Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you are continuing to enjoy plenty of yummy leftovers! Here’s a pic of my family and me from Thursday that I’m so very thankful for.
Now that we are in full-blown holiday mode and the parties and gatherings are in full swing, we need to accentuate our makeup looks, and the area I like to play up the most is the EYES. And since our eyes are the first things people notice and focus on when we are communicating with one another, enhancing them is key! Today, I’m sharing 6 eyeliner tips for aging eyes.
And as we age, our skin loses elasticity, becomes more delicate, and overall our eye beds seem to appear much smaller. This can pose a slight challenge when it comes to applying eye makeup…especially EYELINER. Many of the techniques we used in our youth may no longer be suitable for aging eyes.
However, this does NOT mean you should give up on using eyeliner altogether! Quite the opposite. Note my with and without eyeliner photo below as an example of why you should give eyeliner a chance.
When used correctly, it can 100% benefit your overall eye bed and help you to achieve a youthful, more awake, and polished look.
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Here are some of the best eyeliner practices + products to consider…
7 Eyeliner Tips For Aging Eyes
1. Create a Transfer Proof Base
I never start an eye makeup look without applying an eyelid primer to make shadow and eyeliner STAY PUT. I also love one that color corrects the eyelid at the same time, and this Morphe Priming cream eyeshadow one, $10, is a low cost dupe to my fave MAC Cosmetics paint pots, $28! Give it a try if you want to extend the wear of your eyeshadow and eyeliner and maximize color intensity.
I wear shade “Debut,” which is a soft pink and similar to the “Painterly” shade from MAC. I apply this with my finger to warm it up and spread it all over the eyelid down to the lash line in a sheer layer.
2. Choose a Soft Eyeliner Pencil Over Liquid
Using a soft eyeliner pencil will make it easier to apply eyeliner to delicate skin. A soft pencil will glide on smoothly without tugging or pulling. It will also not look as harsh as a liquid liner. Look for a waterproof or long-wearing formula to ensure that your eyeliner stays put all day.
My favorite formulas right now in different categories are:
Prestige
- Stila Stay All Day Smudge and Set Waterproof eyeliner, $23.
- Urban Decay 24/7 glide-on eye pencil, $25
- Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Liner, $34
Drugstore
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3. Choose a Lighter Shade of Eyeliner
As we age, our eyelashes tend to thin out, and dark black eyeliner can accentuate this. Instead, opt for a lighter shade of eyeliner, such as a deep brown and charcoal gray, OR more fun shades like plum or sapphire blue.
These shades will still define your eyes without overwhelming them. All of the above brands I mentioned offer a variety of these shades. The Urban Decay pencil collection wins for having the most shade offerings and finishes, however. If you can dream of a color, the UD pencils win!
4. Smudge Your Eyeliner
Don’t just draw on your eyeliner and be done. Go a step further and start smudging in your eyeliner after application. This will give it a softer, more natural look you’ll love. Get yourself a really good tiny eyeliner brush like my go-to Bobbi Brown Ulta Fine Liner brush, $43, that I’ve owned for years!! These brushes hold up and are wonderful investments. If you want a less expensive option, this Morphe M362 pointed liner brush, $7.
Once you’ve drawn your line, immediately take the liner brush and go right on top of it, and do tiny sweeps back and forth to blend out the edges. This will create a subtle, smoky effect that will enhance your eyes.
For extra credit, add a matching eyeshadow onto the liner brush, which will secure and soften the liner even more and even pull the liner out into a baby wing. I promise, this small step makes a big and lovely impact.
5. Use Eyeliner Sparingly
Less is more when it comes to eyeliner for aging eyes. Applying too much or too thick a liner can make your eyes look heavy and tired. Instead, apply a thin line of eyeliner along the lash line, focusing mostly on the outer corners of the eyes, and your line should get thinner as you head in toward the tear duct. A thin line that varies in thickness is a more pleasant look than a thick block line!
But do tightline the UPPER lash line as well – this means to color in the upper underneath side of your lashline to get rid of the fleshy color and darken it as you can see my doing above.
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6. Avoid Applying Dark Eyeliner On The Waterline
Now, if you want to shrink the size of your eye bed, you would also apply the dark eyeliner along the lower inner waterline. But most of us find that our eye beds are shrinking in size as we age, and want to see the opposite, and want to make our eyes appear bigger!
So that would mean you’d want to apply a WHITE or NUDE shade of eyeliner just along the lower inner waterline instead of a dark shade.
