Eyeliner Sandwich Technique

Friday, July 20, 2012

Come on, this post's title involves the word sandwich. How could you not want to know more?

It's been ridiculously hot this summer in Minnesota, with temperatures in the 90s and uncomfortable humidity. My skin has been super oily and sweaty, meaning that my eye makeup pretty much melted off each day. While searching for a way to make my liner stay, I discovered a way to also really make the colors pop.

I own a few liners that are sort of sheer. Interesting colors, but not very good payoff. You know when you line your eyes over and over again with the pencil, and even after layer after layer it still looks rather weak? So, the eyeliner sandwich was born.

After applying my eyelid primer (I use either LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer or e.l.f. Eyelid Primer if I'm only doing a wash of color) and apply my shadows, I start with one layer of eyeliner. I then take a black shadow (I've been working with matte ones like Calvin Klein Night Dusk or Rock & Republic Fatalistic) and a small brush (I prefer angular) and apply it on top, firmly patting it into the shadow. Then, apply the eyeliner again on top.

Here, I've used L'Oreal HiP Cream Crayon in Intricate sandwiched with Urban Decay Perversion shadow.

I've been really thrilled with the results. Colors that were just 'meh' on their own now have really great color payoff. Vibrant jewel tones that I've wanted all along. This has let me rediscover some products that I've literally left sitting untouched in my stash for forever (like that Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil and that L'Oreal HiP Cream Crayon) just because the color was so sheer and hard to work with. These swiggles on the left are of the liner by itself, the right patch is after it has been layered with black shadow. Best of all, my eyeliner has been lasting all day even through the heat.

Have you tried something like this before? I know that some people use black shadow on top of their liner to set it.

Some of the products in this post were given to me as a gift by family and friends. The rest I purchased for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.