How to: Do modern, millennial-style liquid liner

Mon, 12 March 2012 12:34PM

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve looked at how to use liquid liner to create a 1960s Twiggy-esque effect and a 1980s rock-chick look. But what if you simply want a modern take? While retro has been an ongoing trend in the ‘90s and noughties, with designers and makeup artists regularly turning back the clock for inspiration, another strong theme has emerged over the past two decades: minimalism. In fashion terms, that translates to a simple black dress or white pantsuit: in beauty, it’s all about a sleek blow-dry and a wedge of liner to accent an otherwise clean face. Witness Gwyneth Paltrow (in one of our favourite looks of hers, from a couple of years back):

 

Here’s how to get the look …

1. Take a regular, freshly sharpened black eye pencil and, pulling your eyelid up towards the temple so that your skin stays taut, draw the shape you want; this will serve as your first base and a handy guide for your liquid liner. Take into account the size of your lids; if you have small hoods, don’t go too thick with your line. Unlike most liquid-liner looks, this one is not about a cat-eye-like wing, but you nevertheless want to jut the liner out a smidgeon beyond the outer corner of your lashline, to give your heavily made up eyes a lift.

2. Curl lashes, and quickly apply a layer of mascara to set them in shape. Because this eye makeup can be quite chunky, it might overwhelm and hide your lashes. If this is the case, add a few clusters of individual lashes, long enough to reach just above your lids as you’re looking at yourself directly in the mirror. As for the bottom lashes, to coat or not to coat is up to you, but leaving them bare will play up to the striking graphic look seen here on Gwyneth, as well as keep your under-eyes bright and open.

3. Now it’s time to reach for your liner pen; try the new Maybelline New York EyeStudio Master Precise Eye Liner, $13.95. Draw along the base of the upper lashes, as closely as possible, to fill in any gaps of skin, and also to camouflage any tell-tale signs of falsies attached to the lashline. Build the line up and out, until you have coloured over your initial base of black pencil. Don’t worry if you’ve gone a little wonky around the edges or at the outer edge, because here’s a genius tip: you can lightly dip a cotton bud in makeup remover, and work it around the liquid liner to create a perfect sharp shape.

4. Finish off the rest of your face… So the spotlight remains on your eyes, keep brow and lip colour to a minimum, and try a matte foundation, which will contrast nicely against the inky glossiness of your eye makeup.

So, what do you think of this modern, millennial style of liquid liner?

Or are you more a cat-eye kind of girl?

P.s Check out Ruby Rose’s take on this modern must-have look

Posted by: PRIMPED

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Tags: 60s, eye makeup, false lashes, gwyneth paltrow, liquid liner, Maybelline NY, maybelline NY Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner, rock chick, twiggy