13 incredibly useful eyeliner hacks

We love tricks that cut our getting ready time in half. But when eyeliner is added into your morning routine, every other shortcut taken can be made completely redundant with just one little slip of your hand.

Suddenly you can go from running twenty minutes early to an hour late - but with these eyeliner hacks in your head, that never has to happen again. Now you can get that perfect flick, and quick.

#1 Use a spoon

This kitchen utensil is not only good for scooping out Nutella, but can be used as a guide for the perfect eyeliner flick too. Line up the straight handle underneath the outer corner of your eye to create the sharp and straight underside of your flick, and then use the curved head to trace from the pointed tip back towards your lash line. Then you just have to fill in the outline!

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#2 Or if you’re fancy, an eyeliner guard

Instagram @beautyblender

The one from beautyblender is called a Liner Designer and looks like a bright pink guitar pick. It’s made of a rubbery plastic, making it easy to clean and comfortable and steady to hold (or adhere) near your eyes as you draw your lines. You also have the option of straight and curved edges to customise your liner look.

#3 Or even a floss holder!

The latest eyeliner hack to take over the internet comes courtesy of beauty blogger Makeup by Sugar. Simply grab one of those nifty little floss holders, coat the floss with your eyeliner and stamp it carefully against the outer corner of your eye to get the perfect flick.

Instagram @iamsugarcoated

Repeat this step just above the original line so that the ends meet, then fill in the gap with your liquid eyeliner. Genius! Just make sure your floss isn't flavoured - mint or other varieties with oils could cause the eyeliner to smudge or irritate the eyes. Definitely not what you want after all that hard work creating a cat-eye!

#4 Clean up with cotton buds

Mishaps do happen, but the next time you frustratingly draw your flick too thick or crooked, don’t rub it with your finger or smudge it to a point beyond repair - pick up a pointed cotton bud instead. Dip the pointed end into some micellar water or make-up remover (or make it really easy and use Almay Oil-Free Makeup Eraser Sticks) and then swipe it in one smooth stroke parallel to the line you wish to create, taking away any excess to leave a clean, sharp line behind.

blog.peppertap.com

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#4 Try sticky tape

For this one to work, you’ll need to do your eye make-up first and foundation second so the tape doesn’t peel off any of your make-up.

cupcakesandcashmere.com

Before drawing your lines, stick a small piece of sticky tape diagonally on the outer corner of each eye. Then apply your eyeliner, letting any mistakes slip straight onto the tape, rather than on the skin. Then once it’s peeled away, all unwanted liner will be taken off with it.

#5 Say no to black

While black liner is loved by many, a grey shade can actually be very flattering on ageing eyes as it’s less harsh and provides a more subtle line to keep eyes looking defined, but still big and youthful. Brown is also a great option for a more natural, daytime look. Not to mention both are more forgiving when it comes to wonky lines.

1. Innoxa 2 in 1 Eye Liner & Eye Shadow Stick in Grey
2. COVERGIRL Liquiline Blast Eyeliner in Brown Blaze
3. Max Factor Kohl Pencil in Charcoal Grey
4. Avon Glimmersticks Eye Liner in Cosmic Brown

#6 And hello to colour

Lining green eyes with purple can make them look greener as will blue liner on blue eyes, (click here to see what other liner shades suit your eye colour). Play around with them on your waterline, outer corners - or even add a second line to your classic black.

1. Chi Chi Stay On Eyeliner in Wanna See Your Peacock
2. Rimmel London Magnif’Eyes Double Ended Shadow and Liner in Dark Side of Blue
3. e.l.f. cosmetics Studio Cream Eyeliner in Midnight
4. INIKA Organic Eyeliner in Purple Minx

#7 Don’t forget white either

White liner on your waterline can make tired eyes look brighter and small eyes look bigger. Not to mention if you apply it all over your eyelid pre-eyeshadow, the colour you apply will be waaaay more pigmented (try Eye of Horus Goddess Pencil in Selenite White).

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#8 Set your liner with eyeshadow

bethbenderbeauty.com

If you want your eyeliner to last a really long time (or constantly suffer from smudging), lightly dust over it with a matching eyeshadow colour to hold it in place.

#9 Go thick with monolids

If you have monolids (aka your eyelids tend to disappear when you open your eyes), you can easily create the perfect line by shading in what looks like half an oval shape over your lid. Once you open your eyes, they’ll be perfectly defined - flick optional.

duitang.com

#10 Connect the dots

Use the tip of your liner to create a line of dots across your lash line, then all you have to do is join them up!

stylecraze.com

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#11 Use liner to create a quick smoky eye

bellashoot.com

Simply draw a hashtag on your outer eyelid and then smudge it using a brush or sponge for the fastest smoky eye imaginable.

#12 Start with your flick

blog.lifebooker.com

Try applying your winged eyeliner by starting with your flick and working your way towards your eye. That way if the wing always takes you a few tries, you’ll have less to clean up than if you did your entire line first.

Have you tried any of these hacks before? Have you heard of any others?