EYE

There is no one way to do eye makeup—the products you use and how you apply them depend on the look you’re after. For an everyday eyeshadow look, try buffing a warm brown shadow along the upper creases of your eye with a tapered brush (we love the Tapered All Over Shadow Brush). Then, apply a nude shade (matte or shimmer) to your lid and blend. Pair it with soft brown eyeliner and a coat of mascara for a quick, natural eye makeup look.

If a dramatic, smokey eye is more your vibe, you’ll need a few more tools on hand. Learn how to create the ultimate smoked-out eye in our article on Our Favorite Smokey Eyeshadow Looks.

Playful and attention-grabbing, a cat-eye look is a timeless classic—but it does take some skill to execute. If you’re a beginner, use a fine-tipped pencil liner to trace a thin line from the outer corner of your eye toward the inner corner (this will help ensure that the thickest part of the line is at the outside of your eye). Then, return to the outer corner and draw a small flick toward the tail end of your brow. Once you like how it looks, trace over the pencil with a waterproof liquid eyeliner, like Epic Ink Liner, for the perfect cat-eye look.

Pro Tip: If you find that your hands are shaky or you’re struggling to create a straight line, prop your elbow on a solid, immovable surface, like a countertop, while you draw your wing. For more tips, check out our article Eyeliner 101: How To Apply Eyeliner Like a Real Pro.

Those with hooded eyes—that is, eyes where the lid is partially or not at all visible when the eyes are open—may find that their eye makeup smudges or migrates (especially their eyeliner). But applied correctly, there’s no reason people with hooded eyes can’t rock any eye makeup they want—even winged liner. To achieve the perfect winged look, first, trace out your wing with a pencil liner. While drawing your wing, keep your eyes open and stare straight ahead, as this will help you see how your wing will actually look as you go about your day (or night). Once you’ve sketched it out, you can close your eyes and connect the wing to your lash line. For a sharper look, trace over the finished wing with a liquid eyeliner, like our Epic Ink Liner.

Other great tips for hooded eyes include applying your crease shadow slightly above your natural crease to create depth and blending your shadow toward your temples to visually open your eyes.

If you want to make your eyes look bigger, makeup can help. One trick we love is swapping out your black liner for a light-colored nude or white eyeliner, like our Retractable Eyeliner in White. As for why it works: It’s an optical illusion. When you use a light-colored liner to trace your waterline, the liner visually blends with the white of your eye, making your eye appear larger than it actually is. You can enhance this effect by coating your lashes with loads of lash-lengthening mascara for a wide-awake look.

Generally speaking, you can’t cover dark circles with eye makeup—that’s a job for concealer and color corrector. First, apply a color corrector, either in a yellow, peachy, or orange shade, depending on the color of your dark circles (the idea is to use a contrasting color to “cancel out” the darkness). Then, buff it in with a makeup sponge and apply your concealer. We love the Bare With Me Concealer Serum, which offers medium coverage and provides up to 24 hours of hydration. For tips on the best way to apply concealer, check out our article Here’s Your Crash Course on Applying Concealer Properly.