Looking like you haven’t gotten any sleep, had been crying all day, or punched in the eye, is never a good look for you. Or anyone for that matter. Guuurrrl, when that eyeliner starts running down yo face, you betta’ make a run fo’ the bathroom! (It’s a good idea to keep a mini pack of eye makeup remover in your bag for emergencies like this – and yes, it IS an emergency… or eyemergency. LAME *facepalm*).
In case you don’t know what an emergency looks like, here it is:
I wouldn't be smiling if my makeup looked like that… Just sayin'!
So how do you keep your eye makeup from smudging and running, especially in the summer? Well, I’m sure there are multiple ways to take care of that issue, but I only know of a few.
I recently had the opportunity to talk to a Clarins makeup professional to get an insight on his wisdom and knowledge on all things makeup related (okay, I lied; not everything. I pretty much used him for information on this topic and one more – concealers – then I walked away… I’m a bad person… but I did thank him for his time!).
For your mascara problems, just use waterproof mascara. Problem solved! A good waterproof mascara that has been getting a lot of rave reviews is the Make Up Forever Aqua Smokey Lash waterproof mascara. I haven’t tried it myself to be honest, but it has been tested on swimmers and it lasted through and through. Another good mascara is the L’oreal Voluminous Original waterproof mascara. I have tried that one, and it worked great for me.
Now for eyeliner, I present to you the solutions to your raccoon problems:
* Translucent powder: One of the best products you can add to your makeup collection, be it a small collection or a large one. Translucent powder is loose, not pressed; it is made to be very lightweight and airy on your skin. It has multiple functions, one of which is setting your makeup in place. I like to use Benefit’s Bluff Dust loose yellow powder. Don’t be deterred from this product because of its colour. Loose powders are not made to show up on your skin and not all of them are yellow either. Yellow is a contrast to red, so if you have any redness in your face, this can really help conceal it. The choice of which powder to use is completely up to you.
** How to use it to set your eyeliner in place: Before lining your eyes (be it the upper or lower lid), dust a little bit of this powder over your eyes using a brush (I like to use a Kabuki brush – remember to tap off the excess powder). Line your eyes, and go about doing the rest of your makeup. Once you’re done, take a bit more of the loose powder and dust it all over your face to set your makeup in place. Make sure to run your brush along your lids again. Don’t worry that the dust will affect the colour of the liner; it won’t if you’ve tapped the excess off!
* Eye primer: This is a really important product to have as well, if you’re the type of person that likes to wear eyeshadows a lot, or likes to wear eyeliner below your lower lash line. Eye primers help to keep your liner and shadow in place, all day. It stops your under-eye concealer and your shadows from creasing, your eyelids from becoming oily, and it really pushes the true colour of your shadow out and makes it more vibrant.
** How to use it to set your eyeliner in place: Before applying eyeliner, use an eye primer; I like to use Benefit’s Stay Don’t Stray primer. Using a concealer brush or your ring finger, take a bit of the product and put it right under your lower lash line (right where the eyeliner will go) and blend it in. Wait for it to set then apply your eyeliner. You can also do this to your upper lid; this will not only help set your eyeliner, but your eyeshadow as well, if you’re wearing any. After applying your liner, and the rest of your makeup, repeat the step above with dusting translucent powder all over your face, if you wish. If you don’t feel the need to do that, especially if you don’t have oily or combination skin, then you can skip this step altogether.
Those are the two ways that the Clarins guy suggested and that I’ve had a personal experience with to keep my eyeliner in place. I know that there are probably a lot more tips and tricks that other makeup enthusiasts or professionals know about, and if and when I learn of any new ways, I’ll be sure to let you all know.
A few recommendations that I would like to make on some products though, from my own experience and from research:
I personally prefer gel liners over regular pencil or liquid liners. I find the staying power to be a lot stronger and the colour doesn’t fade away like I find pencil liners do. This is not to say that pencil and liquid liners aren’t good. I’m sure there are a lot of products out there that have amazing staying power that aren’t gel based, but this is from my own experience with using the three different kinds. If you are the type that is really keen on using pencil liners, from research, I hear that the Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes is an amazing product. If you prefer liquid liners, then the Aqua Liner by the same brand also gets the same rave reviews.
I hope this post was helpful to some of you. If you try any of these steps out, or even the products, please do let me know how it worked out for you! It’s always good to learn of others’ experiences!
Happy lining! xx
beau∙ti∙los∙o∙phy 