BEAUTY The lowdown on eyeliner

The lowdown on eyeliner


Beauty
Maggie Gibbons

Why bother with eyeliner? I’ll tell you why! Of all the eye enhancers on the market eyeliner is my guilty pleasure. This little gem does the same thing for your eyes that a frame does for a picture. Once you get the hang of applying it properly you will be amazed at the transformation, your eyes will appear larger and more defined.
The question is, should you choose gel, powder, liquid, or pencil? With so many different kinds of eyeliner available it can be a challenge to identify which one to buy.
It really depends on what you want to achieve, bold or subtle? For full on drama the liquid or gel is best and it comes in a huge range of fabulous colours. They also has great staying power. Pencils are softer and wont last as long, so may need to be reapplied through the day or evening. The biggest trend on the Autumn/Winter catwalks this year was blue eyeliner. This little wonder will be around for some time to come.

Application
Have you large or small eyes? This will make a difference in the application, if your eyes are large you can go really bold with the lines on upper and lower lids. In fact unless your eyes are huge I suggest only putting liner on the top lid as eyes will actually look smaller if applied to both lids. Also keep liner as close to the lashes as possible.

Colour
Sallow complexions look great with browns and greens while dark complexions suit black and dark grey better. Navy is wonderful on fair skins. Why not experiment with a bit of colour and see for yourself what it does for the eyes?

liquid eyeliner
It’s simpler to use than powder with less ‘clumping’ or caking. A good liquid eyeliner will glide on smoothly. Boots No 7 liquid eyeliner (€9.75) comes in an amazing array of exotic jewel colours, about ten shades in all.

Pencils
Pencils are easy to apply, they are great little multitaskers acting as both liner and eyeshadow. They’re also a great way to achieve a smoky-eyed look.

Gel liners
The main benefit is the extensive colour range. The liners come with an integral brush applicator that’s tapered to offer very precise control. They dry to a stunning matte finish without caking or flaking.

My picks
Rimmel Precision Micro Eyeliner (€9.95) is a beautiful sharp, felt-tip-pen-style product which gives an inky black line which you can make as thin or as thick as you like. It’s also waterproof, which is handy. You just build it up gradually.
New Infallible® Never Fail Eyeliner (€12.49) is L’Oréal’s most-advanced mechanical liner with superior long-wearing technology. It’s ophthalmologist-tested and is suitable for both sensitive eyes and contact-lens wearers.  
The Revlon Colorstay range offers several options including a creme gel eye liner, a liquid liner and a pencil – if you like the brand, you’ll find your favourite.  

Maggie Gibbons is an Image/Style Consultant based in Louisburgh. She can be contacted at living@mayonews.ie.