Eyeliner Shopping Guide

Image by ookikioo via Flickr

While chatting with some of my readers over the new Gtalk widget (to your right - topmost) I discovered that some of them are very new to make-up having started to experiment just recently. So I felt that a shopping guide to make up would be useful. I start off with Eyeliners – because I felt that this is amongst the most commonly used make up item with Indian women.

Why use eyeliners:

Eyeliner is primarily used to give the eyes definition and to make them stand out.

Choosing Eyeliner

Factors to consider when purchasing an eyeliner. 

1.  1. Type: The most commonly used are Liquid and Pencil.

Both are special in their own way. Pencils are easy to use and transport. They are available in a lot more colors, even with glitter as compared to liquid. They can be sharpened to create sharp looks and even smudged before they set for smokey eyes. But you will have to buy a separate sharpener for this.

Liquid gives a very matt, bold defined look, but it takes some practice and steady hands to master. These are available in felt tipped pens these days. Lakme and Colorbar offer these studio eye artists. Some brands like Diana of London and NYX also offer gel liners – they look like liquid liners but are actually transparent and full of shimmer. They can be applied by themselves or on top of a matt liner for more drama.

Mechanical roll up eyeliners are very cost effective since you don't waste any product from sharpening. The majority of these automatic eyeliners come in basic colors without shimmer, however some people don’t like these as they can’t be sharpened like pencils to remove bacteria.

Cream liner is a higher intensity pigment. It's ideal for creating smoky eyes and there is often a wide range of colors to choose from. Not all cream liners come with a brush so you may need to buy your own. These are yet to launched by most brands in India. MAC sells these under the name Fluid line, and I have heard that Maybelline is about to launch their own versions of this.

Powder eyeliner, also called liner cake, is like eye shadow, but it has more intense pigments to create bold lines when mixed with water, much like the effect you would get from a liquid liner. You can even experiment with your eye shadow to create this look. 

2.   2. Color: Whether basic black Kajal is your favorite or if you prefer colored eyeliners, go with your instinct. Spend more on the colors you'll use most (generally black, browns, blues and greys) and try cheaper brands like VOV or Jordana for experimenting with random colors that don't fit into your everyday routine, if you like they way the color looks on you, you can always opt for a more expensive branded line.

If you want to brighten your eyes and make them look bigger, try using nude eyeliner (Chambor Soft Star is what I use)  on the inner corners of the eyes. It will instantly make them appear wider and it will even help draw attention away from dark under eye circles. 

Also keep in mind the color of your eyes and your skin tone when shopping. If you are light eyed and of cool undertones, black may not always be the best bet - dark brown may be much better instead. Browns are a safe color and look good on all eyes and most skin tones. Experiment with different colors till you find your own special colors. Don't just stick to black because it seems safe and error-proof.

3.   3. Smudgebility/long last/waterproof: Some people like their eyeliners to be set in stone once they have been applied. Others like them to be smudgeable to create smokey eyes. If you have to travel in the hot sun, have oily eyelids or have a habit of touching your eyes choose waterproof long last eyeliners.

4.   4. Quality: Eyeliners last a long time, even if you use the same pencil day after day. So when it comes to everyday liners or those that you use often, choose branded ones that have been ophthalmologically tested for safety. Keep them in a closed container.

Brands to try

• Colorbar - love their I-glide & I – define both. They also offer pen liners. Range from 250 to 325 Rs.
• Maybelline - their new studio eyeliners are very pretty, smudge proof and cost Rs. 200/-. I got them in grey, green (which looks like a close dupe for Colorbar’s Moss) and a wine colored one. They also have liquid liner in black & brown – which are extremely long lasting. I have the black one
• Diana of London - I know, this sounds like a tacky brand, but I like their gel shimmer liners (I have the golden one) and their shimmery pencil eyeliners are cute too – plus they are smudge proof too. A little bit on the expensive side though.
• Lakme - their 9 to 5 range has mechanical liners of which I really like the purple shade, their pencil eyeliners are good too and have a wide color range, they also offer liquid and pen liners
• Chambor – their eye artist liners come with a smudger on the back. For some reason they don’t smudge on me – but they seem to do so on everyone else
• Revlon – Kohl liners in blues and lilacs. Smudges and flows around my eyes like water. :-D
• Jordana – I really like their Glitterama pencils, as well as their mechanical liners. They have a large range of colors – both matt and shimmery
• NYX – again has a very distinctive color range in pencil liners– boasts colors of a wide range of colors like taupe, jade and steel grey. They have a very large collection of different browns, but they are not smudge proof. Their shimmery gel liners are also very good and available in a lot of colors like turquoise blue. 

I hope this guide is useful to you when you step out for shopping. Please note that this is just an indicative guide.

What are your favorite liners at the moment?

UPDATE: Just wanted to say Thanks to all for supporting Simran so much in her first attempt at blogging. It really meant a lot to me :-D

Also I have tried this AromaMagic Peppermint Exfol Gel myself (happens, with sister, you end up sharing a lot of things) and it was mild enough for use on my dry combo skin as well. 

I didn't experience any dryness and skin was softer after wards. Though I didn't notice any reduction in my blackheads - coz I don't have any to start off with - I am plagued by the fairer sister - the Whitehead. And nothing but daily exfoliation keeps it under some control.