I’ve been wearing liquid eyeliner since I was 17 years old. You don’t need to know that was 20 years ago, but I’ll tell you anyway (while sobbing into my make up bag!). Anyway recently, I’ve started to notice that my skin isn’t necessarily as, errr, taught as it once was, particularly on my eyes; meaning my Rimmel liquid eyeliner is getting harder to apply and more importantly to look good. Gone are the days of just ‘drawing the line’ and being done with it!
Now I don’t wear make up day to day. Partly because I’m lazy and partly because I just don’t see the point. It’s all I can do to remember to slap a bit of moisturiser on in the morning. But I think it’s also something to do with ingrained make up habits I’ve had for a long time, i.e. when I do it, I do it full on. Primer, foundation, concealer, blusher, three shades of eyeshadow, liner, mascara, khol, lipstain/stick/gloss. I just don’t see the point of just mascara, or just gloss. Go large or go home, that’s my make up motto and the same goes for my eyeliner preference. I love a good dramatic wing.
So back to not being so good at them. While meandering through Boots last week on a rare day by myself, I decided to ask the Benefit ladies about their gel liner pen (the They’re Real Liner – nope not a fan of the name sorry). I figured perhaps gel would be easier to apply to my wrinkled old eyelids. As the 17 year old assistant who served me agreed! A sigh and a sob! No, she was a dear really and was able to do a lovely, if small for my taste, wing on one eyelid for me. But could I get the other eye to match? Could I figroll!! What a mess. But it did seem to be going on well, so I spunked out the cash for the new pen and off I trotted with my first piece of Benefit make up. Happy me.
Trouble was, I just couldn’t do it again when I got it home. Oh blimey, what a palaver. I watched Benefit’s own tutorial videos and everything and I still ended up wonky. Too thick this side, too thin that. I think the pen is going to take practice too, it’s a very different style to the fine liquid liner I’m used to. However, give it it’s due, it has the staying power (although not, I hasten to add, the consistency) of dried on Ready Brek. Nothing (except my lovely Liz Earle) can get the bugger off!
Anyway, somewhat in despair I started searching Pinterest for some kind of tutorial. All the ones I’d seen on YouTube, were good and all, but were make up ‘experts’ showing you how to do it on other people. I needed to know how to do it on myself. Then I stumbled on a doozy of a blog post by Batalash Beauty. It’s a great post, however the two most important things I took from it were:
- Look down when applying your liner, not forward
- Hold the liner almost parallel to your eye, rather than at a right angle to it
I tried this and immediately the wrinkle issue suddenly wasn’t one and by holding the liner differently I could draw the line with even a khol pencil! It was a revelation. Straight away I could do an even, decent, dramatic wing.
Now I just need to practice using my new pen. The 17 year old me would be so proud.
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