All About Eyeliners!!

You're probably wondering why there are so many eyeliners out there and what the difference is between all of them.  Is it just a matter of giving consumers a variety of choices or do all these eyeliners really work differently?  I actually have several types of eyeliners, having started off my makeup escapades with just eyeliner and experimenting over the years to find ones that worked best for my oily eyelids. 

So here is the breakdown of eyeliners out there, with some categories having even more variety!!! 

LIQUID
Variety: Felt tip pen, thin and soft brush in a bottle or tube, thin and firm brush in a bottle or tube, waterproof, regular

Best used for creating very defined line with or without a prominent wing tip.  Liquid liners with firmer brushes are great for making finer lines as they provide great control.

PENCIL
Variety: Khol, waterproof, regular, smudgeproof, comes in a wide range of colours

Best for creating a smokey look.  You can purposely smudge this type of eyeliner.  A pencil liner creates lines with softer edges.  It can help to create a casual and edgy look.  It comes in a variety of colours and in my opinion is the most versatile of all the eyeliners available.  Pencil liners can be used to line the eyes, work great as an eyeshadow base and can be used to line both your upper and lower waterline. 

GEL
Variety: In colour mostly

It is smudge-proof and great for oily eyelids.  Great for creating classic looks (from the 50s and 60s) with medium line thickness.

Apply with an angled brush to create a sharp, angled wing tip. 

CAKE
Variety: Not much variety and usually available in brown and black

This has been around for a long time. In my opinion, it's probably the hardest to master and has the least amount of staying power.  It's almost like a water colour paint and requires a wet brush to work the product.  The lines created are similar to that of a gel liner but I find the colour intensity usually quite disappointing.

Unfortunately I also can't show you how it looks as I don't own one of these!!!  I had one 10 years ago from makeup school but I'm not a big fan and there are much better products to work with these days. 

I recommend a pencil for the absolute beginner and a firm brush tip liquid eyeliner for slightly more advanced beginners!!! 

My favourite pencil eyeliners are Diorshow waterproof eyeliner and Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes eyeliner.
My favourite liquid liners are K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Real Lasing Eyeliner and L'Oreal Superliner.
My favourite gel liner is MAC Fluidliner. 

What About Mascara???

When it comes to mascara, the vast range available is quite remarkable.  There's waterproof, curling, volumizing, lengthening, conditioning, vibrating...you name it, it's out there.  Like me, you've probably tried all kinds of mascaras and from many different brands.  You've probably questioned whether most of these really did the job as well.  And one of the most common questions is whether a truly "clump-less" mascara exists. 

Curling mascara:
In my experience, as someone with pretty straight Asian eyelashes, curling mascaras don't really work on their own.  You're better off using an eyelash curler with a volumizing or lengthening mascara.

Volumizing mascaras:
This is the type of mascara I use.  I find that a good volumizing mascara really does do the trick.  My favourites have been Dior Show Black Out, L'Oreal Paris Extra Volume Collagen, Majorlica Majorca Lash Enamel Glamour and Maybeline Volume Express Cat Eyes.

Lengthening mascaras:
I've tried several lengthening mascaras in the past but prefer volumizing ones as my eyelashes are fairly long already. The problem I have is that they are not very thick.  I find it looks a little funny to have several "strands" of eyelash hairs fanning out from my eyes.  However, the lengthening mascaras that I felt worked well were L'Oreal Double Extension Ultra Lengthening and Maybeline Sky High Curves.

My all time favourites:
Mascaras come with different types of applicators.  Most of you are familiar with brush applicators in various sizes. 

Now there are applicators that look like little rubber combs. My Majorlica Majorca and Maybeline Volume Express mascaras have these applicators.  I prefer them as I find the product does not clump on the brush and therefore does not clump on my eyelashes. 

Important tips:
1) If your mascara does clump on your lashes, remove the clumps with an eyebrow grooming brush.  It looks just like a mascara applicator.  Comb it through your eyelashes from above, rolling the brush at the same time.  The mascara clumps will get caught in the bristles and get brushed out!!!

2) I've bought expensive, department store brand mascaras as well as pharmacy brands such as L'Oreal and Maybeline.  I find the pharmacy brands work just as well if not better.  I've never been a fan of Clinique or MAC mascaras.  My advice is save yourselves some money!  L'Oreal, Maybeline and Rimmel all have some great mascaras that do what they promise. 

3) If you're struggling to find a mascara that curls, lengthens and volumizes all in one, why not use 3 different mascaras?  I have a friend who layers her favourite lengthening mascara with her favourite volumizing mascara.  It works wonders! 

4) Finally, ALWAYS CURL YOUR EYELASHES!!!  It will open up your eyes and make them look bigger and brighter.  Shu Uemura has an amazing eyelash curler designed for Asian eyes.  It is shaped to catch every lash from corner to corner.