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.
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.
Despite what you may have heard, it's not the best idea to apply dark eyeliner to your bottom waterline because this can actually shrink the appearance of your eyes. Instead, apply your go-to eyeliner just below your lower lashes to help make your eyes look bigger.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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. This opens up the lower half of the eye, making it look bigger and brighter.
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.
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.
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.
Apply taupe eye shadow along your upper lash line.
Draw a line from the middle of your upper eyelid to the outer corner with your eyeliner. Make the line a little thicker at the outer edge of your lid and have it taper in toward the center. Make your eyes seem larger by only lining the outer ½ to ⅔ of your upper lid.
Use light, neutral colors on the lid.
Dark colors recede, light colors bring objects forward. Placing a light color on the lid gives a larger appearance to the eye area.
Using eyeliner or a dark-coloured eyeshadow in this area will make hooded eyes look wider and bigger, which helps conceal the hoodedness. It will also help to create the effect of having liner on the whole lid, even though you would have only applied it to the outer corner.
Eyebrow with a higher degree of curvature generally have a higher brow ridge, which can increase the proportion of the area occupied by the eyebrows and the eyes, and longitudinally lengthen the eye area to make the eyes look larger.
So, coming to the main question, the answer is “no” wearing an eyeliner would not make you look old, but avoid these eyeliner mistakes (read the article here), do not draw uneven lines, and stick to soft colors. .
Just the Corners
A tiny wing on the outer corner of each eye is a great way to wear white eyeliner when you need it to be subtle. A flick on each corner adds just enough drama without being too much, and if you want definition, you can line the rest of the eye with black or your color of choice.
Using a neutral-colored eyeliner like a brown or taupe is super flattering for big eyes, says Eckels. The softer shade still highlights the eyes without being too bold, so you can line both the upper and lower lash lines.
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.
The bold claims started from TikTok creator Michelle Diaz, who shares dating tips on her account. Diaz shared the hack on TikTok, saying that men have been unable to stop looking at her when she wears the white dot liner look.
To limit the risk of developing dry eyes, Dr Carver told BuzzFeed that people should avoid wearing eyeliner or eye makeup in their waterlines on all occasions, as there is no eyeliner that is “safe” for doing so.
You can even use white eyeliner on the top waterline and follow by using a soft brown on top of the lash line to still get extra definition. Just make sure to always focus top eyeliner on the outer half of the lash line, never all the way into the inner corner.