Tightline Eyeliner: How to Tightline Your Eyes

Tightlining is an eyeliner technique that applies eyeliner to the waterline, the eye area where the top and bottom eyelids meet when your eyes close. Tightlining defines your eye shape and makes the lash line appear fuller. Depending on the color of the gel liner or eyeliner pencil, tightlining can also make your eyes pop. This technique is also known as invisible eyeliner since the liner is not noticeable on the waterline. This makes tightlining a great way to achieve a no-makeup look.

In tightlining, eyeliner lines the rims of the waterline, coming into close contact with the eyeballs, so tightline eyeliner should be a waterproof pencil or gel eyeliner. Waterproof eyeliner is long-wearing and long-lasting, and the waterproof formula will keep the eyeliner from smearing around your waterline. Avoid liquid liner, which can smear easily and sting your eyes. If you have sensitive eyes, use ophthalmologist-tested products to prevent irritation.

Follow this step-by-step makeup tutorial for tightlining your eyes:

1. 1. Curl your eyelashes. Curl your eyelashes with an eyelash curler to sweep your eyelashes upward away from your eyes. This will help you see the waterline.
2. 2. Sanitize your eyeliner. Tightlining means the eyeliner will come in contact with your eyes, so it is essential to ensure your eyeliner is free of bacteria and dirt before using it. Spritzrubbing alcohol on a tissue and then run it over the tip of your eyeliner. You can also sharpen pencil eyeliner with a sharpener to remove the outer layer of material that may have been exposed to harmful bacteria.
3. 3. Line your upper lash line. Lift your upper eyelid with your non-dominant hand. With the eyeliner in your dominant hand, sweep the eye pencil or gel liner from the outer corner of your upper waterline to the inner corner, filling it close to the eyelashes’ root.
4. 4. Apply liner to your lower lash line. You may choose to line your lower lash line. Pull your lower eyelid down slightly and fill in the lower waterline from the outer corner of your eye to the inner corner of the eye, close to the root of the eyelashes. You can fill it in with black or brown eyeliner. To make your eyes look bigger, use white eyeliner.
5. 5. Set your eyeliner. If your eyes tend to water, set the eyeliner with eyeshadow. Using an eyeliner brush, dab eyeshadow the same color as your eyeliner on top of the eyeliner.
6. 6. Remove any smudges. Clean up any smudging with a cotton swab and makeup remover or micellar water.
7. 7. Apply mascara. Apply mascara to your eyelashes to complete the eye makeup look.

Get the MasterClass Annual Membership for exclusive access to video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Bobbi Brown, RuPaul, Anna Wintour, Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, and more.