Eyeliner Design Photos

You can do a lot with eyeliner. You can subtly enhance your lashes or go full-on colorful and wild. A collection of eyeliner design photos can demonstrate what a difference the flick of a brush can make.

Eyeliner can be the focus of your whole eye makeup look. Simply choose a bold color with glitter and create a cat eye. Finish with mascara, and that's all you need for a fun party look.

This look is best done in a gel liner with a couple of brushes. First, use a wide brush with densely packed synthetic bristles to paint the lid, then dip a thin angled brush into the liner to create small circles and half-circles. Decorate inside the shapes using your creativity and branch out as far as you'd like to go around the eye.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is natural liner, done to enhance the lash line rather than make a creative statement. Use a pencil or gel to trace a line close to the lash line. Those with lighter hair may prefer brown, brunettes may use brown or black, and redheads will look most natural in a brown or auburn eyeliner shade.

An extra step that you can add to the natural liner look, or any look at all, really, is a touch of white eyeliner. Use a white kohl liner to trace the waterline. This gives the illusion of wide-open eyes, even if you could really use a nap. For an extra boost, draw three lines at the outer corner of the eye with a pearly pencil lighter than your skin tone--one angled up, one straight out, and one angled down--then smudge and blend so that it's barely detectable.

Goth liner tends to be heavy, black, and sometimes includes a few extra lines at the corners. Heavily encircle the eye with liquid or gel liner and use either gel or kohl liner on the waterline. With the gel or liquid liner, extend the line and add some curves for your signature look.

One of the hottest things in retro makeup is the cat eyeliner that gives the eyes a lift. Use gel, cake, or liquid liner to trace a line close to the lashes on top. From the outer corner, draw a line as if you're taking it up to the edge of the brow. Extend it as far up as you'd like, then draw another line to connect it back to the middle of the liner on top. FIll in the triangle and smooth the edges along the top so that the liner appears to be one long, graceful line.

It's easy to miss the liner in a smoky eye, but it's a very important part of the look, as it gives the dark, sultry color near the lash line and works as a base for the dark shadow beneath the eye. You can use the liner as a base all over the lid before you apply your shadow, but the richest color still needs to be at the base. Once the shadow is in place, line the eyes with a kohl liner either all the way around or just across the top and the outer 1/4 to 1/2 of the bottom lashes. Don't worry about getting it perfectly neat; you'll go back over it with dark shadow to get the smoky, smudgy effect.

Sometimes all it takes to really make a makeup look standout is a colorful liner. Wing it out to call more attention. If you're using a gel liner, then paint the tips of your lashes (after mascara) with the same color. Finish up with a pale shade that catches the light on the lower lash line, such as silver.

Eyeliner is not just for the lash line. You can use it to extend yoru eyes, sharpen a crease, and define the lower eye. To extend, use the same dark liner that's been used to line the lash line and extend it up, almost to the brow. With a stiff brush, smudge upward for a faded effect (apply dusting of shadow for better blending). Similarly, use liner in the crease for a sharper effect than what shadow alone provides. Use the same liner with a light hand on the bottom, extending outward from the lower lash line.

Who says you have to use black or brown liner? Try blue in a monochromatic eye look. Use navy blue to line the eye, getting thicker and winging outward as it approaches the outer corner. Smudge with a shadow in a similar shade. For even more interest, paint a color such as teal on the outer corner, between the navy lines. You can do this with any color as well; choose the shade that most complements your eye color.

An eyeliner design can naturally enhance your eyes, make a bold statement, or show off a creative look. Experiment with different styles to find what works for you.