Is Your Eyeliner Running? Better Go Catch It!

Have you ever wondered why your liner doesn't seem to stay around those pretty peepers? With so many options out there, it's no doubt you've tried it all. The most perplexed inquiry I hear is around why waterproof liner often smears just as much as non waterproof. Let me explain why your liner is breaking down and smearing and then how to make that all go away!

Unless you are experiencing your liner moving around because you are very teary-eyed or sweating at your brow, your liner is smearing because of oil. It could be oil that you are producing, or oil in your skincare or makeup products. For the most of us, your pencil liner is made of wax. Wax heats up with body heat, and whether it is waterproof or not, it will breakdown when in it comes in contact with oil. Waterproof is great for keeping water from breaking down your liner, but it's rarely water that is the culprit.

You don't cry tears of oil of course, but there are no oils that are produced from your under eye area because there are simply no oil glands on that part of your face. The oil that is produced on your forehead travels down to your lids and starts to break apart your liner (and shadow). If you are very dry and your oil glands don't product enough oil, then you are likely using skincare and makeup that is moisturizing and creamy in texture; often containing oil. Oil is great! Don't get me wrong, please keep using oil, but let's talk about what to do about it.

Here are my tips to keeping your eyeliner looking flawless until you take it off!

1. Remove EXCESS oil. What I mean is, do what you need to do to remove more oil than you should have on your face, specifically your forehead area. If you are excessively oily, make sure you are using hydration and not stripping your skin of it's natural oils. It is counter-intuitive, but explaining this would is an entirely new post. Just trust me on this. ;D If you use moisturizer and you are very oily then remove the excess oil by utilizing a mattifying product (anything; a primer, a mattifying moisturizer, mattifying spray, etc.)

2. A rule of thumb in makeup land: every cream product will not move around the face if you set it with powder. Use any matte shadow in the same color as your liner to set your liner. Grab a small brush, tap it lightly into your shadow, and press it gently into your liner and wiggle back and forth. Don't drag the brush, unless you want to smudge out your liner as well to make it more smokey.

3. Set your complexion around the eye with powder. This may frighten those of you who are dry, but trust me, if you use the right product in the right amount with the right tool, you will not look or feel dry. I am dry as a bone, so I feel the struggle! Using a silky soft and translucent setting powder ( I am ride or die for Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder)

For under the eye: Use a a long bristle, blending crease eye shadow brush and put a small amount of powder on the tip, tapping off any excess. ROLL the brush under the eye starting on the inner corner and then buff in circular motions just around the soft fleshy part of your under eye. If you look more lined and wrinkled under your eye after this step, you used too much powder. If you use the right amount, you actually can diffuse the look of those tiny lines under the eye.

For the forehead use the exact same powder with a blush or powder brush. The tiniest amount works best and PRESS the powder onto the forehead, just above the brow. This will help to keep your oil or oil from your products from travelling down to the eyelid and ruining your liner game.

These simple tips will create a moat around your eyes of pure awesomeness that your liner won't be able to escape from without sacrificing the youthful glowing texture of your skin!