Sometimes you wanna get lost in the moment, forget your cares, and blend your eye makeup to your heart’s ? delight…and sometimes you don’t.
Next time you don’t, try using an eyeliner as eyeshadow. You can whip out a quick look in minutes.
It’s usually easier if you use a soft liner because you can scoot it around with a brush, and liners that don’t dry immediately and stay pliable longer will give you more time to blend them out. I’m wearing MAC Costa Riche Eye Kohl in these pics.
Step 1: Get to linin’
Start by lining your lash and water lines with the eyeliner, then apply it your lids and just barely into the crease.
Note: you don’t have to be neat here at all. In fact, if you look in the mirror and see a crazy person starting back at you, you’re doing it right, LOL! 🙂
Step 2: Buff with a fluffy brush
Buff and smooth out the liner doing tight little circles and sweeping motions with your brush until it looks sufficiently buffed and even. FYI, you can coax it up and out as far as you’d like.
Step 3: Clean up the edges with a Q-tip or sponge
And if you’re feeling fancy, you can dip the sponge or Q-tip in a bit of concealer or foundation first. It’ll help you sharpen the edges.
But you can totally leave the sponge bare, too. All you’re doing here is loosely cleaning up the edges, which creates a bit more definition and gives some extra lift to your eyes.
Step 4: Apply one or two coats of mascara
For a look like this, I’ll usually also apply mascara on my bottom lashes, because I think it makes everything look more balanced.
Makeup worn in this look
FACE: MAC Next to Nothing Foundation in Medium Plus mixed with Make Up For HD Concealer in Y41, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in Medium Golden
EYES: MAC Costa Riche Eye Kohl, Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara, MAC Brun Eyeshadow, Benefit Ready Set Brows
CHEEKS: MAC Extra Dimension Blush in Hard to Get
LIPS: MAC Lipstick in Velvet Teddy
Do you ever use eyeliner in place of eyeshadow? What’s your favorite one for things like this?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
You look amazing I love how natural your skin looks and the mix of natural and edgy works for you.
I have only used eyeliner as a base/primer but as an eyeshadow by its own no. Doesn’t it crease and smudge without powder on top?
Hey gurl, haaay!
Thanks, Efra. Ya know, I think this particular color, Costa Riche, would look amazing on you. It does move on the lids if you just wear it as is, but you can squeeze out a longer wear time if you layer a primer like NARS underneath it. I’m thinking you could also increase the wear by tapping a smidge of transparent powder on top.
Ya know what, though? I kinda love how it gets grungier looking as the day goes on, but that’s probably an acquired taste.
How was your Easter?
I’ll swatch it the next time I visit the MAC counter, but if I’m real I don’t wear eye products so I don’t know if I’d buy it. However, I’m curious about using a sheer wash of color on my lids, do you have any recs?
It was good, we went to a beer brewery because Alisson needed to do a video feature for school and she decided that was a good and easy idea. So I drank artisanal beer as her model. The brewery is in nearby town so it was a good getaway for a day. How was yours?
Sheer washes… Hmm. You’d probably want to go as nude as possible. Maybe something like Cork or Soba would work if you’d like to stick with MAC. You could add a little bit of definition to the crease without it looking OTT.
Being a beer model isn’t a bad gig, I suppose, LOL! I’m not a beer person but I do enjoy a glass here and there, especially if it’s hot out and the drink is cold. 🙂 Easter here was super chill. We went to my parents’ house (they live about 45 minutes away) and spent the day basically eating. No seriously, my meal lasted THREE HOURS. Part of it was because I was feeding the baby, and that takes a long time. It rained so we really didn’t go anywhere outside the house, but we still had a good time.
I’m really loving the quality of photographs on this post and also the ones from the previous post. They are so vivid, perfectly lit, and the composition is just impeccable. I could go on but I am not well versed with the camera work jargon. All I can say is that your photography game is super strong and you’ve set the bar very high for other beauty blogs! Thank you also for taking the feedback about the super close-up lip shots into consideration.
Thanks, Sonia. Glad to hear you enjoyed the post. 🙂
Would it be helpful to see more how-tos like this in the future? Or do you prefer straight up product reviews?
Hi Karen,
I enjoy both kinds of posts. But I am especially fond of your “unsung heroes” series. They remind me to shop my stash more often and make me fall in love again with something I already own (but forgotten about). And of course, I’ve also purchased several of your recommendations too :-))
Thank you for the feedback, Sonia! I’ll keep that in mind when I’m planning upcoming posts.
Hope you’re having a nice Tuesday so far. I’m heading to Marshalls for some photo props!
You are so kind. Thank you for asking. I was having a nice Tuesday until I read about that poor young man in California who was racially profiled and then deported 🙁 Not going to get all political.
Your blog is a happy sunny place for me (and I’m sure others too). Thanks for blogging about random other things too. I also enjoy your posts on gardening. I live in zone 7a and I’m just starting my herb garden for the season. So that’s exciting. Looking forward to seeing your marshalls finds. Love to Tabs and Connor (love her name).
Hey Sonia,
I try to make it a happy and safe spot. 🙂 Thank you for being a part of it!
We’re late on fixing up our deck garden this year, but I’m hoping to get to the gardening store over the weekend to get some tomatoes. What herbs are you growing this year? We grew cilantro and parsley a couple years back and they were OUT OF CONTROL. I really want to grow some Thai Holy Basil this year.
I don’t think I have ever done that, like Efra I’d be worried about creasing. But the grungy look is so on trend right now, I should probably embrace it? Would be a good reason to finally use my pencil liners again, they are slowly gathering dust. All I have been reaching for in the last two years is liquid and gel.
I don’t mind the creasing. I think it looks cool!
Brilliant – I use the luminous NYX pencil in golden bronze.
Hi Ditte,
Oooh, I bet that shade looks amazing with coral cheeks and lips.
I’m so ready for summer!
This turned out beautifully!! You used like the most perfect pencil ever lol. The color looks amazing on you and the formula seems to blend really nicely too. I’m gonna have to start back doing this!