ThrowBack Thursday - White Hot

I hate to admit it...But I am one of the guilty ones who wore....GASP...WHITE EYELINER in Jr. High and High School....(Hides head in shame).

I know I know...I was young...It was cool at the time. But in all honesty, boy did it look ridiculous!!!

The harsh white streak across the top of my eyelid wasn't flattering at all. It made my brown eyes just disappear! Looking back at pictures from that era, my eye goes directly to the eyeliner.... not my face, not my outfit, not even my eyes! Just the horrid...stark white streak across my eyelid. Terrible!! But hey...we all live and learn and hopefully move on to more subtle eyeliner right?

Now that I have confessed one of my many makeup digressions, it's time to get back to the point. Since this is a throwback Thursday post about bad white eyeliner, how about we try to bring it up to 2014. "AHhhh WHAT!!??" you say? Bring back white eyeliner after I just dissed it? Well...in a way, YES!

Does this stick take you back??

There are actually many ways to use white eyeliner to our advantage instead of just bluntly drawing a white streaky line across our eyelids. Here are a few suggestions:

• It doesn't have to be STARK white. Try using a light champagne or pale pink shimmery colored eyeliner, eye shadow, or highlighter stick instead. Plain white is usually pretty bold for most skin types, but adding a bit of shimmer to white, or other light colors helps it blend better, makes it more subtle, and helps catch the light!

  

  New Updated Version of "White Liner" - Rimmel London Brand in Bullet Proof Beige

   

  
  

  
  

• Use the white eyeliner as a highlighting tool, NOT actual eyeliner. White (or any other light colored eyeliner/eye shadow/highlighting stick) is a great way to make your eyes stand out, but you need to make sure you highlight the right areas and SMUDGE smudge SMUDGE so it doesn't look so bold.  The whole reason for highlighting is to HIGHLIGHT areas you want people to see, or create the illusion of something you want people to see! --- Option 1). Draw a line directly underneath your eyebrow and gently smudge the line (until it doesn't look like you drew a line..kind of an oxymoron, but remember we are just highlighting here, not eye lining!). --- Option 2). You can also use the light colored liner to highlight the corners and bottom lid of your eyes. Draw a line under the bottom lash line and in the corners of your eyes and then smudge. Adding just a subtle bit of light catching highlighter to these areas can make you look more awake and bright eyed! Not to mention highlighting under the brow can give you an instant (And painless) brow lift! Let the makeup do it's job ladies!!

  

  How stunning do her eyes look with a touch of white/champagne colored highlighter in the corners and under the brow? She looks so awake and fresh!

• Line the INSIDE of your eyelids with white liner, not the outside. If you are really looking for a way to make your eyes POP, you can pull out that exact same white eyeliner that you used in 8th grade and use it to line the inside of your eyelids (Especially the bottom, AKA the "Waterline"). Adding a pop of white right next to your eyes makes them appear larger (so I wouldn't recommend this step if you feel you already have larger eyes, or have a hard time using liner....as this requires a steady hand since it's so close to your eyeball).

  

  Add the pop of white liner in the right place! Notice how the white on the waterline picks up the white of her eye and make it appear larger?

• Always use the white liner BEFORE applying the rest of your eye makeup. We want the white/light colored liner to help make our eyes shine brighter and look bigger... not take over the whole face (like mine did back in the day)! A little goes a long way when highlighting/lining around the eyes with lighter colors. Make it an addition to your makeup routine, not the focus.
• Use the white liner to highlight other areas of your face, not just the eyes. Want to highlight those gorgeous lips of yours? Try using your white eyeliner or other highlighter to accentuate the "Cupids Bow" area of your lips. The Cupid's Bow is where your top lip meets and creates the "V" in the middle (See Picture below). Outline the Cupid's bow area with the white liner or highlighter and then smudge. Highlighting this area helps create the illusion of fuller lips because it picks up the light and draws the eye to that pretty pout! It's also a great way to keep lipstick or gloss from moving out of the lip zone!

