Don’t Fear The Powder Eyeliner

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My first attempt at powder eyeliner. It was fairly easy applying it to my upper eyelid. My lower lid is another story.

My first attempt at powder eyeliner. It was fairly easy applying it to my upper eyelid. My lower lid is another story.

After finally getting the hang of pencil eyeliner last week, I decided it was time to give powder a try. Armed with the Laura Mercier Color Wardrobe, an angled brush I picked up at Sephora, and a few of Q-Tips, I was ready to do battle.

Actually, it was more tussle than battle.

On my first attempt, I pretty much nailed my upper eyelids perfectly.  I simply wet my brush, dipped it in the powder and pressed the brush into my eyelashes. Pretty simple and sadly, anti-climactic.

After last week’s challenge with using the pencil liner, I was expecting more of a challenge.

Why was I so afraid? This was easy.

I only messed up the outside corner of my upper eyelid. There is a reason you use an  angled brush! But I was able to fix it right up with a trusty Q-tip.

Then it was time to do the lower lid.

It looks OK in the photo above, but in person it was a hot mess.

First I applied way too much pressure. The brush’s bristles felt like pins. My eye started tearing, causing the powder I applied to run.

Drunken raccoon, here I come.

Did a few tears and eye pain stop me?  Nope. I continued across my eye. But my hand became more jumpy out of fear of pressing too hard again. The result was a very jagged line under my eye.  No amount of smudging could salvage what I did.

Feeling a bid defeated, I sucked it up, wiped away the eyeliner and went back for round two. Starting with my lower lid, I relaxed my hand and gently pressed on my eyelash line.

No pain.

My second try at applying powdered eyeliner. Once I relaxed my hand and stopped pressing the blasted brush into my eye, things got much easier!

My second try at applying powdered eyeliner. Once I relaxed my hand and stopped pressing the blasted brush into my eye, things got much easier!

I followed my lash line, applying the powder to only the outer 1/3 of the lashes.  Gone were the jagged lines and the drunken raccoon. Just a few strokes with the Q-tip and I was staring at one smooth line. Sweet!

Do I still think eyeliner is the devil?  No.

I’m a little excited about playing with different colors and trying more dramatic looks down the road. For now, I’m just happy I didn’t poke my eye out.

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Eyeliner Is The Devil!

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eyeliner

The carnage! Why is eyeliner so damn hard to put on?

Like foosball, eyeliner is the devil! I’m convinced of it. It seems like no matter what I do I ended up looking like a drunk raccoon.

Despite my make-up makeover, eyeliner stumps me.

Applying it to my lower eyelid is easy. It’s that damn upper lid. Following my eye line is impossible. I always end up with a very uneven line and no amount of smudging will help.

Well this week it’s practice, practice, practice!

I worked on my eyes for an hour yesterday, trying to master my eyeliner pencils.  Tomorrow I’m working on applying the powders.

What happens when my hands are not steady. One side is much lighter than the other.

What happens when my hands are not steady. One side is much lighter than the other.

Technique challenges
After the first 20 minutes, I realized two problems.

First, I’m trying to apply it while standing.  Hummmm…I think I need to sit down and place my elbow on the countertop. That should help steady the hand doing the deed.

My second problem, is more mental. I’m very squeamish when it comes to anything near my eyes. Heck, I can’t even wear contacts because it gives me the willies. As soon as I get the pencil close to my eye, I start the rapid blinking. I realized I had a problem when I flinched…that left a lovely line that no Q-tip could fix.

Always have the right tools!
Sitting at my desk with a new strategy in hand, I began working on my upper eyelid. Right away I notice that some eyeliner pencils go on easier than others, making a steady hand even more important.

Also, I need to invest in a sharpener. You really lose control with a dull pencil.

I started to get the hang of eyeliner about 30 minutes into my practice session.

I started to get the hang of eyeliner about an hour into my practice session.

The results?
I tried my black, blue and brown pencils. I got the best results with the brown followed closely by the blue. No matter what I did, it seemed as if the black always went on in globs. That tells me it might be the pencil and not me.

I focused on short strokes along my eyelash line while holding down my eyelid. Starting on the outside of my eye, I worked my way in towards my nose. I’m not sure if I should go all the way over or stop at mid-point.  Also, is it best for the eyeliner to go on first or last? Since I’m holding my eyelid down, shouldn’t eyeliner go on first to avoid smudging the eyeshadow?

So many questions…I’m going to need to put out an SOS to my Glam Squad.

A couple of times I went too fast and started drawing long lines with awful results.

After an hour I felt I got the hang of it. Most mistakes were tiny and something I could easily correct with a Q-tip.

Tomorrow I need to drop by Sephora for a sharpener, a good black eyeliner pencil (maybe green too!) and a slanted brush to practice with the powder.

I will master this witchcraft.

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