Forums » Smalltalk » Makeup advice needed!

Hello, my name is Sanne and I'm a bit of a makeupaholic (hi crooked glasses!). I don't wear it every day but putting on makeup cheers me up and makes me feel like a different person who doesn't have to deal with the other person's problems right that very moment. I've gotten the hang of different eyeshadow styles, eyeliner and so forth, but there is one thing that still eludes me:


Eyeliner/pencil on the upper waterline. That and tightlining.


I just can't seem to do it. My eyes keep twitching and my reflexes kick in when I try to put eyeliner or pencil on my upper waterline (no problem with the bottom!), and I can't keep them open properly. It just becomes incredibly frustrating and I give up, but I'd like to get this technique under control to get the looks I want.



The effect is simple but incredible and something I really want to achieve. I've sat down and tried to practice this time and time again and I just throw the towel in the ring and yell "CURSE YOU MAKEUP GODS". I'm going to guess I'm doing something wrong. Wrong angle? Wrong product?

So I turn to all you wonderful folks. I know there are many of you who love makeup as much as I do and may be familiar with this technique. What is your 'trick'? How do I stop my eyes from having this damn reflex? What angle do you use? WHAT'S YOUR SECRET?

For me, when putting eyeliner in the water line, the trick is to only put it in the outermost corner of the eye, not all the way across the waterline. This makes the lashes look thicker toward the edges (which is where they get thicker naturally, so plumping them in the corner can make them look plumper elsewhere through a trick of the eye), but still gets the light reflection on the rest of the waterline to keep the eyes looking big. It's also less likely to look obvious that you've done it.

I've never gotten the hang of tight lining, but I find that using a brown instead of black eyeliner pencil lets me be sloppier and still look "right."

Finally, an eyelash curler before applying your mascara may change where it appears your liner is in comparison to the lashes themselves.

I have an eyeliner that has a soft little spongy end and I usually just make a line near my eyelashes on my eyelid and then use the spongy end to smear it into a cool smokey effect. I have the same problem with getting a nice line on my eyelid so I just do the smokey look instead. A bit easier, really doesn't take much time!

I've found that mascara alone can be remarkably effective, even on my eyes (which, as you know, have naturally long, dark lashes ). Using browns and greys instead of black or other dark colors can also leave it looking more natural.

That said, I suck at make-up.

An eyelash curler has been on my list for a while now, though I wasn't sure if it was something I really needed. It makes sense that it would help though!!

To Celes and Nova, my problem is mostly with the fact that I never manage to put on any sort of liner (pencil or liquid) on the waterline or tightline. It doesn't matter if I use a smoky effect, the effect I have with liquid liner continues to exist even with smudgy kohl when I apply it above the lashline instead of beneath. That's the problem I need to fix for certain looks I'm going for!

I find that if I put a thicker line the effect was better. But thats just my experience. I also always do both line, kinda gives it a finishing touch.

I can't use a thick liner because I have extremely limited visible eyelid, so the thicker the eyeliner, the less lid there is.

And what do you mean with both line?

Oh.. Hmm yeah, thats a problem. Well the line above your eyelashes and the upper waterline. Have you tried looking up a solution on YouTube or something like that? I have all my tips from pinterest and YouTube.

Yeah and nobody addresses the problems I have in that my eyes just have these stupid reflexes and I can't stop it. A lot of them just semi-close their eyes and put it on, or they manage to keep their eyes open and they put it on without their eyelids doing anything. It's crazy!

Ouhn.. If I could, I'd give you some of my talent to keep open my eyes while people put make up on it and stuff. I'm scary good at it but If I could, I'd share it with you!

It may be true that you can't stop it. This just might not be the makeup technique for you. =/

I don't really even know what the waterline is, to be honest.

All I know is you seem to have done fine in the photo of yourself, and that in the before/after image you posted, that looks like something achieved with just mascara. The curl of the lashes makes it look thicker and darker at the base.

That said... I almost always poke myself in the blasted eye with that stupid little brush...

Not for me. The very base doesn't get a lot of mascara with me. I have super fine eyelashes and they're light, so it's hard to get mascara on without getting the brush all over my eyelid (and ruining the eyeshadow in the process). It's frustrating.

I'm going to try to store my eyeliner in a warm place, like a jeans pocket, to see if the warmer liner will be less cold on my eyelid. I think it's the coldness that triggers the reflex.

I know this was already addressed, but eyelash curlers are amazing for people with fine lashes iirc. They really help bring out definition - also, try putting some baby powder on the, and putting more mascara on them.

I bought curlers today! I'll probably mess around with makeup tonight when Ross is here so I can scare him.

Cut a curve out of the bottom of an index or business card. Hold it against your eye, so the lid is shielded but the lashes are exposed. Apply mascara. Throw away messy card, or keep for future applications.

You freaking genius you.