Teary-eyed and wobbly-fingered from fumbling with bespattered bottles of runny fluid? There, there, don’t fret. Every lid has a silver lining – and make it a 011 Silver at that.
When it comes to acing the cat eye, form follows function. Which is why we’re absolutely in love with the totally rad new Artliner 24H, a revamp of Lancôme’s legendary line of liquid liners that’s been amped up with round-the-clock awesomeness.
Boasting makeup mileage of up to 24 hours, the budge-proof heroine product is the maquillage equivalent of a sequinned cocktail dress: Fun, flashy and metallic to a megawatt degree.
What’s the secret to its stay-true shimmer? Chalk it up to cosmetics science: Lancôme says a complex made up of flexible polymers help to “stretch out” the liquid liner’s wearability, while the pencil-thin brush has been precision engineered to ensure ease of application.
Still skeptical? Put the Artliner 24H through its paces by layering multiple hues for a graphic cat eye. This particular product’s “wetness” is especially handy for creating a fabulous feline flick, which is our instant pep-me-up: The jaunty tick at the outer edges gives downturned eyes a beguiling Botox-like lift.
As for execution, some quick personal tips. Start by resting the tip of your Artliner 24H (or any other good liquid liner pen of your choice, really) about two-thirds the way in from the outer corners.
Instead of sticking to safe browns and blacks, we’re partial to using an audacious autumnal hue from the Artliner 24H suite – think gold-flecked bronze – to trace out the outer wing.
Now that you’ve got an outline of sorts, run over it with another generous coat, this time lacquering it on for a robust body.
With a lighter hand, skim the brush tip over the inner half of the lid near the nose, tracing a whisper-thin line that tapers beautifully to meet the thicker end. Once the twain have met, use a windshield wiping motion to tidy things up so there are no visible breaks in the line.
Now for the twist! Switch to a high-shine black pen for an intense “smokifying” accent. Etch a razor-sharp line very close to the lashes, almost as if you’re tightlining them to Euro-punk oblivion. For a vinyl vixen finish, line the outer half of your lower waterline with the same glossy obsidian.
For the final flourish, finish with lashings and lashings of a lustrous black mascara on your upper and lower lashes. The inky goodness will go a long way towards tying the whole eye look together.
One last thing: We’re not fans of using makeup remover to wipe off boo-boos and stray feathering; most alcohol-based formulas are way too harsh on the delicate orbital area for such frequent use. Instead, dip a cotton swab in an eye cream and wiggle it into unwanted smudges; the emollients will lift pigments and comfort at the same time.
More of a visual learner? The lovely folks at Lancôme Singapore have very kindly shared with us the following video tutorials; they make for incredibly intuitive learning.
While you’re at it, feel free to bookmark herworldPLUS’ YouTube channel, which has a pretty great collection of makeup how-tos, if we do say so ourselves.
Lancôme Artliner 24H in 01 Black Diamond, $44, is a catalogue item available from April 2014 at all Lancôme counters. 011 Silver, 04 Amethyst, 02 Gold, 051 Jade and 052 Emerald, $44 each, are limited edition colours and are available exclusively at Lancôme counters in Sephora.
For more information, visit www.lancome.com.sg and follow Lancôme Singapore on Facebook and Instagram.