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!
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