The Mascara and Eyeliner

Here are better ways to apply mascara, when you are wearing a winged eyeliner.

I made the decision a decade ago that I was “team mascara,” retiring my liner pens and pencils for good. But, makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes recently shared a trick that made me reconsider investing in some liners once again. She revealed a nifty makeup hack that enables you to apply mascara that enhances your eyeliner, rather than the mascara and liner both competing for airtime.

The Strategic Mascara Hack

“Create your flick (like the one in the picture above), then use your mascara to force the lashes out to the corner of the eye,” Hughes told POPSUGAR. “By pushing the lashes out in the direction of the wing, you create extra depth and shadow with the lashes, and they don’t compete with the liner, they enhance it.” Clever, right?

See ahead where Hughes also uses this trick to complement shadow blended just at the outer corners of the eyes.

Use Mascara to Enhance Your Eyeliner or Shadow

In fact, according to Hughes, it’s always a good idea to think holistically about your eye makeup looks. “I always think it’s cool if the lashes go in the same direction as the eye makeup,” she says. “So, if I’ve got a big, blown-out smoky eye that I’ve blended all around my eye, I’ll push the lashes out in a fan in the direction they grow. Lashes in the middle I’ll direct up, inner corner lashes I’ll coax toward the inner corner and the outer corner lashes toward the outside.”

“Dependent on where the detail is, is the direction I take the mascara to enhance that look,” she says.

It sounds so simple, but oftentimes we’ll slick on mascara without a second thought. Next time you apply your mascara and you’ve spent time creating an eye look, whether it’s a blown-out smoky eye, hint of shadow on the outer corner, or a full-on liner flick, like the looks Hughes has created above, use your mascara to enhance rather than compete with your artistic creation. You could also enhance that look with us.