When trying to achieve that “winged/cat” eyeliner technique, some may question which type of eyeliner product is best to work with. I have tried all three different types of eyeliner products from different brands of makeup, yet prefer one over the other when it comes to perfectly my eyeliner.
**** ALWAYS remember! Winged/Cat liner must always have a tip at the end of the wing! (no rounded tips! sharp!) ****
What I first started using when doing my top eyeliner about seven years ago was liquid liner. It came in a little bottle and had a wand with a tip at the end. I used this for many years, until I became more aware that there were different types I could have been using. With the specific product I had been using, the finished look was always this kind of shiny black look and I found it difficult to really make my point as sharp as I wanted. It was difficult, yet again with the product I was using, to continue to build up the liner on my eyes without it breaking apart on my eyelids. After being introduced to gel liner, I rarely ever again used liquid…
Gel liner was intimidating to me at first. It took me a while to get used to it and how easily it spread, and also how very little amount of product you actually needed. My first gel liner was Blacktrack by MAC. I purchased an eyeliner brush as well as an angled brush (great for the tip of the winged eyeliner). It had a very matte finish to it, and if you ever wanted to really super intensify the black, you would set it with black eyeshadow and it would be very dramatic. I found it so much easier to achieve different types of eyeliner styles as well with this product and could also use it for more than just simply top eyeliner. I’ve used it for my waterline, as an eyeshadow base, drawing designs for face art, and even for eyebrows. I am definitely a fan of gel liner, yet I do find it very time consuming for everyday use.
Felt Tip eyeliners are those liners that look exactly like a marker. This has been my ultimate daily use life-saver. The tip is extremely pointed which makes getting into the inner corners and defining my wing very simple. The products very easy to layer and you can build it to your desired intensity. It’s so simple and easy because the product literally only transfers to where you put the tip, where liquid liner was way too watery for me at times and would spread more than I wanted it to when I would set the brush on my eyelid. And where gel liner would spread around very freely, sometimes too much…. The felt tip liners really let you have full control over how much product you want to use because the product only releases and transfers when you press it down on your eyelid to line. My favorite felt tip eyeliner is Skinny by NYX. Amazing product.
In my opinion, I dislike liquid liners because they are too watery and shiny for my liking. Felt tip is great for everyday use, is very quick and simple to use, and lets you have more control over your liner especially when in a hurry. Gel liner is perfect for more intense and complex eyeliner styles, as well as a more intense and dramatic effect.
Here are some sample photo’s using gel liner from my FOTD as of today. For Felt tip, look for previous FOTD’s where Skinny by Nyx is stated!
