Back-to-Basics Beauty Tips and Tricks

How to Create a Straight Line With Liquid or Pencil Eyeliner

1. Dot liner between your lashes, working from the inner corner of the eye to the outer one.
2. Using light, feathery strokes, connect the dots. If you need to steady your hand, rest your elbow on your mirror or a table.
3. End the line where your lashes do, says Mikey Castillo, the director of color for the makeup line Le Métier de Beauté. If you want a more theatrical cat-eye effect, extend it straight past the end of your lash line just a tad.

Extra credit: Set the liner (and mask any wobbles) by tracing over it with a shadow in the same color, using a thin, angled makeup brush.

How to Use an Eyelash Curler

1. Begin with clean, makeup-free lashes. (If you curl after applying mascara, the tool can stick to the makeup and damage or yank out hairs.)
2. For allover curl, choose a full-width curler. To curl just the outer corners of your lashes (a more eye-opening effect), pick a mini curler. Position the tool as close as possible to the base of your upper lashes and squeeze for a few seconds.
3. Move the curler slightly outward, to midlash, and gently squeeze again for a second or two.

Extra credit: For more dramatic and lasting curl, blast the curler with a hair dryer for a few seconds before you crimp. (It’s like using hot rollers on your hair. But make sure to test the heat against your hand before applying!)