This article was co-authored by Alana Schober. Alana Schober is a Professional Makeup Artist at Pout by Lipsticknick, an inclusive beauty bar in Los Angeles, California. With over a decade of experience, Alana specializes in hair and makeup. As a Licensed Comselotologist, she has worked for both MAC Cosmetics and Paul Mitchell. Alana's celebrity clientele includes Iggy Azalea, Solange, YG, and ASAP Nast. She has worked on campaigns with Nike, Adidas, Morphe, Jaclyn Hill Cosmetics, and Quay. Alana has also worked on countless music videos and photoshoots and her work has been featured on two billboards in Los Angeles.
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Many of us come across the time where we wish we had a different color eyeliner for just one or two occasions. Instead of buying a bunch of colored eyeliners, you can easily and quickly use eyeshadow and an eyeliner brush to achieve the same look.
Steps
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1Use an angled eyeliner brush. You can use any brush you feel the most comfortable with, but an angled brush will likely be easier and more effective to use.[1]
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2Be sure that the brush you are using is clean, to avoid color transfer from the last time you used the brush.
- It may be better to use an unused brush if you are trying to apply eyeliner. Bacteria can easily get in your eye since the brush is so close.
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3Prepare your eye with a primer or a lotion. This will help keep your eye from drying out due to the harshness of the eyeshadow. Eyeshadow is not meant to be used as eyeliner, so it is a good idea to counteract it by using a lotion or primer beforehand.
- Take care to not let the primer or lotion touch your eyeball. It will not cause harm, but it will be painful.
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4Gently dampen both sides of the brush in water. Do not make the brush wet, but just slightly damp. A brush that is too wet will cause the eyeshadow to run and will make it very difficult to apply.
- You can also try to use Vaseline. Do not apply so much Vaseline so that the brush is clogged up, but try to make it damp.
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5Lightly tap the brush into the eyeshadow. Coat each side of the brush with the eyeshadow. Tap off any excess eyeshadow to avoid fallout when applying the eyeshadow.
- Try to use a darker eyeshadow so that it resembles an eyeliner color. Good colors include brown, black, plum or dark green.
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6Close one eye to start applying the eyeshadow. Start at the inside corner of your eye and follow your eyelid to the outside corner using the brush. Depending on the darkness of the eyeshadow, you may need to repeat this step a few times
- Try to keep the brush as close to the lash line as possible for an accurate draw.
- Press the tip of the angled brush to your eyelid so you're stamping the eyeshadow in place.[2]
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7Release your eyelid and keep your eye closed. Give it a few moments to dry and set before you blink, otherwise you'll get it smudged into your crease.
- Try to set it with a translucent powder so that it does not smudge throughout the day.
Community Q&A
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QuestionCan I do winged eyeliner like this if I use the tape method?
Community AnswerYes. Use the tape to make a wing, then use an angeled brush to pick up the eyeshadow and use it like you would with eyeliner. It helps if you wet the brush a little and the shadow is pigmented. You can always clean up the wing line with concealer. -
QuestionCan I use it for the underline?
Community AnswerYes. Eyeshadow can be used for more than one thing, and people do use it as eyeliner sometimes. -
QuestionCan I use watercolor pencils for eyeliner?Community AnswerNo.
Warnings
- Using this technique can get your eyeshadow to dry out, so put the brush on a small corner of your (pressed) eyeshadow.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Clean the eyeliner brush after each use to avoid transferring bacteria.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Make sure to use a thin brush. Eyeliner that is too thick never looks good⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Be careful not to get the eyeshadow in your eye.⧼thumbs_response⧽
Things You'll Need
- Eyeshadow with color of your choice
- Thin eyeliner brush
- Room temperature water
References
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