The idea of using eyeliner can be daunting for some. (“How am I supposed to use that…and so close to my eye?”) And while eyeliner is a staple for formal, elevated occasions, we believe eyeliner can be a key part of everyone’s day-to-day look. 
It doesn’t have to take long and it doesn’t require much effort to start incorporating eyeliner into your daily routine. 

Let’s go over some simple tips to make the most of this product. With these expert tricks, you’ll get the hang of applying eyeliner—and looking more alert—in no time.

Start with clean eyes and moisturize 

Gently cleanse your eyes and lashes, making sure you’re removing yesterday’s makeup or skincare residue. 

Our solid oil cleanser, The Cleansing Stick, is perfect for this. Apply it to dry skin and then add water to gently work up a lather that dissolves even the most tenacious signs of last night’s look without stripping your skin’s natural oils. 

After, use a little bit of Eye Cream to add moisture back to the delicate under-eye area. This ensures your skin won’t absorb any extra product if it’s properly nourished. You’ll likely look more alert and youthful, too.

Prep your eyelids

Speaking of Eye Cream, before you start applying makeup, those with dry skin may want to use the slightest amount of it on their lids and gently wipe off to create a smooth base that’s primed for shadow and liner.

If you have oily skin, use a powdered eyeshadow as a neutral base to absorb extra oil. Our favorite? The Best Eyeshadow in Cream.

No matter your skin type, wipe off any extra moisturizing products if they’ve migrated to your lids or below your brows to avoid any slipperiness.

Cover up dark circles

Dark circles are always a nuisance—that’s not news, of course. But if you know you’re going to be wearing eyeliner, particularly if it’s going to be a dramatic look, like a smokey eye or cat-eye, you want to neutralize and reset the darkness under your eyes.

Otherwise the brownish, purply area under your eyes may end up looking even darker than it actually is—it’s almost like the liner-and-shadow combination is reflecting and dramatizing the color. 

Once your eye cream has been absorbed, follow with The Neutralizer Pencil to cancel out any circles or darkness, and then add back in your natural skin tone with The Face Pencil.

P.S. Take this quick quiz to find the shades most suitable for your skin tone.

Get a good night’s sleep

Rest should always be a priority, and anyone who’s spent a fitful night fighting for solid shuteye knows how all that tossing and turning can appear, regrettably, on your face the next day in the form of under-eye bags and dark circles.

While eyeliner and eyeshadow can be a powerful combo that can make you look more awake, they may also draw extra attention to your eyes—which may not be your aim if you’re especially tired.

When you line your eyes the next day after a good night’s sleep, you won’t have to worry about fending off signs of a late night before.

Always follow this order

Eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara. It’s really that simple.

One note that applies to all of those products: If they’re crumbly, it’s time to discard. They’re likely too dried out to be revived and will leave flakes as they drag along. (That’s also a recipe for watery eyes.) 

A good color guide

Daunted by which color eyeliner to use? Good news: There really aren’t any rules (although the idea of the color wheel has been revered for years and rightfully so). 

Black and brown eyeliners go with all eye colors; they’re effectively neutrals. And if you’re an eyeliner amateur, you may balk at the idea of black: Is it too dramatic? Will it look severe? Not at all. It’s utterly classic and you can make it look as soft as you like. A brown eyeliner might be a great place to start if you’re not convinced but still feeling skittish.

However, who better to believe than Bobbi herself? Here’s her simple guide for matching eyeliner and eye colors.

Green eyes

Ivy, Violet, Brown, Black, Navy

(Our in-house makeup team agrees: Green eyes can pull off just about any color as there tend to be flecks of orangey-brown in green eyes which can pull out other colors, too. Have fun!)

Blue eyes

Navy, Black, Brown

Brown eyes

Violet, Brown, Black, Navy

For long-lasting power

For long days and longer nights, you may want to build in an extra step to keep your liner in place. Use The Eyeliner Brush to gather a bit of eyeshadow powder in a color that matches your eyeliner, layering it on dry to set.

Use eyeliner as shadow

Using The Best Pencil, gently press the color onto your lid, as close to your lash line as possible, working your way across the entire lid.

From there, gently diffuse it with clean fingers. This is a great way to achieve a smokey eye or just a simple wash of color for the day.

Or, use eyeshadow as liner

Lightly wet The Eyeliner Brush and dip into The Best Eyeshadow. (If you want a less precise and less pigmented look, don’t dampen and apply dry.) 

Apply along the lid, just as you would if using an actual eyeliner or pencil, sticking close to the lash line.

This is the best method for tightlining as well, when you want to achieve an utterly natural look.

Work from the outside in

You may find that you prefer to start at the inner corner—if so, great. Whatever technique is easiest for you to master, stick with that.

We find that starting at the outside helps you have more control over your method and whichever eyeliner—pencil, liquid, etc.—you prefer. 

If you are doing a cat-eye with a flick at the end, you’re definitely going to want to start at the outside. This will ensure your tips look as similar as possible so you don’t lose steam and get unsteady if it’s your last step.

Inner impact

We love this trick: Add a metallic pop at the inner corner of your eye, on both the top lid and a bit below the corner. 

It’s a simple yet enormously effective way to liven up the face and give your eyes more dimension.

Brush a shimmer, like The Best Eyeshadow in So Pretty, or use your fingers (a brush will work too) with any Just A Sec. For a very controlled application—and the most glimmer—Sparkle Wash features a wand to help you dot on our most radiant option.

Always black mascara

No matter how strong your eye makeup is, or which color palette you decided to go with, we are big proponents of black mascara. 

Depending on your coloring, you may prefer a brown mascara for a soft look. And if that’s completely your personal preference, wonderful—but all we’re saying is, don’t fear a black mascara if you’re concerned it will overpower your eyes. It won’t. An inky black provides the perfect amount of dimension across all skin tones and looks.

And if you’ve applied eyeliner, you need to make sure your lashes match the intensity of your look and don’t get lost underneath a defined eyelid.

One last note

Be patient and practice. If you’re someone who has sensitive eyes or flinches easily, then your first time—or even second or third—applying eyeliner may not feel very comfortable. That’s ok.

Do a trial run if you’re working up to an event so you can become more at ease with the feel of eyeliner in your hand, you can learn how much pressure to apply, and you can anticipate when you may have the urge to unnecessarily blink. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake—messes can always be cleaned up.

Sensitive eyes aside, eyeliner does take a little time to perfect. And the possibilities for looks and colors are unending, so above all, give yourself permission to play around. Go easy on yourself and have fun.