From The Straits Times    |

Cat-eyes and wing tips, smoky and sleek, lashline and waterline – there are plenty of ways to play up your eyes but they can’t all be achieved with the same eyeliner.

We show you some chic, wearable looks, and the products – liquid, gel or pencil – best suited to create each one.

Bold & smoky

Use: A soft and creamy pencil eyeliner

The classic look for date nights, parties and big occasions. “A soft pencil eyeliner can be easily smudged before it sets, to give you the effect,” says makeup artist Manissa Tan, who created the looks here.

“Line all around the eyes, then use a sponge-tip to smudge outwards. You can also use dark eyeshadow to further blend out the edges.”

EYES
KVD Vegan Beauty Anti-Precision Eyeliner; Tom Ford Beauty Eye Color Quad in Titanium Smoke
FACE
Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup
LIPS
Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Sexy Sienna
JEWELLERY
Happy Hearts rose gold earrings with red stone and diamonds, Chopard

Everyday Waterlining

Use: A Pencil eyeliner with an ultra-fine tip

This day-to-night look is a quick way to look polished. “Just make sure the tip is rounded or blunt; a sharp tip can feel scratchy and uncomfortable. The formula also must be waterproof, as the waterline is moist,” says Tan. “You just have to make sure you draw neatly on the waterline.”

EYES
Shiseido Microliner Ink Crayon Matte Eyeliner in Black
FACE
Hera Glow Lasting Foundation
LIPS
Hera Sensual Spicy Nude Balm in #134 Pink Smokey
JEWELLERY
Happy Hearts rose gold necklace with diamonds and mother-of-pearl, Chopard

Upside-down Cat-eye

Use: Gel eyeliner

This one is for those feeling adventurous and edgy.

Gel eyeliner gives a softer effect than liquid and doesn’t look so harsh. It also doesn’t tug on skin as much, making lining the lower eye easier.

A water- and transfer-proof formula is a must as it’s close to the waterline, which has a tendency to smudge.

Draw a line from the outer eye corner (however high up you want the starting point to be) down to the middle of the lower lash line, then from the inner corner to join at the middle. Make sure your eyeliner hugs your lower lash line.

EYES
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink
FACE
Chanel Les Beige Sheer Healthy Glow Tinted Moisturiser. Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’r Instant Warmth Bronzer
LIPS
Shu Uemura Rough Unlimited Lipstick in OR540

Doll-like Eyes

Use: A Highly pigmented liquid eyeliner with a super small tip

This defining ’60s Twiggy look is about playing up the lower lashes, but mascara alone can’t give you that graphic effect.

You need to draw very small lines on the undereye area. But you don’t want to be drawing over the same area too many times and end up muddying the look. It’s doll-eyes you’re gunning for, not panda eyes. That’s why colour pay-off is crucial. A waterproof formula also helps as it won’t flake when dry.

EYES
Marc Jacobs Highliner Liquid-Gel Eyeliner in Blacquer. Lancome Grandiose Waterproof Mascara
FACE
By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra-Foundation
LIPS
Tom Ford Beauty Lip Color Sheer Lipstick in #11 Mustique

Wing Tips

Use: Pencil then liquid eyeliner with a firm, fine tip

Its versatility makes the wing tip or cat-eye many women’s go-to daily look.

You can draw it skinny or thick, with a subtle point at the ends or a more dramatic upward flick. Tan says the easiest way to create a smooth line is to do it in two parts.

The first starts from the middle of the lash line to the outer corner. The second part, from the inner corner to the midpoint. Create an outline with a pencil eyeliner first, then fill in the shape with a liquid one.

Liquid eyeliners with a firm, fine tip work best as they enable you to control the thickness of the line and draw the sharp ends. A highly pigmented formula that won’t feather or run is also a must to create a clean, defined shape.

EYES
Diorshow On Stage Liner in Matte Black
FACE
YSL Touche Eclat All-In-One Glow
LIPS
Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Lodhi
JEWELLERY
Happy Diamonds white gold earrings with diamonds, Chopard

This article was first published in Her World’s April magazine.