or something- even waterproof make up doesn't stay! yes on the primer, but I also have to use a finishing powder to 'set' the eye makeup, and I have to reapply it periodically. I also just don't worry about what gets lost in the fold- you won't see it unless I close my eyes and lift my eyebrows anyway, which is not a habit I've picked up! I've tried the various sealants out there and haven't found any to be more effective than setting powder.

Stila Smudge Pots are fab!!

Originally Posted by kellybellydances

Stila Smudge Pots are fab!!

Yes, I love these.

Thanks y'all. I guess I have to make a trip to Ulta soon. I tried setting my eyeliner with my face powder today and it actually worked pretty well...still a little transference, but not too bad.

i use a base for eye lids only by lancome "clair" nothing moves!

In addition to using the base - I don't have Primer Experience but it's about time I tried one; I have a great sunblock, actually, that has some kind of silicone element and it makes my skin feel smoooooth as velvet - I would recommend liquid or gel eyeliner with powder on top to matte it down and soften. I don't wear eyemakeup daily any more but I wore liquid eyeliner on the top lid every day for about three, four years when I was a young 'un. I too have puffy eyes with hooding tendencies. The trick is to apply the liner and just keep looking down for a little while while it dries. However, if you apply, wait a few seconds then dot a power shadow on top, that will set it. The powder can be less "perfect", it doesn't matter, as the liquid line will give you the nice depth at your lash line.

Using an eyeshadow wet with a thin brush is also really effective. You just need to keep your eyes down for a little to let it dry.

Can someone please post a pic of the kind of angled eye-shadow brush that you can wet? I'm not sure exactly what y'all mean.

https://www.christopherdrummond.com/...Web%20File.jpg

Like that one. The one I use is actually a Mary Kay one (yay family members selling MK) that's the angled brush on one end and and eyebrow comb/brush on the other (which I don't use, ever since I learned to use a spoolie -- i.e. clean mascara wand -- to tame my, let's call them, "luxurious" eyebrows). You can find similar brushes from many different companies. You can also find straight edged ones of similar thickness.

You just don't want a fluffy brush. It's too hard to control to make a close line.

All the tips posted here are great,thought I´ll chime in with my eyeliner favorites:
Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Liquid liner,used this for about 4-5 years and one pen lasts me a year despite daily use
It is made to dry fast&stay in humid climates for the asian market with a finer tip than western liners...
<3 this brand and stock up whenever I see it for sale in asian stores or online:
http://cosmetic-candy.com/haul-kiss-...eliner-review/



Now I´m trying out this one(even better,and with a super fine tip:Amazon.com: K-Palette 24H Real Lasting Eyeliner (Micro Fine 0.05mm): Beauty

Depotting UD Primer out of it´s genie bottle:
MarsMunster Makeup: Depotting Urban Decay Primer Potion

I like the gel eyeliners.
The pots from Lancome are really good.

Almost every type of eyeliner I've ever tried (including waterproof), just slides right off after a couple of hours, so I'm glad to see some suggestions here that I haven't seen before.

I, unfortunately, did not have any luck with the Urban Decay 24/7 (and I always use Primer Potion with my eye makeup). I started a similar thread a couple of months ago, and Azhia and some others chimed in with a couple suggestions there that I haven't had a chance to try yet. I do have pretty good luck with the Stila Smudge Pots, though (I just wanted something that I can quickly put on for work, as I feel like the gel liner is a little more labor intensive...).

Good luck, andalee_oriental! Please let us know if you end up finding something that works for you!

Another vote for primer and gel liner. I use Too Faced's Shadow Insurance, though Urban Decay's is also really good. I'm pretty devoted to MAC's Fludline. It dries very fast and stays put for me all day.

I use Lore'al's (however its spelled) gel/pot eyeliner- and I never have issues- well except the wing at the corner- but I'm heavy handed with the eyeliner and I also touch my face a lot- so I don't really expect it to last 12 hrs looking perfect

but if I am just rimming the eye- it never budges.

I also use Covergirl & Olay's Simly Ageless eye concealer- it helps with redness/baggy eyes and doubles as an eye primer- I have never used a top end one- so I can't compare- but I'm happy with the results of this at a fraction of the cost.

Hi Andalee,
I also have hooded lids and recently found some things that work for me:

-Stila Water proof Liquid Eye Liner: Dries instantly so your hooded lids don't get unwanted color on them!
stila cosmetics - Beauty, Cosmetics, Makeup Tools, One Step Foundation & Special Offers

-Tarte Clay Waterproof eye liner (great for inner rims, too!): Super rich black color and dries really fast!
emphasEYES™ waterproof clay eye shadow & eyeliner pot with brush - tarte cosmetics

And like several people have suggested, eye primers. I use Benefit's "pre-primer", Stay Don't Stay before something like Too Faced's eye primer.

My eyes are also hooded, and I've found that Bobbi Brown or Mac gel eyeliners work really well, I use a slanted eyeliner brush:). I've also found that Urban Decay Primer Potion keeps my eyeshadow in place the whole day and won't crease:).

Oh, if you prefer pencil liners for day to day wear, I love Lancome eyeliners-so soft and they apply like a dream and won't budge. xoxo