We were discussing eyeliner on the Blather the other day and the subject of tight-lining came up. Tight-lining is a method of lining your eye underneath the lashes, which is a very subtle way of making your eyes really pop and giving the illusion of nice full lashes, if you aren't naturally blessed with them.
I had trouble with tight-lining myself until I attended a Laura Mercier master class. At the class they demonstrated how to use the Laura Mercier cake eyeliner to tight-line. Taking a flat-edged eyeliner brush dampened with water, the surface of the cake liner is also dampened and the brush is worked back and forth into the liner until a thick, even consistency is achieved. The easiest way to tight-line is to place a mirror on the table in front of you and looking downwards into the mirror, gently lift the upper lashes with your free hand. Start at the outer corner of the eye and simply push the brush into the base of the lashes, wiggling it slightly to deposit the colour. If you feel your eye starting to water, take a break to allow your eye to blink before moving onwards, using the "push and wiggle" method to complete the line in stages. Once you've finished, you'll have a very nicely-defined eye that still looks subtle.
If you like to line both upper and lower rims and feel adventurous, you could use a liner with an applicator similar to the Guerlain loose kohl pictured above to tight-line using the "Eastern method". Place the tip of the liner at the inner corner of the eye and with your eye closed, gently draw the applicator along the lashline, so that you line upper and lower lashes at once. If this seems a little too adventurous, you can try lining the upper lashes and then blinking your eyes tightly before the liner has dried. This will give you a softer look on the lower lashline.
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Happy lining!
