How to Apply Eyeliner to Your Waterline

The waterline is the area of skin between the base of the lash line and the cornea, where the eyelids meet when closed. Applying eyeliner to the waterline is a technique known as tightlining, enhancing the eyes and making eyelashes appear fuller.

To ensure safety, use clean makeup products and carefully apply them to the waterline to prevent eye irritation. Your eyes are sensitive and can be easily contaminated, so be sure to sanitize products and tools. Wearing makeup products on your waterline can obstruct oil glands, preventing the eyes from producing a healthy tear; to avoid this, look for products specifically designed for application to your waterline.

Consider the following makeup tips for applying products to your waterline:

1. 1. Try a smoky eye. You can tightline with black eyeliner, then add a kohl eyeliner on your eyelid to create a very bold smoky eye look. You can also add a winged tip to create a cat eye.
2. 2. Use white eyeliner. Tightline with a white eyeliner pencil to create a brightening look that can make your eyes look bigger.
3. 3. Go for a matte finish. Find products at a drugstore or beauty store that have a matte finish. Shimmer products with glitter can irritate your eyes.
4. 4. Apply waterproof eyeliner. Waterproof eyeliner is the best eyeliner because it’s long-wearing and long-lasting, and the waterproof formula is smudge-proof and will keep the eyeliner from smearing around your waterline.
5. 5. Avoid liquid liner. Liquid eyeliner can smear easily and the pigment can sting your eyes. If you have sensitive eyes, dry eyes, or wear contact lenses, use ophthalmologist-tested gel eyeliner or eyeliner pencil to prevent irritation.

Follow this step-by-step makeup tutorial for applying waterline eyeliner:

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. Spritz rubbing alcohol on a tissue and then run it over the tip of your eyeliner. You can also sharpen your waterline eye pencil 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 pencil liner 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. You can also use concealer to cover up any smudges.
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, Tan France, and more.