Playful Eyeliners!!!!

A fun and young look that's super trendy is the single line of coloured eyeliner on your eyes paired with a black or brown mascara.  It's a great look for teens and girls in their early 20s for everyday wear.  For those of us who are a little older, we can pull this look off too but stick with more conservative colours like deep purple and blue.  This is a great way to give your eyes a little pop of colour when you have no time to fuss with eyeshadow. 

I used a deep purple/plum pencil eyeliner from MAC.  This is the most flattering colour for any age and any skin tone. 

I used a blue pencil liner from Makeup Forever's Aqua Eyes line.  Blue is a great, eye catching colour.  It can be a little daring depending on the shade of blue you pick but it will brighten up your eyes for sure.  For girls who generally do wear blue eyeshadow, this is a great substitute for those mornings you just couldn't get out of bed early enough to do the whole works. 

I used Illamasqua medium pencil in Torment.  Yes, this pinkish red is a little unconventional but I just wanted to show how you youngsters out there can play around with the range of colours available. Try out some, pink, green, gold, silver orange etc.  It's fun and easy and while you are in your teens and early 20s, you may as well take advantage of the fact that you can get away with this type of playfulness.


So where can you find a fantastic range of coloured eyeliners?

Illamasqua has amazing colour pencils in all shades and sizes for use on your eyes, face, lips and body.   They have a smooth texture that glides on your skin beautifully.

MAC fluidliner is another great option.  I have one in Blacktrack but it comes in a wide range of colours.  Use an angled brush to apply it.  It will give you the best control!!

Makeup Forever has a range of super waterproof pencil eyeliners that come in a range of fun colours.  The Aqua Eyes pencil liner in blue is one of my beach vacation must-haves.

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.