Eyeliner for over 40

[Anonymous]

Eyeliner conundrum: I have small hooded hazel eyes and am early 40s. I also wear glasses. I have been lining my upper lids using brown pencil or liquid liner for the last few years but lately I feel it’s started looking too harsh. I hate my eyes without any liner because they are very small and I feel eyeliner helps to balance out my wide nose and draw attention to my eyes under the glasses. I hate smudging liner because of all the tugging on that delicate skin, and lining my upper lid with a brown eye shadow looks good for a second but takes too long and does not last. What can I do to still make my eyes pop and my face balanced but not look so harsh? Are there any eye liners that aren’t such a harsh color or which go on with a softer look?

[Anonymous]

Lighter shades will help. Skip the liquid liner and use a very soft pencil. I like Urban Decay.

[Anonymous]

Had to stop wearing liquid and when I want that look I use tap powder along my lash line or blend a very soft pencil. I can’t do anything dark or dramatic or it makes me look old and haggard.

To achieve more balance, I’ve switched to curling my lashes more than I used to and getting them tinted. I also pay more attention to my brows that I did in the past and always, always wear earrings.

[Anonymous]

I have small, hooded green eyes. I tightline my upper lids. I use brown, green, or even an amethyst color liner. I never line my lower lids.

[Anonymous]

Yes, tightline

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Had to stop wearing liquid and when I want that look I use tap powder along my lash line or blend a very soft pencil. I can’t do anything dark or dramatic or it makes me look old and haggard.

To achieve more balance, I’ve switched to curling my lashes more than I used to and getting them tinted. I also pay more attention to my brows that I did in the past and always, always wear earrings.

I’m in my mid-40s, wear glasses, and the skin on my eyelids is remarkably crepe-y. I switched from eye liner to a thin line of brown eye shadow. I also use mascara. I stopped wearing eye shadow except for as liner. I don’t do anything special to my lashes, but I think this approach suits me as well now as my previous routine (eyeshadow & liner).

[Anonymous]

Tight lining doesn’t work well for me - just rubs off in minutes. Same thing with pencil liner. The only thing that lasts all day is liquid.

I have settled on something random which I never see suggested but works well for me: liquid liner in random light colors like a dusty rose color or gold. The last one I bought was discontinued but something like this

https://www.sephora.com/product/make-up-for-ever-aqua-resist-color-ink-24hr-waterproof-liquid-eyeliner-P483474?skuId=2552388&icid2=products%20grid:p483474:product

[Anonymous]

I look better without eyeliner. I use a light-colored eyeshadow, curl my lashes and add mascara.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tight lining doesn’t work well for me - just rubs off in minutes. Same thing with pencil liner. The only thing that lasts all day is liquid.

I have settled on something random which I never see suggested but works well for me: liquid liner in random light colors like a dusty rose color or gold. The last one I bought was discontinued but something like this

https://www.sephora.com/product/make-up-for-ever-aqua-resist-color-ink-24hr-waterproof-liquid-eyeliner-P483474?skuId=2552388&icid2=products%20grid:p483474:product

Some DCUM eyeliner goddess recommend this and it works! You have to use Laura mercer cake liner powder and a tight lining brush. Normally you’d wet the brush with water so make a paste with the powder, but if you have smudging issues you MAC liquid mixing medium (for eyes). I do this when I tightline and it works perfectly and doesn’t budge or transfer to my eyelids when blinking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tight lining doesn’t work well for me - just rubs off in minutes. Same thing with pencil liner. The only thing that lasts all day is liquid.

I have settled on something random which I never see suggested but works well for me: liquid liner in random light colors like a dusty rose color or gold. The last one I bought was discontinued but something like this

https://www.sephora.com/product/make-up-for-ever-aqua-resist-color-ink-24hr-waterproof-liquid-eyeliner-P483474?skuId=2552388&icid2=products%20grid:p483474:product

Some DCUM eyeliner goddess recommend this and it works! You have to use Laura mercer cake liner powder and a tight lining brush. Normally you’d wet the brush with water so make a paste with the powder, but if you have smudging issues you MAC liquid mixing medium (for eyes). I do this when I tightline and it works perfectly and doesn’t budge or transfer to my eyelids when blinking

i'm the pp you're responding to, and glad this works for you. I don't do all the above insanity; i just use a dusty rose or bronze (always with red/warm undertones) liquid eyeliner. Looks great on me. fwiw i am pale with warm/red undertones.

[Anonymous]

I also have hooded hazel eyes. My problem is that as I age my lashes are thinning out. I never wore eyeliner until I hit late 40s and started with this problem. I do a liquid liner in brown and I think it looks good -- just on the upper eyelid and right along the lashline, not super thick. I can't do the pencil types because my eyelids are either too greasy or too loose -- it just sticks and skips and doesn't stay on. I use the clinique liquid liner in brown. Some of the younger, more trendy brands look too harsh on me -- they look more like a marker.

[Anonymous]

I have eyes like yours. I tightline with a small brush and Laura Mercier cake eyeliner. I don't have much lid showing anymore and it makes a huge difference. If I want to do more, I might smudge some thrive eyeliner stick on my upper lash line and some brown or plum eyeshadow on my lower lash line, jones road beauty just a sec highlighter eye shadow on my brow bone. I always use urban decay primer.

I've watched a few youtube videos for hooded eyes where they line the lower waterline with white eyeliner and it does make the eyes pop, but I really can't imagine doing that on a daily basis. I look like a mole without eye makeup so I feel like I have to do something - mascara, a swipe of shadow - to look human.

[Anonymous]

When using eye shadow (powder) as a liner, I find using an eye make-up primer really helps it last.

[Anonymous]

Kiss Me Heroine brown pencil eyeliner will not smudge. It’s the only one worth buying

[Anonymous]

Bobbi Brown cream eyeshade stick. Put it on where you would normally put your eyeliner. The line will be thicker because it's a thicker pencil. Put it on lightly and then rub it a bit to make it less harsh. Play with how to do it until you get your desired look.

https://www.nordstrom.com/s/bobbi-brown-long-wear-cream-eyeshadow-stick/3442219?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FBrands%2FBobbi%20Brown&color=204