This will make the whites of your eyes appear more open and alert. My choice for the inner water liners are the Tarte Fake Awake Waterline Liner, $24, which claims to be safe for contact lens wearers. But you can also get a similar look for less from the Flower Beauty “moonstone” liner, $9, found on Amazon or the Revolution Beauty Streamline Waterline liners, $6 (wearing the bright white shade in 2nd pic above).
7. Use Eyeshadow Instead of Eyeliner On Lower Lash Line
Do you keep the lower lash line bare or not? The age-old question! My feelings toward the lower lash line is to definitely put some color there, but to use your eyeliner brush and a light or medium shadow of powder eyeshadow instead of traditional eyeliner. If you swipe a little bit of shadow ¾ the way along the lower lashline, it creates a nice, subtle frame under the eyes.
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Closing Thoughts
Eyeliner Tips for Aging Eyes
In conclusion, the best eyeliner practices for aging eyes involve using soft pencils, lighter shades, and smudging techniques to create a natural and youthful look. With these tips, you can enhance your eyes and look your best at any age.
If you are interested in purchasing some new eyeliner for yourself or makeup gifts for a loved one, you can check out my past Sephora Sales Event post because a few of the ones I mentioned are now on sale! And try out this Halo Eye Makeup look tutorial to go with your eyeliner techniques!
Thank you for the eyeliner tips. I will try these. My biggest challenge as I age is that the ends of my eyebrows have become coarse and are going in all directions. The middle and inner brows are smooth but the hair is longer and some gray is starting to show. I would love a plan to improve the looks of my eyebrows and know you are the person to help. Thank you.
You are so welcome Mary! So the aging coarse mind of their own brows are definitely a THIING! My biggest thing in taming them is a GREAT brow gel and one of the strongest ones that doesn’t create a white cast is the Rare Beauty Brow Harmony laminating gel found at Sephora. This will help tame the crazy ones. Apply the product to them and then press into your head gently with your finger to set. For longer hairs, just simply trim with some eyebrow scissors until they all feel the same length. And for filling in or covering up gray ones, the best way could be with the Anastasia Beverly Hills new micro stroke brow pens and color as best you can over the grey ones or around them. I hope this helps a little!!
I’ll certainly use these eyeliner tips. I always find interesting and helpful tips.
Thank you,
Susan Brackman
so glad to hear that some of my tips are working for you Susan! Thanks for being here 🙂
I enjoyed this tutorial very much. I will be 82 at Christmas, but using makeup has never stopped. Techniques change with age and I appreciate you sharing with older ladies. Just wanted you to know that you have an older audience that loves what you do. Thanks!🩷
Oh my goodness Cindi this means a TON that you’ve enjoyed my makeup tips and found value in them! I know everyone complains about getting older, but I don’t mind it bc I’m just glad I’m on this earth, and we just have to pivot with some new makeup tips/products to work with our changing faces! Glad to hear you’re still as into makeup as ever – I have 100% confidence I will be the same in my 80’s! thank you for being here and continuing to check in on my beauty posts.
Thank you for the eyeliner tips. My eyes are aging, and I did not wear eyeliner for awhile, but I love wearing it and went back to it a few months ago. Your tips are very useful,
This is exactly what I like to hear Cheryll and that you’re finding my tips useful for you to implement into your daily routine!! Thanks so much for taking time to comment on my post and enjoy those eyeliner techniques!!
I read a comment by an opthomologist who advised that you should never put any eye makeup on the part of your eyelid that has contact with your eye. If you think about it, there is no way to sterilize your eye makeup.
I completely understand your concern about eye health. When eye makeup products are ophthalmologist-tested, properly sanitized, they are widely considered safe for use along the lash line. I always stress clean application, fresh products, and listening to your own eyes — if something doesn’t feel right, don’t use it.
I am going to try some of these products and your reccomended techniques. I wear Lancome products, but my waterproof eyeliner melts onto the under eye area, making me look like I have dark circles.
do you currently wear an eyelid primer on your bare lids first before applying your eyeliner? if not, give that a try, then add a super thin coat of loose translucent powder over the eye primer, then continue with your eye makeup and liner as usual. I hope this helps solve the raccoon eyes problem!
Love reading your post every Saturday & I continue to use products & tips you recommend!!!
thank you so much Belinda for leaving this sweet compliment!! glad you’re here!
JennySue Makeup-
How do you keep your bangs so perfect? And the rest of your hair too! Also, can you recommend both hair products, skin care and makeup from the drug store?
Thanks!