Gel Liner and Beauty Blenders!

I’m back!!! After an amazing time spent in Orlando at Stella and Dot’s Hoopla event, I am back in blog action and am finally tackling the gel eyeliner challenge! I’d like to dedicate this post to my lovely friend in Germany, Katie, who asked me for a little help in this area – I hope you find this helpful, baby girl!

After a few rounds of trial and error, I have created solid, thin and symmetrical (hallelujah!) lines on both of my eyes using a pot of gel liner by MAC and an eyeliner brush by Sephora, seen below. I am still wearing this eyeliner as I type out this post and it has been 8 hours since application… still looking good and no smudging or fall out. This is especially important considering that my eyes are hooded, and my eyelid is rubbing itself against the eyeliner literally every time I blink. 

My words of advice for people with hooded eyes like mine: if you’re looking for long lasting eyeliner, I recommend either a liquid or gel based eyeliner. It’s possible to achieve a strong liner look using a kohl pencil or even eyeshadow (see last post), but these will most definitely smudge at some point. I have always found it easier to use an eyeliner pencil to create a bold upper lashline that I’m happy with, but with its limited staying power, it’s good to have an option that will last. Have I found any ways to cut corners and fake expertise when actually applying? Not really… Applying a gel or liquid requires a steady hand, a thin applicator and lots of practice. I try to go slowly and create the thinnest line possible, and then go back to build if I want it thicker. The wing is also pretty tricky for me to get right, and I’ll confess, I still need a cotton swab with remover to clean up! But, a clean, crisp line is so very classy and elevated… every girl should get to wear it once in a while!

Today, I also experimented with a Beauty Blender. I’m sure you have all heard of these by now; they’re these bright pink, egg shaped sponges that you dampen and then use to apply foundation. It’s fun and interesting for sure. I see the appeal because you definitely get a more natural finish, since the color (tinted moisturizer in my case) is diluted a bit by the water, eliminating cake face! Just a warning: my face looked super shiny immediately after applying, but this turned out to be water that evaporated. While I’m not sure I would replace my trusty stippling brush, I love the beauty blender for applying concealer because it provides such a natural finish. On top of my complexion correction, I have just applied some bronzer and some sheer red lip balm.

I hope you have a week filled with smiles and laughs!

xoxo

Trace