! **DRUGSTORE AND BARGAIN LOVER** !: Makeup 101: Eyeliner Basics (Pencil, Gel/Cream, Cake, Liquid, Eyeshadow)

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Makeup 101: Eyeliner Basics (Pencil, Gel/Cream, Cake, Liquid, Eyeshadow)

Thursday, October 28, 2010 |

Eyeliners are for most of us an essential step in our makeup routine! They define and re-shape our eyes, they make them look sexy plus they make our eyelashes look a bit thicker! Some of us prefer subtle eyeliners, while others prefer intense, dramatic eyeliners! Eyeliners come in so many different colors, forms and finishes nowadays that it's quite hard to make a choice! Let's take a look at the different forms of eyeliner offered in the beauty market :

Pencil Eyeliner: This is the most popular and the most convinient type of eyeliner! It takes up so little space and you can easily throw it in your purse! You can find pencil eyeliners in a variety of colors and finishes, from completely matte to glittery! If you have oily eyelids you might wanna set your pencil eyeliner with a matching powder eyeshadow! Another positive thing about pencil eyeliners is that you don't need any type of brush to apply them, you apply them directly on your eyelid! They last a long time, just make sure to sharpen them quite often to avoid bacteria build up and store them away from heat and humidity!

Liquid Eyeliner (felt tip): Liquid Eyeliners in general can be quite tricky, especially if you don't have steady hands! The ones with felt tip are a bit easier to control, because the tip is stiff and it doesn't move around! These eyeliners usually come in a semi-matte finish, but there are also some shimmery ones! You don't need a brush to apply them, which is always a bonus, and if you're struggling with the application keep on practising!! Liquid eyeliners dry out quite fast, so make sure to store them away from heat and always close the cap really tightly!

Liquid Eyeliner (brush): Liquid eyeliners that come with a brush can help you achieve a very fine and precise line, but you have to be very careful with them, as unsteady hands and liquid eyeliners with a brush aren't a good combination! You can get these eyeliners with both a semi-matte and shimmery/glittery finish (I think Collection 2000 are like that) ! You obviously don't need a brush to apply them and again practise makes you perfect, so don't get disappointed if you don't get the line right during the first applications! Liquid eyeliners dry out quite fast, so make sure to store them away from heat and always close the cap really tightly!

Eyeliner Pen: This type of eyeliner is very convinient, because it combines the intensity of a liquid eyeliner with the facility of a pen! They take up little space and you can easily throw them in your purse! Eyeliner pens usually give you a semi-matte finish, I haven't seen any that give you a shimmery/glittery finish! You obviously don't need a brush to apply it, which is great, and it's more convinient than the other 2 liquid eyeliner types, because you don't have to constantly dip your brush in the product! Again you need to practise a little bit, so don't get disappointed! The only bad thing about it is that it dries out pretty fast, so make sure to store it upside down (the tip of the pen should be facing the table) to keep the tip moist!

Gel/Cream Eyeliner: This type of eyeliner has become very popular in the last 2-3 years and many brands have come out with their own gel/cream eyeliner! You can find eyeliners like these in a variety of colors and finishes nowadays, for example matte, metallic, shimmery! Unfortunately you will need a brush to apply gel/cream eyeliners, so they're not easy to carry in your purse! Some use an angled brush and some use a small smudge brush, both are great, so it's totally up to you! In my opinion they're somewhere between pencil and liquid eyeliners when it comes to application ease! Gel/cream eyeliners that are in a glass jar last longer, but store them upside down to make them last even longer!

Cake Eyeliner: This isn't a very popular type of eyeliner and to be honest I've never tried one, so I had to do some online research to find some info! Cake eyeliners are usually packaged like eyeshadows and once you put your wet brush in them, they turn into a nice creamy product that really lasts on your eyelids and it's quite easy to apply! Cake eyeliners don't go bad easily, so one of them will last you for ever! From that description I'm guessing it will be great for people with oily eyelids, so I'm really tempted to buy one!

Eyeshadow (used as eyeliner): Many people use eyeshadows as eyeliners and it's great, because you can have eyeliners in any color you want! You can apply eyeshadows dry (for a subtle effect) or wet (for a more defined and dramatic effect), just make sure to use a specific area of the eyeshadow for wet application, because once the eyeshadow gets wet, it starts to crumble and break ! Not all eyeshadows look good when used wet, for example some matte pastel colors don't look good, they look cakey and gross, but most colors will work! Usually eyeshadows that are used wet last pretty long on your eyelids and I've noticed the same thing on my lower lashline! You can use a pencil brush, an eyeliner brush or even a sponge tip applicator to apply the eyeshadow!

I personally love eyeliners, I use them everytime and I mostly go for a little bit more intense, dramatic ones! Pencil eyeliners and cream eyeliners are the ones I reach for the most, as I can't handle liquid eyeliners very well with my quite unsteady hands! What's your favorite type of eyeliner? ;) See you in my next Makeup 101! ;)