Lash Curling and Eye Lining Help

Dear Kristen,

I am lucky to be blessed with amazing eyelashes and I consider my eyes my best feature.  However, I feel completely naked without eyeliner. In fact I have been using the same pencil eyeliner for nearly 15 years! I recently experimented with liquid eyeliner but it made a total mess and I have black streaks at the top of my eyelids because the product didn’t dry in time.  

Also, I have an eyelash curler, but I seem to make harsh, kinks in my lashes rather than graceful curve and my attemps to use mascara make me look like Tammy Fay Baker.  Of course, I only stick with black liner and mascara, so it seems old-fashioned and rather severe for you average work day. Clearly, I need your help in helping me play up my best asset!

What do you suggest for an update to ensure my pretty peepers get the attention they deserve?

Dear Malini, 

I can certainly understand your desire to play up those big, beautiful eyes of yours.  There are so many ways to do that. 

So let’s start with curling your eyelashes, the thing you should do before putting on eyeliner.
I’ve seen your lashes in person and they are the kind that people pay for.  Long and lovely! So you will need to be particularly careful that you don’t just clamp down in one place and create a right-angle kink.  Start at the roots of your lashes and squeeze hard, but not too hard, for about 2 seconds. Then slightly release your hold and walk the curler up the lashes repeating the motion two more times, but squeezing a little lighter as you move up each time.  

Now the fun part, eyeliner!
Between smudgy pencil and smeary liquid there is gel eyeliner! It goes on easily with a brush (yep, you’ll have to get a thin eyeliner brush), but once it’s on, it will wear beautifully all day.  Of course in order to get this magical combo, you won’t find any product that’s totally natural.  However there are safer, green versions like the Incredible Wear Gel Liner from Youngblood which also come in fashion-forward colors so you don’t have to stick with black.  

Because you have dark skin and brown eyes, I highly suggest staying away from brown and the deep silver, but if you need a break from black try navy, purple or bronze shades.  If you are feeling adventurous, pick one of the more colorful shades like purple to cover your whole eyelid with and then make your usual defined line with black over the top and next to the lashes. You’ll have an interesting, modern lid that helps your eyes really stand out!