Little Magazine 24
The one-hit wonder
I’m all about
efficiency, especially with my makeup. I want maximum impact, performance, and delivery for minimal effort. I’ve been thinking about what will be a nice transitional look into fall, and considering, well, that we’re still in full-swing mask mode, the only real thing we can play up is our EYES! Funny thing is, I immediately thought back to this old, beaten up eyeliner pencil that I had in high school. I probably taxed it from my mom’s already minimal makeup stash (she was all about the skincare) and I treasured this thing so much that I managed to keep it until it was whittled down to a stump. Label wiped off and all. I used it until it existed no longer. When does that actually happen with makeup?? Never!! (For me at least.) Alas, I recalled this key piece of makeup because I realized it was so clutch. It was (drumroll*)… an aubergine pencil eyeliner. I thought about it, and it’s clutch because— like an orange/red lipstick, it’s universal. The right hue of purple will bring out brown eyes, compliment blue eyes, and is staggering on green/hazel eyes. It needs to be the RIGHT shade of purple, though—not a cool, metal purple, but a warm purple. Yup, it’s a toughy. So I scoured the internets and here’s what I came up with for y’all.
First of all,
after going through instagram and pinterest and all the things for the past few hours, I want to hurl 😩. Of the hundreds of images I was inundated with, I couldn’t find ONE decent image of the look I had in mind. Sadness.🥺 I came up with this look, which, of course, was created by Pat McGrath, Makeup savant. This, friends, is the saturation, shape, and intensity that we want with our eyeliner. The natural texture of skin with a clean, stark, soft, eyeliner. No graphic overly-done instagram stuff. No hyper-shine, dry-ass matte, layer-cake makeup please. That’s not real life. This is a polished, elegant, and yet, punk look. It’s editorial brought to life. The eggplant shade, though, is what will give it LIFE. So, what exactly is this perfect shade of aubergine/ eggplant/ burgundy-ish tone? I’ll go over my final picks.
Caveat: I have to confess that this was all done from my laptop screen, so I have not actually tried these products. With that said, I’m confident that my predictions are at least 90% accurate (lol). I’ve seen enough makeup in my life to be a decent judge. I’m going to give a rating out of 5 stars for different reasons, but after checking out pretty much every eggplant/purple eyeliner out there, these were my final choices.
This.
This is an image from an old-school website that I have bookmarked from back in the day, but it popped up during my search. Funny how valuable info. somehow manages to stick around. It’s a Lorac eyeshadow in “eggplant,” but I wanted to give y’all a visual of the right shade (hint: check computer/ phone color settings!). It was dang hard to find. It’s not quite ruddy, or purple. It’s both. I’m not going to lie, I couldn’t find the right eyeliner. Fail much? Yes. But!—we need to start somewhere, so here are the next best options:
1. Colour Pop ($7)- Gel Pot Eyeliner in “Deep Plum” I said this falls short because it’s not in pencil form, which makes application slightly annoying. This may be the color winner, however. I haven’t tried it but, indeed, I can judge, through a computer screen, roughly how accurate the color will be. I’m guessing this comes closest. And it’s 7 bucks. I think a fancy morning coffee in Manhattan costs more than that. (I’m guessing this is 4/5 stars 😜)
2. Glossier has this gel eyeliner ($15) called “Disaster Class,” which they call a “deep wine red.” It’s supposed to have all the things: it applies smoothly and sets, is buildable from sheer to opaque, and lasts all day, supposedly. It’s a little ruddier than I’d like so it’s probably maladapted for professional settings but will def get you some props if gently smoked out into a sheer application. (3.5/5 stars bc color is the point here)
3. Dose of Colors ($19) pot eyeliner has a color called “Weekender,” described as a “muted plum brown.” Again, judging from my computer screen (jokes aside I’m pretty confident in rendering from texture/ sheen etc.), I predict that this is almost souffle-like, which means that while it is easily blendable, it will set rather quickly and be unforgiving after that, which will mean it will get blotchy if you don’t time the blending well. (3.5/5 stars)
4. Stila ($22) Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in “Spice (Matte Mahogany Brown),” gets points for being in Pencil form, and I’m personally a fan of this formulation. It’s super pigmented, has a creamy, consistent application, but I’m unsure about the color being on target with this one. It’s a more conservative bet than the Glossier, though, IMHO, in a professional setting. (4/5 stars)
Charlotte
Tilbury’s eyeliner didn’t make the cut, but her demo did, which will help you create some of the beautiful eye-makeup looks that she does with her expert blending and application.
Remember, all products are different—in texture, saturation, intensity, etc. So test it on the back of your hand, blend it out, master it, then draw on the eyes. Don’t test on the eyes straight away, the skin is so delicate there! Also—with smudgy eyeliner, heavy-handers can celebrate because this is your chance! More is better in this case, because you want to actually have product to blend, rather than scrape away at your skin (I’m wincing, too). Since it’s not a full-blown black eyeliner, you can probably do a little more than you’re used to, too. It’ll still be a softer effect. You can also layer, like you’re doing with the rest of your wardrobe for fall 🍁. Add on more as you go until you feel comfortable. On the bottom, you can do both waterline and outside of the eye for drama! Goth is in—go for it. If you’re gonna panda it out, though, make it look intentional! Keep the rest of your face minimal.
Speaking of Goth and celebrating all types of sub-cultures in today’s climate:
Goth is a subculture that began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. It was developed by fans of gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre. The name "goth" was derived directly from the genre. Notable post-punk artists who presaged the gothic rock genre and helped develop and shape the subculture include Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, the Cure, and Joy Division.
The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify and spread throughout the world. Its imagery and cultural proclivities indicate influences from 19th-century literature of the same name and horror films. The scene is centered on music festivals, nightclubs, and organized meetings, especially in Western Europe. The subculture has associated tastes in music, aesthetics, and fashion.
The music preferred by goths includes a number of styles such as gothic rock, death rock, post-punk, cold wave, dark wave, and ethereal wave.[1] Styles of dress within the subculture draw on punk, new wave, and New Romantic fashion.[2] It also draws from the fashion of earlier periods such as the Victorian, Edwardian, and Belle Époque eras. The style most often includes dark (usually solid black) attire, dark makeup, and black hair. The subculture has continued to draw interest from a large audience decades long after its emergence.
See you next Tuesday with your next-day eyeliner, friends! -Renee :)