The Liquid Line-up

Ah, liquid liner. You scary product you. So black(!) and so easy to get wrong.

But, do not fret ladies. Tis' but a matter of finding the right liner for you, together with a little bit of practice (in my opinion, three go's).

Liquid liner is currently available in three different forms:

•  a pen (with a felt-tip end)
•  an inkwell pen (with a thin 'brush' end)
•  a pot (usually requiring the purchase of a separate eye liner brush)

Introducing some of my faves...

For the newbie

1) Rimmel's Glam Eyes Professional Liquid Liner (£5.49)
A bridal client of mine recently confessed to pulling out some of the fibres from the Glam Eyes brush so that she can apply the thinnest of lines (a girl after my own heart). This is a great value liner that lasts all day.

For the Techie

2) Shu Uemura's Liquid Eyeliner Pen (£23 with 1x cartridge)
The best thing about this deft little pen - aside from having a nimble pen that provides buildable thickness - is the fact that it comes with a refillable cartridge (waaaaay cool). I know a Norwegian waitress who swears by this liner (and she is always wearing the best eye flick so it must be good. Extra thin and precise). Refillable cartridge: £11.50.

For the Pro

3) MAC Blacktrack Fluidline (£14.50) has long been a makeup artist staple and long may it continue to be. It never dries out like other gel liners (Bobbi Brown being the worst offender! You have been warned). It has a lovely creamy consistency and is best applied with Bobbi Brown's Ultra Fine Point Eyeliner brush (£22). Best for those who are enamoured with the feline beauty of the classic eye flick and who want to master the technique once and for all (it's the thing I most get requested to teach).

TIP:
To avoid your liquid liner transferring onto the upper part of your lids during the day, be sure to prep the eye area first using either an eye primer or a cream eye shadow:

Recommended:
- Makeup Forever Eye Prime £15.95
- NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eye Shadow Base £18 (pricey but works. Apply a thin veil of eye shadow on top)
- MAC Paint Pots £14.50 - these come in a range of 'nude', skin-toned colours that are the perfect matte base whilst cancelling out redness.
- Shu Uemura Cream Eye Shadow £19 - not cheap but will last you ages plus they come with a subtle shimmer. Favourite shades: 'Pearl Beige' and 'Pearl Ivory'.

Do you have a favourite liquid liner? Let me know in the comment box below!

Happy lining x