Lowdown on Liner

The Thin Line Between Love & Hate

I’m no Picasso, but I know my way around a box of pastels and fancy myself an at-least-average artist. I should be able to line my eyes in one smooth, wiggle-free stroke. Yet, give me a miniscule tapered brush and a pot o’ black pigment and my attempts to Sophia Lorenicize my lids result in a smeary, globby mess much less Sophia and more Mrs. Robinson from The Graduate, three vodka gimlets in. I’d given up on the sleekness of liquids or creams and settled for boring but user-friendly pencils, until the debut of the cream-gel hybrid liner a few years back. Now, you can find a version of this eyeliner in every price point and though many are very good, I will remain forever loyal to Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. The award-winning formula (could Elle, InStyle, and Allure all be wrong?) has the best creamy, long-lasting texture, and the color choices are stunning.  Black Ink is a classic no-brainer, but creative shades like Black Plum Ink and Chocolate Shimmer Ink are swoon-worthy, and a relatively inexpensive way to update your look each season at $21 a pop. The caveat: the Ultra-Fine Eyeliner Brush is an absolute must and will set you back another $25, but is the key to precision.

Still, it takes more than a luxe product to master the artfully lined eye. Like all artistry, it’s all in the technique:  Lift your lid up slightly with your non-dominant hand to get the liner as close to the eye as possible by smoothing out any slack skin and hold the brush close to the bristles. Start at the middle of the lash line and draw to the outer corner of the eye, making the liner slightly thicker as you get to the corner, if you’re feeling lucky. Now, start again at the center and apply the liner in short, smooth strokes all the way to the inner corner as thinly as possible. Amateur alert: if you’ve got a space between the liner and your lashes, fill it in with a matching powder shadow and an angled brush. You’ll get closer to a perfectly-placed line with practice.

Yes, applying cream liner takes longer than your typical swipe-it-on pencil, but it’s so worth it.  On those chaotic mornings where I’m speeding my daughter to school in coffee-stained pajamas and a dirty ponytail, that sliver of crisp black defining my bleary eyes is a real ego-boost.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink, $21, and Ultra-Fine Eyeliner Brush, $25; bobbibrowncosmetics.com.