The Right Eyeliner...For Your Skin
We’ve all read about choosing foundation or lipcolor formulas that are flattering to aging skin. But I discovered, while researching a More story that never made it to print (RIP More), that you might want to take skin texture (crepeyness, laxity) into account when picking an eye-lining product too. Here, experts weigh in on which products will work best for you right now.
In Your Forties
You want to switch to a soft gel formula that glides, rather than drags or skips over the skin (so no more hard pencils). The goal is to avoid pulling on delicate eyelid skin whenever possible. You’ll thank me later. Try It Cosmetics Waterproof Anti-Aging No Tug Gel Eyeliner ($22; ulta.com) or Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Gel Liner ($26; sephora.com).
In Your Fifties
“Focus on the invisible liner,” says beauty mogul Trish McEvoy. This means wiggling the tip of a soft pencil (the kind that imparts almost a powder-like finish and goes on with minimal tugging) in between the eyelashes so they look thicker, but you can’t see a defined line. "Lining right on the lid skin, corner to corner, at this age can look heavy and make the eye look closed in,” McEvoy adds. Try Chanel Le Crayon Khol ($30; nordstrom.com) or Trish McEvoy Classic Eye Pencil ($25;nordstrom.com).
In your Sixties+
“Most women over 60 will have some crepey-ness on the eyelid, which can make drawing a straight line tricky,” says Tim Quinn, Giorgio Armani’s celebrity makeup artist. His solution: Switch to a creamy gel formula in a pot or an eyeshadow you can apply wet—and use a tiny, firm brush to wiggle the color into the roots of the lashes, rather than trying to draw a line on the skin. This application technique is similar to the one recommended in your fifties, but using a brush, rather than drawing on the lid with a pencil, allows you to better control color depositing. At this point, it's preferable to err on the side of too little product, as opposed to too much. Over-applying=harsh. Try Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner ($25; sephora.com) or Laura Mercier Baked Eye Colour Wet/Dry ($25; sephora.com).