  

  Highlight the "V" or "Cupid's Bow" to make those lips pop!

Here are a few "updated" versions of white eyeliner that I use to enhance my eyes/lips and make them POP!

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick in Bullet Proof Beige

This shadow stick is a great highlighter for the eye area and cupids bow! It draws a nice smooth line and allows for easy smudging and has a nice shimmer to it. Perfect for the corners of the eye and under the brow! The price is also amazing! It runs for about $4-$5 and is available at Wal-Mart, Target, drugstores and even Ulta! This product also comes in WHITE, if that is the color you think works best for you. The white stick would work great if you want to try and line your inner lids because it is a soft eyeshadow pencil and won't tug on your eyelid.

Ulta Link to Product

Walmart Link to Product 

Benefit Watt's Up! Highlighter Stick

This is one of my favorite all over highlighting tools. This light champagne shimmer is just the PERFECT color to pick up the light and brighten your face. I use this around the eyes, brows, down the bridge of my nose, cheekbones, cupids bow, and chin! It's not thick, or too heavy to use all over your face. It's so fun to draw it on and see how much it really adds to your makeup. This product also has a handy dandy little smudger right on the bottom! How cool is that!? This highlighter is on the expensive side (Cost: $30). But I feel like it is a wonderful makeup investment since it lasts forever. I still haven't used up my first stick (I've had it for a year) and I use it every day! Sephora and Ulta both carry this product in their stores and online and many other internet beauty websites carry it as well. 

Sephora Link to Product

Ulta Link to Product

Rimmel London Soft Kohl Eyeliner Pencil in Pure White

If you are looking for a cheap and reliable version of your Jr. High white eyeliner...this is it! At $3-$4 this is an affordable way to play around with the tips I've given in this post. This is a great product to line the inner lids with, or accent the cupids bow area. It doesn't have any type of sheen or shimmer to it, so it will come out exactly as it did when we used it WRONG! Pure.. Stark.. White! So keep that in mind. This product also comes in a nude color if white is too scary to start with. You could use the nude liner to practice with and see if you like the feel of it and then move on from there.  This liner is available at Wal-Mart, Target, and other drug stores.

Walmart Link to Product

 

 

 

Maybelline EyeStudio Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow in Barely Branded

If using pencil liner or drawing lines on your face isn't really your thing, then this is a great product for you! This cream shadow allows you to use your finger to apply it to wherever you would like to highlight. I would say it is best used for the corners of the eye and brow area (Or as an all over eyeshadow). You will definitely have more control with the smudging since you will be applying it with your finger. If you like to use makeup brushes, you could apply this under the bottom lash line, or under your brow with an angled eyeliner brush.

Angled Eye Liner Brush by ELF - $3 ELF link to Product (Also sold at Target!)

At $5-$6, this is also a makeup steal! This champagne color flatters most skin tones and I think you are never too old for a little shimmer!! Remember: Shimmer picks up the light and makes you look more youthful, brighter, and FRESH! I'm not talking about glitter...glitter either puts you in the "I'm a 12 year old girl and am allowed to wear glitter everywhere" category, or the Peter Pan "I'm never growing up" category. The latter is NOT so flattering, LOL! I love sparkly stuff....Even glitter..But it shouldn't be stuck all over your eyes and face if you are over 12 (Sorry... Rant Over!!!). This amazing eyeshadow cream is sold at Wal-Mart, Target, Ulta, and other online beauty websites!

Walmart Link to Product

The bottom line(r) is..White is still HOT! Just use an updated version of this old makeup mistake! Use it to your advantage and highlight (Although this isn't the only way to highlight, it is easy! Stay tuned for a full highlighting and contouring post.)! Remember, don't take away from your beautiful face... enhance what you want people to notice! If you are unsure if a new makeup technique is for you, it's only makeup! It wipes off! Start with an inexpensive makeup item and if you like it, try other products! Ladies, please learn from my ThrowBack Thursday White Liner Mistake! Make your eyes pop the right way!

 

Happy Highlighting Lovelies!

 

<3 MMG