An expert guide to liquid liner for mature eyes

It’s long been known that attempting a cat eye with liquid liner is not for the faint-hearted. What begins as a vision of an understated and chic look can very quickly turn to pure chaos, full of watering eyes and smudged makeup.
RELATED: Princess Diana's makeup artise convinced her to ditch this eyeliner style
RELATED: Liquid eyeliner for beginners
And no matter how many ‘cat eyes for dummies’ tutorials you may watch, if you don’t have the steady hands of a surgeon, the eyesight of a hawk and the plump, springing and forgiving skin of your 17-year-old self, it seems almost impossible to execute this feline makeup look that will give your eyes an instant lift.
But according to Sales and Education Manager of KVD Vegan Beauty, Madison Drabble, there are a few ways to avoid the often unforgiving mistakes of a black liquid liner, particularly when trying it out on a mature eye.
Image credit: KVD Beauty Youtube
Try a brown shade
Instead of your classic black liquid liner, Madison recommends a softer brown shade as they can often be “more forgiving” and will add the definition and drama of a liquid liner without being too harsh.
bh recommends: KVD Vegan Beauty Tattoo Liner Liquid Liner in shade Mad Max Brown ($30, available at Sephora)
Make sure your liners brush tip is precise
KVD’s resident celebrity beauty artist, Daniel Chinchilla, believes the key to successful liquid liner application is all in the brush. A small, concise wand creates “easy to make smooth and precise lines exactly where you want them without worrying about lines that are too thick”.
Slow and steady wins the race
When it comes to the application technique, Daniel recommends starting at the outer corner of your eye and creating a line that extends as far as the “end of your eyebrow”. And while we know it’s tempting to try and nail it in just one big swooping motion, lots of little strokes along your lash line to finish it off are the key.
bh recommends: COVERGIRL Get in Line Liquid Eyeliner, Lancôme Artliner
Make sure your liner is waterproof
Daniel recommends a waterproof formula to ensure your liner will “stay put” during application and throughout the course of the day. Waterproof liner will also ensure that any eye folds or potential rubbing won’t mess up your hard work.
For more tips from Daniel, check out his video for KVD beauty, here.
Do you wear liquid liner? Will you try any of these tips?
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44 Member Comments
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How to have your husband back home with your kids again
I'm a lady with 2 kids i am from USA, my husband leave me and his 2 kids for about 10 months i go through a lot of pain i do all i could to make him returned to me and to his kids but nothing works out. it was really a stressful period to me because i could dint go through the heartbreak. i was told to get a love spell doctor contacted to help me out which i did i was lucky to get DR.PEPOKO Contact who was able to help me out, he cast up a love spell that brought back my husband to me and to his kids thanks so much DR. PEPOKO I really appreciate what you have done for me. here he his contact if you may required for it by solving your relationship email. Pepokospiritemple@gmail.com or you can call and whatssap him +2348156148821 Here is also Dr. PEPOKO website you can visit it yourself www.pepokospiritemple.blogspot.com
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No, not for me thanks.
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Thanks for the great tips, I always do one eye perfectly, but will mess up the other. I need to keep practicing.
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great tips, very helpful
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A fine article to share with my mom.
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My hands have always been too wobbly for liquid eyeliner and my eyes are just too sensitive. Have tried in earlier years many times but given up now.
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I honestly cannot remember the last time I did my makeup without using a liquid Eyeliner and doing a wing. I turned 43 today and don't see myself changing that anytime soon. I just have to keep learning and adapting with makeup as my skin ages. For those who would love to do a wing and can't get it to work, try a product like The Quick Flick. Literally has a wing stamp on one end and your liner on the other.
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I love a great wing and I can't see me giving it up in a hurry. I agree with all of the above and sometimes I continue up from the bottom liner with my pencil for a quick daytime flick.
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This is a really good look, but I don't know how many people would be able to get away with it.
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Who is that model? She looks fab!
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Love the look!!! So beautiful!!!
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I've always struggled with eye liner. I'll try a brown one; that's a good idea. Also the short strokes - maybe that will help.
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Hmm, I have an issue with close distance with my eyes (whatever it's called). Seeing that I would need to remove my glasses to apply the liner, I'd end up with a highly unsatisfactory result. The model looks good though.
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Interesting article,
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this woman looks very nice.good job.
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Wow beautiful result.
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One thing I've never been able to perfect.
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I do wear liquid liner and great tips.
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These tips are great for any age. I've started using brown liner because black is so harsh looking sometimes.
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Wow, she looks amazing. Goes to show that you're never too old for a winged eyeliner, if only I could apply one, lol
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I honestly thought that the days of wearing a dramatic eye liner were over for me. I'm 50 and thought I would just look stupid. The lady pictured in your article however looks FABULOUS. I have new hope. I already changed from black to brown in my pencil eyeliner, and haven't tried a liquid one for years, but now I'm inspired to give it a go. Thanks bh :-)
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Liquid eyeliner's not something I've ever used, probably because I don't wear much eye makeup at all.
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