Tight-Lining

What is tight-lining? If you're imagining some new act in Cirque du Soleil you're way off. Although for some women it conjures up the same sense of anxiety as if they were about walk a tightrope themselves. Tight-lining is when you line the inner rim (also called the waterline) of your upper and/or lower lids. I'm not talking about the area right above your lashes but the narrow space between the base of your lashes and your eyeball. Wait...what? You can do that?! But why?
The answer, quite simply, is because tight-lining your eyes really does give you a much more polished look. By lining this little strip of...I don't even know what to call it...you instantly create the illusion of more voluminous lashes. You also eliminate that blank space, so to speak, between your eye makeup and your eyes. This makes your eyes pop! You can also tight-line instead of applying eyeliner because it's a quick and easy way to add definition to your eyes without fussing over getting a perfect line.

Below, I will show you how to tight-line & the difference it can make. Cue the frightening close ups of my eyeballs...

Before tight-lining...

Fill in the upper inner rim...

Then the lower inner rim...

After!

To tight-line your eyes gently push your upper lid back and carefully pull down on your lower lid then lightly run the pencil (or whatever you're using) along the waterline. You can also line just the bottom rim and then tightly squeeeeze your eyes shut so the color from the bottom rim transfers to the upper rim. You can line either the upper or both upper and lower rims with a myriad of products including eye pencils, kohls, cream and gel liners and even powders. Just check to see if the product in question is waterline safe. What's really fun is lining with colors other than black. Not only can you line with brown for a soft, natural look but you can use any color you can think of (except I'd avoid using pinks and reds unless you want to look sickly). Think outside the box! Blues, greens, and purples can be used to enhance your specific eye color or you can use white or light flesh tones to brighten and enlarge your eyes.

Product Review: HiP Cream Eyeliner

I've always loved classic black eyeliner! Depending on the way you style it, eyeliner can take you from daytime to evening looks with just a swipe. The newest thing in eyeliner is cream and gel eyeliners. They are touted as being easier to apply, longer lasting and multi-purpose. As I said, I love eyeliner, so a few months back I purchased the HiP Cream Eyeliner in Black (905) with included eyeliner brush (small black one shown below).

Packaging: HiP, I feel, has attractive packaging for their products. However, my only complaint is that the pot that the eyeliner comes in weighs quite a bit. If you decide to purchase all of the eyeliner colors it's going to add a lot of weight to your makeup kit.

Formulation: The texture could be compared to that of a piece of fudge. It's thick and creamy.

Scent: This has practically none.

Application: This cream eyeliner is more forgiving than liquid liner. It goes on smoothly and with a few strokes a clean line can be created. BUT, I did not like the eyeliner brush that was included AT ALL. The line that it creates is way too thick. I use a painters brush that I bought from a craft store. Don't quote me but I believe it cost about $4. The painters brush is much smaller (less than half the size of the included one) and is perfect for creating thin lines, delicate winged tips and is also great for lining the waterline.
Left Line: Included HiP brush
Right Line: Artists brush from craft store

Longevity: It's been my experience when using liquid eyeliner that as the day wears on it dries out and then crumbly little chunks fall down onto your under eye area. With this cream eyeliner, although it does appear a little bit drier, it doesn't crack and crumble. I did notice a small amount of transfer of the eyeliner onto my upper lid when I used it.

Multi-purpose uses: Cream and gel eyeliners can also be used as a base for eyeshadows. Apply a small amount to your lid with either your finger or a small flat brush. You will need to work somewhat quickly however because once this stuff dries (about 10 seconds) it does not want to move. You'll need a makeup remover to get it off.

Price/Quantity: The HiP Cream Eyeliner costs $12 and is available at drugstores, Wal-Mart, Target, etc. $12 may seem pricey to some but you get 4.5 grams of product and a little goes a long ways. Other colors include teal, eggplant, brown and midnight blue.

Shelf Life: This is a cream product. Cream products should be used or discarded within one year.

IF YOU ASK ME
This cream eyeliner is good stuff (as long as you don't use their brush). I enjoy putting it on. After a few tries you can definitely learn how to achieve a beautiful line. While it lasts noticeably longer than other liners I've used it's not the miracle eyeliner of all eyeliners. It will eventually move on you. Would I buy it again? Yes, it's worth the money. Especially if you love classic black eyeliner!