White eyeliner is a makeup artist trick for brightening up the face and making your eyes look bigger and more awake, particularly when used on the bottom waterline. When using a dark color on the bottom lash line, it can make eyes look smaller and drawn-down, but white has the reverse effect.
Rimming your eyes in inky black liner makes them look tinier than they actually are. Instead, make your eyes look wide awake with a white or nude-colored liner like the Maybelline New York TattooStudio White Eyeliner. A light color opens up your eyes, making them look larger.
The way to apply eyeliner to make the eyes look bigger is by drawing a very thin line, black or brown, just above your lashes. Once you reach the last third of the lashes, taper the eyeliner outwards in a straight line and draw back in to create a flick.
“White eyeliner not only makes your eyes look larger, but also makes you look more awake,” says makeup artist Geo Brian Hennings. And, major plus, it'll cancel out any signs of a hangover, allergies, quarter-life crisis, etc., regardless of your skin tone.
Tip #1: Use A Brown Or Colored Eyeliner
Black might be your go-to color when it comes to eyeliner, but using a brown or colored eyeliner can also help make your eyes appear bigger and brighter. For enlarging the appearance of your eyes, choose a colored liner that mimics the natural color of your eyes.
White eyeliner is a makeup artist trick for brightening up the face and making your eyes look bigger and more awake, particularly when used on the bottom waterline. When using a dark color on the bottom lash line, it can make eyes look smaller and drawn-down, but white has the reverse effect.
If you have brown eyes, blue, green, and purple liners will make them pop, though jet black can also be flattering. For hazel eyes, purple, green, gray, and taupe are all excellent choices. People with green eyes should look for burgundy, rust, and other warm, reddish tones, though black and brown can also work well.
What does white eyeliner do for your eyes? “White eyeliner makes the eyes look bigger and brighter,” says Ashley Gray, a professional makeup artist and the owner of Ashthetics Skincare. “Applying it to your lower waterline or doing a cat eye with a white eyeliner can really make the eyes pop.
"Keep the liner to the top lid for a more lifted, youthful effect." If you really, really want to go after your bottom lash line, Stiles recommends using a lighter color there than you're using on the top. "This will still give you definition, but feels softer and more flattering," she adds.
Shimmer eye shadow: Light eye shadow colors, especially shimmer shades, reflect the light, brightening your eye area and making the eye area seem bigger. Applying a shimmer eye shadow to the inner and outer corners of your eyes can illuminate and extend your eye shape.
It's a bit of a beauty myth that small eyes shouldn't use eyeliner. When used in an entire ring around the eye, black liner can exaggerate the smaller shape, but the trick is to use a contrasting white or pearl-coloured liner in the lower waterline and keep the smoky eyeliner to the lower lashes instead.
For an eye-opening effect, try swapping dark liner for white eyeliner or nude eyeliner like the TARTE Fake Awake Eye Highlight. Billy says she loves to use a nude eye pencil along the upper and lower waterline for bigger, wider-looking eyes.
There's a half-baked theory behind the white-dot makeup trick: By placing four dots around your eye in a diamond configuration — one on either side, as well as above and below your pupils — you're psychologically manipulating the person looking you in the eye.
Mistake #04: Using black eyeliner
Applying a thick, black eyeliner makes your eyes appear really small and beady — making you look older than you are. An easy solution to this problem is to switch your back eyeliner with a brown one for a softer and more youthful appearance.
Brown eyeliner will give a soft dimension to your eyes while still making them appear rich and intense. However, if you want a sharp and sleek look, black eyeliner is always an excellent choice. To make your brown eyes appear brighter, go for colored eyeliner in contrasting shades.
Adding eyeliner to your waterline is an easy way to change up your eye makeup. It can add darkness to a smoky eye, brighten up tired/red eyes, make smaller eyes look bigger, and big eyes look smaller. The waterlines are the area where your eyelids meet to close your eyes.
Having made a seemingly shy debut during Fashion Week in 2021, the black eyeliner look seems to be sticking around for yet another year as fashion Houses have opted for a dramatic lid for their Spring/Summer 2022 Haute Couture shows. Chanel, for example, has truly mastered the approach to a bold look.
White liner on the lower lash line will create the illusion of being more awake as it emphasizes the whites of your eyes, consequently allowing you to look younger and more vibrant.
Winged eyeliner can also help create the illusion of bigger eyes. If you have smaller eyes it's better to avoid heavy eyeliner on your upper lid, as this can make it look smaller.
Shading in your waterline with white eye makeup instantly makes your eyes look wider, brighter, and more awake by seemingly extending the whites and covering up any redness. Think of this white eyeliner trick as your best friend after a long night out or grueling week at work.
You can also use white for more whimsical eyeliner looks—the white dot trend was even one of Google's top trending searches for 2022. White liner is especially good for making the eyes pop. "It instantly brightens the eyes and makes your eyeballs look whiter," the pro adds.