Eyeliner Issues

[Guest ValerieD]

I've been using Rimmel Exaggerate waterproof eye definer for eye liner and I can't get it to work at all, especially now that I'm trying to wear it every day like all the other girls on campus (in an effort to look more feminine without spending two hours on makeup each day). It goes on very patchy and uneven on top. On the bottom it comes out all right but vanishes within half an hour. The top vanishes later in the day. As far as I'm concerned I look terrible in it, though this is an odd case where it's actually a good thing to be trans: the male brow ridge does a wonderful job of hiding the fact that I can't get the top to look decent.

Any ideas on what I can do? Someone suggested that I ditch this eyeliner in favor of a regular pencil (though I won't get on that until the weather warms up enough for me to go off campus; the temperatures here are literally in the same league as the Antarctic right now).

[Guest (Lightsider)]

I use Estee Lauder Double wear, Zero smudge liquid eyeliner. It can be expensive though. I get mine at Macy's

[Guest ValerieD]

I think I also have MAJOR issues with knowing how to apply it. Unfortunately a major disadvantage of the male brow ridge is the inability to get at my eye lid with eyeliner unless I physically hold it down with my finger, which makes it very difficult to get eyeliner at the bottom of the lid. Further, when I'm putting it on, I naturally pull my eye lid, which causes the eyeliner to come on very patchy and uneven. I don't know what to do, but I don't want to go buy something until I get these problems figured out. Sadly, I have nobody who can teach me how to get around these issues.

[Guest (Lightsider)]

ValarieD have you looked through Youtube for eyeliner tutorials? I think that might be of help. Let me know know how that works out.

[Carolyn Marie]

Eyeliner is, for me, the hardest thing to apply. I use liquid, and I can get it to come out right about half the time. The other half of the time its either too heavy, to light, or not even. My sister gave me a gel pencil. I'll let you know if it's any better.

I'm sure I could ask for a lesson at the Sephora store, but my pride won't let me, a middle aged woman, admit that she can't put makeup on correctly.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Melissa~]

If it's disappearing in half an hour it's -not- really waterproof now is it?

I use too faced, perfect eyes for eyeliner.

It's waterproof alright, it goes through several daily showering before I usually get sick of it and force it off with remover. It's tougher than most paint; I think that stuff could survive a nuclear blast( there'd be what's left of Melissa, two singed sets of eyelashes held together by invincible eyeliner.)

Oddly enough it goes on smooth and creamy from a pencil, just get any editing done quickly.

[~Nova~]

I use Mabeline pencil on the bottom nod on rare occasions when I want that look, I use liquid on the top.

Get a good magnifying mirror nd a decent light source. If you can't see, you can't apply. That'll change after a while. I put mine on in the car at red lights in the dark.

I like to use a lighter and just flash the heat over the pencil. Blow it cool nod then apply. It goes on thick and smooth.

Where se you putting the liner? On the bottom lid it goes on the pink ledge above the brows. On the upper, it should run along the ridge just above the brows, although some girls put it under the lashes on the upper lid too. I do not

Also, the liner stats on better if the surface is dry, so I sometimes dry the area with a qtip just before I apply it

[~Nova~]

Though it's hard to mess with success perfection ...

Love, Megan

[Guest Zeda]

I have never used liquid eyeliner; I always use pencils. What I find works best is to warm up the eyeliner a little before applying it. I also find that having guy-eyes is actually pretty awesome for eye makeup. So what I do:

Apply eyeliner tot he bottom lid (the waterline).

Apply eyeshadow. By this point, your eyelids will have been pressed together, most likely, so the eyeliner on the bottom will have started to transfer to the top.

Apply eyeliner to the bottom again.

I don't line my eyes at all and I have always received compliments for how I do my eyes. I do like the look when some people outline their eyes, but I don't think it works well for deep-set eyes. Also, I doubt it helps, but I learned how to apply makeup when a friend of mine offered to let me use his eyeliner and eyeshadow in school. Being in a conservative town, I was fairly terrified to be standing at the girl's bathroom mirror putting on makeup with people streaming past me, but I learned how to do it and it stuck .__.

Also, I think it was a Hot Topic brand and that stuff was waterproof o_o I was basically a gym class hero that year, regularly outpacing all of the athletes, working up a sweat and it never impacted the makeup. It did cause some of the athletes to be very irate, though. Now I use Cover Girl eyeliner and it works well.

[Guest Lizzie McTrucker]

Eyeliner was one of the last pieces of makeup I shyed away from because if I couldn't do it right, I wasn't going to wear it at all. I'd fret over how thick it was and if it was too thick. The more I looked online the more I realized a very thin line only works for some people and some eyes, and mine wasn't one of them so I didn't have to worry about that any more.

The bottom line you should be able to do no problem. Just take your time and go little by little. The top lid, in my case, I have to hold with my pinky and draw a line close to my lashes. I use a pencil by Lancome and some times I go over it with a liquid pencil by Revlon, but not often. Also since I'm putting on eyeliner I end up putting on a little more mascara on the top and bottom lashes so they're more visible.

But it took me awhile to get to this point, with various products to find the one that best worked. In the end I ended up going to Sephora to ask what the best waterproof eyeliner pencil is and the lady suggested Lancome.

Remember, we don't need to be perfect right away. It took most women time and trial and error to learn how to do eyeliner and we're in the same boat as they were.

[Guest Leslie Michelle]

Hey girls - try Scandal Eyes - gel eyeliner by Rimmel. Ulta has it for about $7 I think. It's like cheating it goes on so easy. More control than liquid and much smoother than a pencil. The brush can do a super fine line or thicker depending on the angle you hold it. Love this eyeliner.

Leslie

[Guest rita63]

Eye liner is a struggle for me, with the right eye functionally blind (cataract surgery complications) and the carpel tunnel and arthritus in my wrists and glasses to reach over, well. I find the pencils are fine when new but don't sharpen easily and liquid pens are tough to control. Mostly I just smear a little mascara on the lids or do without. Any help would be appreciated.

hugs rita

[Guest Sascha]

I always use a pencil. I can't deal with those flimsy sharp pens. tried it, but I just can't