The Gilded Lily: 10 Eyeliner Tricks to Make You Stand Out

Never, in my entire history as a make-up aficionado, have I ever felt that a look is complete without eyeliner. In fact, above all other beauty products, if I only had time to quickly apply one, I would choose liner.

However, it’s not always easy to apply, especially in black, which only requires a tiny smudge to become totally, unforgiving-ly sloppy. The great thing about these looks is that you can wear them on their own or with eyeshadow. If you do wear them without shadow, I do recommend applying a heavily pigmented concealer. Having smooth, even skin will help the liner stand out, not to mention it’ll take care of any mistakes. Another technique I like employing is the use of different eyeliner mediums in one look. While some types (felt tip pen, pencil, angled brushes) are better used for making thin strokes, other types (gel, cream, concealer brushes) make filling in a space easier. Here are some of my favorite tools for creating the looks in this post:

On to the styles!

Look# 1:

Waterline eyeliner

Now, pretty much everyone and their grandmothers knows that the easiest way to use pencil liner is to use it on your lower waterline. It’s a classic, simple way to wear it, but not necessarily the most exciting.

However, using the same pencil liner on the upper waterline, will add to the look’s depth, making your eyes appear more alluring. Some of you might be a little weirded out by this, but the trick is to use small, gentle strokes, letting this part of your eye get used to being touched. The final result is classic a classic black waterline with a little extra oomph.

Note: I also use this as a starting point in all of the following eyeliner looks.

Look# 2:

Upper line sweep

This look is good for ladies that want to draw focus away from their bottom lids. The length of the sweep can be altered to make it more or less dramatic. The use of both felt tip pen and gel liners makes it a nearly foolproof experience that’s hard to mess up. Make sure that you use a sharp, angled brush for the gel liner. Don’t forget to use an eye pencil on those waterlines!

Step 1-

Use a cream or gel liner to carefully do your top lash line.

Step 2-

Now, instead of risking smudges, use a felt tip pen liner to make a little tapered line with an upward sweep.

Look#3:

Cat-eye liner

Next is the tried and true cat-eye liner. What differentiates this one from the above look is that instead of having the sweep be a continuation of the top line, we will be lining the eye all around and adding a slightly curvier sweep at the corners (mimicking the shape of a cat’s eyes.)

Step 1-

Use the gel liner and angled brush to line the top, then bottom lids.

Step 2-

I prefer making the sweep as an extension of the bottom line. As you want to keep it soft, go ahead and continue using the gel liner and angled brush.

Look# 4:

Round eye

This look is simple, yet elegant. A felt tip liner works best, as it’ll give our lines very precise edges. Using a gel or pencil liner could make this look smudgy, giving it a messy appearance.

Look# 5:

Cleopatra Liner

Use this look to draw everyone’s attention to you! Great by itself or with eyeshadow, this look is guaranteed to get you noticed.

Step 1-

Use a felt tip liner on your top and bottom lash lines. Extend the top line to the corner at the edge of your crease, but keep it very straight.

Step 2-

Use a gel liner and angled brush to pull the line back in to your crease. Watch out for smudging!

Step 3-

Bring it close to the inner corner of your eye.

Step 4-

With a small concealer brush, connect the bottom line to the top through the corner of your eye. This works best with light, precise dabs, than with strokes.

Step 5-

You can apply shadow in the space you created or leave it bare. Make sure to let the liner thoroughly dry or use a make-up setting spray to prevent smudges!

Look# 6:

Double liner

Another whimsical little trick for getting noticed! This one is dramatic, yet still wearable for daytime, depending on how long you extend the lines.

Step 1-

Use the felt tip liner around the top and bottom lids. Make sure you don’t quite connect them at the outer corners.

Step 2-

Using the same liner pen, extend each line, keeping both very straight. Because of the shape of my eyes, I prefer making the top one a little bit longer, but you can experiment and see which lengths suit you best.

Look# 7:

Wing Lines

This look is pretty similar to the one above, the main difference being that rather than stemming from two separate sections, the outer lines are united.

Step 1-

Use gel liner on your top and bottom lids. Give the top lid an upward curving extension.

Step 2-

With the pen liner, draw the extension back down, forming a triangular shape. From the base of it form another, smaller sweep.

Step 3-

Use the gel liner and concealer brush to fill in the gaps and you’re done!

Look# 8:

Butterfly Lines

This look is quirky and fun for a night out!

Step 1-

Follow the same steps as the cat-eye liner above, making the extended line very small.

Step 2-

Use the felt tip liner to make another, longer line under the first.

Step 3-

Finish the look off by making an even longer line under that one. Who needs fake lashes with these?!

Look# 9:

High Drama Under-Liner

(Note: Please excuse the redness of my eyes, they were getting very irritated at this point. I will NEVER recommend attempting ten eyeliner looks in one night.) Not a look for the faint of heart! This look is great for when your look calls for a little bit more “goth.”

Step 1-

Use the felt tip liner to make a very thin line over the top lid.

Step 2-

Draw the outline of the shape. Don’t be afraid to go crazy with it, but follow the contour of your eyes.

Step 3-

Use a brush and gel liner to fill in the space. Nice and spooky, no?

Look# 10:

Thick Wing Tip

This is another very wild look that I wouldn’t wear unless I was planning on partying pretty seriously. Dusting some setting powder over these filled in looks can help keep them from smearing.

Step 1-

Use the felt tip liner to draw the desired shape. You want to create a pointy tip that looks just like the first look we did, but much thicker. Be careful not to smudge your crease like I did!