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How to Layer Your Eyeliner

By Wendy Rodewald-Sulz / September 5, 2014

Models at Kate Spade wore MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack layered with the brand's Acrylic Paint in Black Black. Photo: Getty Images 
 
Backstage at Kate Spade’s Spring 2015 presentation Friday morning, MAC Cosmetics Artistic Director Lyne Desnoyers was busy turning out models with the most precise, ultra black eyeliner — but don’t call it a cat eye. 
 
“Instead of doing your normal ‘50s flick, I’m squaring it a little bit,” Desnoyers explained to a group of beauty editors. “I’m going out, squared, and I’m lifting by doing — as my assistant called it — a little ‘thorn.’ So that when she has her eyes open, you get the elongated [effect] but at the same time you don’t have a flick; it looks straight. It’s almost as if you’re making your classic eyeliner a lot more compact, but using all the trickery.”
 
As is the case with all those street style photographer-bait outfits that are currently milling around Lincoln Center Plaza for #NYFW, the secret is all in the layering.
 
“The eyeliner, the trick for it to stay longer is to actually do some layering, which is exactly what I did today. The presentation lasts two hours; they’re doing a photo shoot as we speak; it needs to stay on.”
 
Fluidline is a gel-based eyeliner — super stable. That is how I create my first coat. And of course the backstage twist on it is [layering on] a liquid that’s called Acrylic — it makes them blacker than black.”
 
For real life, the French makeup artist advises you skip the paint in favor of more user-friendly options.
 
“Someone might want to do their entire canvas with a kohl — great idea. Layer it with powder for stability and depth. Layer it with a gel liner, why not? Much easier to maneuver that way. Some women will feel great about doing the entire thing with the gel eyeliner — layer it with a powder if you want.”
 
Bottom line? Layer your liner like you would your outfit; two textures are better than one. “It makes it super black and it makes it long wear.” What could be simpler than that?