Get in Line'r!
How old were you when you started experimenting with eyeliner? I was probably in the sixth grade...I definitely have the seventh grade photos to prove the learning curve was quite looooong! That would have been a tiny, hard-tipped pencil from the generic, all-inclusive, fold-out tray makeup kit I'd gotten as a birthday present. Along with a six-pack of Play Doh. Twelve was a weird age for me, what can I say?!!?
So I started with lipstick and eyeshadow much earlier, but the rest of my eye/liner repertoire came closer to junior high. AND I have been experimenting ever since! Even now, in my EARLY thirties, I have added new products to my lineup...most recently the extremely-popular gel eyeliner. I have been obsessed with trying this and finally picked some super-black-gel-liner-in-the-little-glass-pot at Wegman's last week.
Like all types of eyeliners, this definitely takes some practice. I started with the small brush that came with the pot (not a bad value for the $8 price point!) Ever faithful to the retro-inspired cat eye, I tried recreating my flicked-end first...only to create a blob of black. Yikes. So I tried starting in the center of my lid and making small strokes along the lashes to build my line. Hmmm....Not so smooth.
So, I enlisted the help of my "line up" of brushes to experiment with...
So far my favorites are the first two in the picture above, the "accent brush", which I use to smush the color into my lash line and the "pixel-point eyeliner brush" with which I can draw a fairly smooth line. These are both from Real Techniques.
The two most important things I have figured out are to scrape off excess product and not hesitating once I put the brush down on my lid. I do love how intensely pigmented this gel is! This particular brand is supposed to last 24 hours, but I have found it slides a bit after awhile if you don't have a nice base of shadow on your lid. Also, I still use my felt-tip liquid or my smokey pencil (more on those some other time!) when I'm in a hurry. I definitely want to keep experimenting with gel liner, perhaps adding a few other brands to compare results.
Here's to creating more fabulous gel-icious looks!!
L
So I started with lipstick and eyeshadow much earlier, but the rest of my eye/liner repertoire came closer to junior high. AND I have been experimenting ever since! Even now, in my EARLY thirties, I have added new products to my lineup...most recently the extremely-popular gel eyeliner. I have been obsessed with trying this and finally picked some super-black-gel-liner-in-the-little-glass-pot at Wegman's last week.
Maybelline EYE STUDIO gel liner with brush |
Like all types of eyeliners, this definitely takes some practice. I started with the small brush that came with the pot (not a bad value for the $8 price point!) Ever faithful to the retro-inspired cat eye, I tried recreating my flicked-end first...only to create a blob of black. Yikes. So I tried starting in the center of my lid and making small strokes along the lashes to build my line. Hmmm....Not so smooth.
So, I enlisted the help of my "line up" of brushes to experiment with...
Real Techniques, Avon, Your Name Professional and Maybelline liner brushes. |
The two most important things I have figured out are to scrape off excess product and not hesitating once I put the brush down on my lid. I do love how intensely pigmented this gel is! This particular brand is supposed to last 24 hours, but I have found it slides a bit after awhile if you don't have a nice base of shadow on your lid. Also, I still use my felt-tip liquid or my smokey pencil (more on those some other time!) when I'm in a hurry. I definitely want to keep experimenting with gel liner, perhaps adding a few other brands to compare results.
Here's to creating more fabulous gel-icious looks!!
L
great post! I always end up making too big of a line because I am trying to make it perfect :p I look so silly sometimes, but thats whats fun about makeup, you just wash it off and start again! :)
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