The eyes have it

Thanks to L'Oreal for sponsoring my post about my favorite beauty looks, tips and tricks! Check out Makeup.com for beauty advice from the experts.

Let’s start from the beginning, shall we. When I was a sophomore in college, my suitemates pointed out to me, that I should, perhaps, consider doing something about my non-existent eyebrows. You see, both my eyebrows and eyelashes are white blond. Here you have a picture of me without mascara or eyebrow pencil, two makeup products I never, EVER leave home without.

(I’ll accept praise for my internet bravery now.)

Of course at that point I was wearing mascara daily, but here I was, nineteen years old, walking around with Casper eyebrows. Even once they pointed this out to me, it would take a very long time before this became a regular part of my routine. Now I keep eyebrow pencils everywhere. My personal favorite are these, ExpertWear Twin Brow and Eye pencils by Maybelline. At under $4 for a set of two, I keep them stashed in my car, my purse, and of course, my makeup bag. You might be surprised by how easy it for an eyebrow to go rogue and completely disappear on me.

Here’s me on a normal day.

I haven’t changed my makeup routine in years. I have worn eyeliner only a handful of times, and I’ve never been happy with the results. So, I set out to change that.

Here’s the after shot!

So, this picture speaks 1000 words about why actors and models need to wear pounds of makeup so that it shows up on camera. I swear to you, the difference with eyeliner is noticeable, in a good way. I feel like my eyes are more defined and they don’t get lost on my face.

The lesson here is that I take a very long time to notice the obvious when it comes to my own appearance.

I still think that eyeliner will be a bonus item. It will not make the list of things which must be on my face before I am presentable to the public, but it will be a nice bonus when I have more than five minutes in the morning (or evening,) and when I’ve had a reasonable amount of sleep, so as not to poke myself in the eye.

Now that I am an eyeliner master, here are a few tips for anyone else who is a little afraid of adding an extra step to their makeup routine.

• I found the liquid and gel versions to be easier to work with. I apparently have wrinkly eyelids, and I had a hard time getting a smooth line with a pencil.
• To get the liner as close to my eyelashes as possible, I had to apply the liner well below what appeared to be the edge of my eyelid. Basically, I smushed it right into my lashes, and that seemed to do the trick.
• A Q-tip dipped in water will solve all manner of eyeliner mishaps.

Tell me the truth, am I the last grown woman on the planet to add eyeliner to my makeup routine?

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