If you are new to the world of makeup then there is a chance that you’ve never even heard the term tightlining. Though you have more than likely seen the effects without knowing what you were looking at.
Tightlighting, also known as invisible eyeliner, is an eyeliner makeup technique. It involves lining your upper waterline to create the appearance of thicker, more defined lashes. Done correctly it looks as if you aren’t wearing eyeliner but your eyes will look amazing.
So let’s get into upgrading your makeup look with a little bit of well-placed eyeliner. The best part is that it’s not hard to do at all. Keep reading to find out how to tightline your eyes, and learn a few other eyeliner skills to try as well.
What Is Tightlining Or Invisible Eyeliner?
If you are still wondering what tightlining is, it’s the eyeliner technique involves lining your upper waterline to create the appearance of thicker, more defined lashes. It is sometimes called invisible eyeliner due to the fact that this technique makes it appear as if you aren’t wearing any eyeliner at all.
Let’s learn exactly how to make your eyes appear extra amazing, seemingly by magic.
How To Tightline Your Eyes
Are you ready to begin tightlining your eyes? The good news is that there are only three steps to follow for you to become a tightlining pro.
Step 1: Wash Your Hands
You will be working close to your eyes and that increases your risk of getting even mild eye irritation. Speaking from experience I can tell you that if your eyes get irritated it will ruin your eye makeup as quickly as you put it on.
So, make sure that your hands are clean before you start. This is a good rule before applying any sort of makeup. Take a few minutes to suds up before beautifying yourself.
Step 2: Gently Hold Your Upper Eyelid In Place
In order to be able to tightline your upper waterline, you will have to gently lift your upper eyelid so you can properly line your waterline without poking yourself in the eye.
Take special care while doing this step because the skin around your eyes is very delicate.
Step 3: Line Your Upper Waterline
Now, at last, it is time to begin tightlining. Use a nude or black pencil liner to gently line your upper waterline. If you do your tightlining correctly even black eyeliner will be invisible. However, a nude eyeliner will be more forgiving of mistakes while you are still learning the skill.
Look up as you do this as it helps to expose your waterline. As you line, make sure that you press the eyeliner pencil against your lashes for a truly volumizing effect.
To Make Your Eyes Pop Line Your Lower Waterline Too
To take your look up a notch on the dramatic scale, you can also line your lower waterline. Remember that any eyeliner on your lower waterline will be far visible so if your goal is for your eyeliner to be truly invisible then using a nude shade will work much better on your lower waterline.
The nude shade will also create the illusion of larger, more awake eyes, so give this a try the next time you don’t manage to catch a full night’s sleep.
Choosing An Eyeliner For Getting An Invisible Eyeliner Look
Now that you know about tightlining you will likely soon be looking for the perfect eyeliner to try this technique with.
As I mentioned you will need a pencil eyeliner for tightlining. As a starting point, I’d choose black and nude as two shades. If you can only afford one pencil eyeliner in your makeup bag then I’d choose black as it is the shade that you will use the most often. Black is just a lot less forgiving if you make any beginner mistakes during application.
Because you are using eyeliner on your waterline there is a chance that the eyeliner will fade, or worse run/smudge giving you racoon-eyes. That’s why I always reach for a long-lasting waterproof pencil eyeliner for tightlining.
Some Other Eyeliner Techniques You Can Try
Once you gain confidence with tightlining you may be feeling adventurous and be looking to take your look to the next level. Here are four more eyeliner techniques for you to think about incorporating into your eye makeup look.
Eyeliner Technique: Winged Eyeliner
The winged eyeliner is a classic eyeliner look that’s perfect for a night out. It involves lining your upper lash line and creating a “wing” starting at the outer corner of your eye and extending outward.
What I love about the winged eyeliner look is that it is one small effect that can instantly change my look from daytime/office to a night out. I have used it many times when heading out for an evening straight from work. Try it and see for yourself.
Eyeliner Technique: Skinny Eyeliner
If you love the idea of tightlining but are still afraid to line your upper waterline I completely understand.
The good news is that you don’t have to sacrifice a defined lash look if you haven’t quite gotten the hang of tightlining yet.
There is a variation of invisible eyeliner you can create by lining directly above your lashes. Make sure to stay as close to your lashes as possible and create a super thin line for that invisible, thickened effect. You will need a very sharp-pointed eyeliner to be able to make this work.
Eyeliner Technique: Smudged Eyeliner
If you are looking for an edgy, sultry, and seductive eyeliner option for when you are in a dark nightclub then smudged eyeliner is an option that can work for you.
As the name implies, you create this eyeliner technique by purposefully smudging your liner for a soft, perfectly undone look. Something that I have done more than once when I’m in a hurry is accidentally smudging my eyeliner on one eye. Instead of cleaning the eyeliner off and starting over when I’m out of time, I’ll just smudge the eyeliner on the other eye and I’m good to go.
Eyeliner Technique: Inner Corner Eyeliner
Here is an eyeliner technique that comes from the world of stage makeup and gives you a look of being dramatically fierce without being completely over the top.
Try lining the inner corner of your eye to create your signature nightclub look. Even better, try using a colored eyeliner to brighten up your look even further with that pop of unexpected color.
Why not expand your knowledge even further by reading another makeup/beauty article here on Pink Femme. You can find them either via the menu at the top of the page or by clicking this link that will take you to the list of all the beauty articles.
When it comes to my choices for makeup and beauty products, I only use L’Oréal Paris (Available on Amazon). I have really sensitive skin and never once have I had any negative reaction to any L’Oréal product.
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