Smokey Eyes with Lip Liners: Toot or Boot?
What do makeup artists think about TikTok's latest beauty trend?
In true TikTok fashion – if there's ever an alternative method to do something, make a video and share it. And one of the app's latest beauty fads stems from Australian makeup artist Sabrina Walsh as she colours in the edges of her eyes with lip liner.
Walsh demonstrated the technique in a video on December 14 last year in response to a question from TikTok user @agrayle about how to paint light or medium skin tones for "deep brown eyes." She starts by drawing the Morphe in Vibes lip liner over her upper and lower eyes before blending it with a brush, and continuing to complete the look with a layer of Fenty Beauty's Sun Stalk'r Instant Warmth Bronzer Island foundation. Walsh also shares how people with darker skin can still use this technique.
She says the technique is the result of a lot of experimentation: “I first experimented with lipsticks as an eyeshadow base and quickly found that they were hard to put on, quite greasy, and couldn't stand the test. Walsh knew eyeliner would do the job, but she thought they were "too dark" to create a "lighter, more natural look," which made her decide to give lip liner a try.
Dallas-based makeup artist Victoria Jameson also tried out lip liner after seeing a video of Walsh appearing on her For You Page. Although Jameson admits that replacing eyeshadows with lip liners work, she found that using a cream eyeshadow "will give the same results with longer wear." New York City makeup artist Kasey Adam Spickard agrees, saying that using a cream product will help create a look similar to Walsh's, but he recommends trying a "creamy eye pencil with undertones." Warm colours like Charlotte Tilbury's eyeliner in Pillow Talk.
Finally, Spickard cautions against trying this makeup because "there are pretty strict guidelines set forth by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about what is safe for the eyes when wearing makeup." Cosmetics expert Ginger King agrees on this point and advises you to never use lip products around your eyes. "Pigments are not interchangeable. People can experience allergic reactions such as eyelid swelling," she explains. Furthermore, she says that if the lead has touched the lips and hasn't been cleaned, "it's bound to be contaminated as well."
Ashley Brissette, MD, ophthalmologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, confirms that there is a risk of infection if a person chooses to use lip liner around the eyes. “The mouth is full of harmful bacteria, which can cause eye infections and permanent vision damage,” says Brissette. She recommends using eyeliner only for the eye area, but if you're thinking of trying Walsh's approach, she advises to "disinfect [the stick] of the pencil with an alcohol-based cleaner and then brush it to make sure that the pencil is lined up with an alcohol-based cleaner and then buff it out to clean the pencil. This creates a new tip that is not reused around the mouth."
As for eyeliner, you should also be careful "not to draw too much on the eyelids when applying the product, because the eyelid skin is very thin and sensitive," adds Brissette.
Whether you decide to try Walsh's approach or use eyeshadow or cream eye pencils in warm tones, you'll get a very appealing eye makeup that's perfect for everyday wear.
According to Allure
