There’s a good chance you settled on your eyeliner routine a long time ago. Maybe it’s a thick black line across the lid, or a full dark ring around the eye. It’s always looked great, so you kept doing it.
Our faces and our skin change with age, though. The same liner that used to open up your eyes may start competing with them instead.
That doesn’t mean your look needs fixing. But if your eyes have been looking smaller or more tired than they used to, the liner application is a common reason.
Makeup artists who work with mature skin see this often, and they say it usually comes down to two things: how dark the liner is and where you put it. If you’ve been doing it for years, it may look fine in the mirror. You’re more likely to notice it later, in a photo, and chalk it up to a bad night’s sleep.
Four celebrity artists have told Parade what they’d change and why. None of it takes more time than the routine that you are already doing.
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What Eyeliner Habit Makes You Look Tired?
Heavy black liner is the problem makeup artists mention over and over.
Mezhgan Hussainy, a celebrity makeup artist with more than two decades of experience whose credits include American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Got Talent, called it the most unforgiving problem with eye makeup.
“One of the most common mistakes I see is using black eyeliner with too heavy a hand,” Hussainy previously told Parade. “When liner is applied too thickly or harshly, it can overpower the eyes rather than enhance them.”
Rather than framing the eye, a thick line may make the eye area appear smaller or harsher. Hussainy’s view is that liner should follow the natural lash line and act as a subtle enhancer instead of taking over the whole look.
Renée Loiz, whose clients include Quinta Brunson and Uzo Aduba, warned against “heavy black eyeliner on the lid. Thick black liner can close up the eyes, make them look smaller and feel dated,” she previously said.
Jenepher Reynolds, who has worked with Norah Jones and Harry Connick Jr., agreed. “As the eyes naturally change with age, a thick line can take over and make the eyes appear smaller or more closed,” Reynolds explained.
A heavy line adds weight along the top of the eye and takes up room the eye used to have to itself. The eye isn’t getting smaller. It just has less space.
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How Much Eyeliner Should You Apply?
Less than you think. Black is the easiest to overdo, according to Hussainy, because the pigment is so deep that a thick line takes over the whole eye area quickly. It shows up most in daytime when natural makeup with softer definition tends to look better.
Her rule is to build gradually. Start with a thin line and add depth from there, which gives you control and keeps the eye from looking harsh.
“My biggest tip is that less is more,” Hussainy said. “Unless you’re intentionally creating a dramatic look, eyeliner should enhance your natural eye shape.”
Even bold looks hold up when the line is clean and precise along the lash line. For application, she suggests a fine-tip liquid liner worked in small strokes rather than one long sweep.
Related: How To Make Your Eyes Pop After 50, According to Makeup Artists
Why Does Dark Liner Under the Eye Look Aging?
A dark lower lash line can easily make the eyes look tired.
Avital of Puzzle Makeup is blunt about it: “If you’ve been reaching for a dark pencil under your eyes, it’s time to stop. On mature skin, dark liner creates shadow, heaviness and a drooping effect that no amount of concealer can fix,” she said.
Under-eye shadow usually gets treated as a concealer problem, so the instinct is to add more concealer. But if a pencil is drawing a shadow just above, no amount of brightening above it will cancel that out. You end up correcting one thing while adding another.
Avital’s swap is powder instead of pencil: a soft glow or matte eyeshadow applied gently under the lower lashes with a mini brush. You get the definition without the weight.
What Color Eyeliner Should You Use Instead of Black?
Brown, or anything that brightens your particular eye color.
Loiz starts with the color change. “I recommend using a dark brown or brown black liner and tightlining right into the lashes. It opens up the eyes and makes the lashes look fuller without looking harsh,” she said.
Shade choice is its own mistake, separate from how much you apply. “Selecting the right eyeliner shade can really affect the overall look,” Hussainy said. “The right shade can make your eyes pop, while the wrong one can make them appear smaller or dull.”
Warm browns and bronzes tend to enhance lighter eyes. Deeper jewel tones help darker eyes stand out. The test is whether a shade brightens the eye or flattens it.
What Is Tightlining and Why Do Makeup Artists Recommend It?
Tightlining means working liner into the base of the lashes rather than drawing a line above them. The lash line looks denser and the eye keeps its full shape, because nothing sits on the lid taking up space.
Both Loiz and Reynolds have landed on it as the replacement for a heavy lid line. “Tightline between the lashes to subtly enhance the eyes without creating a harsh line,” Reynolds said. “Then, add a soft shadow along the upper lash line to build shape.”
The shadow does what the liner used to do, with a soft edge instead of a hard one. You still get definition. It just doesn’t come with a border.
Related: What Is Tightlining?
Adapted from Parade’s “The Eyeliner Mistake a Professional Makeup Artist Says Is Especially ‘Unforgiving’ ” by Sheila Baylis and “Makeup Artists Say You Shouldn’t Use This 1 Technique After 40” by Laura Beck
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Mezhgan Hussainy, celebrity makeup artist Renée Loiz, celebrity makeup artist at Renee Loiz Makeup Jenepher Reynolds, celebrity makeup artist Avital, makeup artist at Puzzle MakeupHence then, the article about makeup artists say this common eyeliner habit is the 1 thing making you look tired was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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