Dear Lucy- lower eyeliner

Pin-up inspired cat eye with a soft gray liner on lower lid Photo by Scott Stater; Hair by Freida; makeup by Emily Kleinsorge

Dear Lucy, Is lower eyelid eyeliner good for all eye/face types?

thick black lower liner, set with black shadow

Lower eyeliner is a tricky topic. My optometrist tells me to never wear eyeliner on the inside of my eyelid. I would be lying if I told you that I always follow this rule. 

Some people look amazing in tons of eyeliner à la Kim Kardashian or Carrie Underwood. However, be warned - these women wear a TON of makeup. On the days those photos are taken I would guess KK wears 2-3 sets of false lashes. Most women would look clownish with this makeup on a daily basis.  

My mantra is always to have fun and try different things.  Practice with different colors and sizes of lines. Try smudging the liner or blending a shadow over the liner that is a shade lighter.  If you have smaller eyes, try it without top eyeliner and swap black for a lighter shade of liner. I hate silly makeup rules such as "smaller eyes look smaller with eyeliner," or "people with green eyes should only wear (blank) color." These rules are boring, and there are always exceptions, so have fun and see what looks good on YOU!

"Mad men" makeup by Sara Barney, hair by Emily K, photo by Andy

A little more dramatic to bring out her blue eyes

Dear Lucy will be a once a month (or more!) blog post where I answer people’s questions about makeup, hair and other styling conundrums. Wonder what color lipstick you should try for olive skin in the winter? Hoping to have a different hairstyle for the office Christmas party but don’t know what goes with mistletoe? Ask Lucy!