top of page

LaKinta's Eyeliner Tips

Tools for Creating a Perfect Eye

So we at Curvy Kitty Cosplay thought it would be fun to talk about different makeup things since that seems to be a question that comes up a lot with cosplay. Sure, everyone talks about sewing and wigs but at the end of the day “you’re never fully dressed without a smile”. There is a TON of different things to talk about when it comes to cosplay makeup. Foundation, eyes, base, technique, tools, and so much more. There aren’t a ton of hard rules when it comes to makeup. It will really vary based on your skin type, the tone of your skin, face shape, the look you’re going for…. It’s an art. Not a science. It’s all about having fun.

​

I will say the ONE RULE I have for cosplay makeup is to stay within your own skin tone. Meaning, no race-facing (i.e. black face or Asian face). If you don’t know what this is, google. It’s an ongoing thing in our community and it’s not good. I’ll talk about that later. For now, just stick to the one rule of getting a natural skin tone as close to your own and you’ll be ok.

​

There’s not really a starting point or an order so I decided to start with eye liner because it’s fun for me. I’m going to talk about the three main different kinds of eye liner out there, the pros and cons, tips and tricks, different price levels and ones that I have personally used. I will also try to get a video out of me doing eye liner of the girls at CKC and maybe a few guest friends.  So now that the prerequisite rambling is over with let’s start this bish.

Gel Liner

Gel eye liner is found in a pot and can, sometimes, come with its own brush. Otherwise you’ll have to use your own brush. An angled brush is usually recommended. It has a cream consistency, can be water proof, and found everywhere from drugstores to high end makeup stores.

​

Gel liners can be a ton of fun to play with. I tend to use it for large projects like rocker smoky eye, to draw masks, filling in behind a mask I’m wearing, or to draw a character’s features on my body. For everyday use it’s not my favorite, but that’s a personal opinion. I struggled hard to get a crisp line for a wing and around my eye, and I feel like I have to replace the angled liner brush more often with it if I’m not careful with the care of said brush. 

​

PROS:

  • Lots of control over how much you want to use.

  • Great for filling out eye space behind a mask (just make sure to set it!) 

  • Great for drawing thicker designs on your body (instead of a marker)

  • Able to use it to make a drawn on mask

 

CONS:

  • The product dries out easily because you usually leave the product open to the air when you are using it

  • There aren’t usually a lot of color options

  • Takes a bit more practice to get used to the product and achieve the look you’re going for

 

PRICING:

​

​

$$ - NYX

  • Drugstore/beauty stores

  • $8.99 avg.

  • No brush

$$$ - Tarte

  • Makeup stores

  • $15 avg.

  • No brush

$$$$ - MAC

  • Makeup stores/brand stores

  • $17.99 avg.

  • No brush

800897832162_epicblackmousseliner_main_e
f4337823dd6dd0108b5f82a73c3d5c52_edited.

$ - Elf

  • Drugstore

  • $3.00 avg.

  • No brush

Liquid Liner

Liquid eye liner comes in two common forms. The most common is the felt pen where the liquid is housed in the back part and will flow forward to the tip of the felt applicator. Just like the name implies, it’s like a pen for your eyes. The product is more saturated at the back of the felt applicator because that’s where the liquid is coming in from. The other way is a pot like the gel but a liquid form and the “lid” is the brush that screws in to the product. The product is heavier at the tip because it is instead dipped into the product. It has a thin liquid consistency, can be water proof, and able to be found everywhere from drugstore to high end makeup stores.

​

Hands down, the felt tip eye liner pens are my favorite. Second is the pot version. I started off with the pot for liquid and then moved on to the pen, never looking back. I’m very comfortable with the pen now since it’s the one I used the most often when I sold makeup. I feel for most common usage, the pen is the winner. Most brands will have a felt tip liquid eye liner in different colors, waterproof or not, and unless you are a makeup guru or a complete novice, it’s going to be the one most people pick up.

 

Once you get the hang of it, drawing on a cat eye is simple. Takes practice (I think I went through a whole pen just in practice one time lol) but it’s so worth it because the pen just follows the line of your eye so well. I’ve used so many different brands it’s hard to say which one is my favorite right now. Nyx is what I’m using at the moment because it’s waterproof, matte, and cheap. I’ve used Kat Von D but honestly, I feel like it’s kind of overrated. It dries out so fast I don’t feel it’s worth the money I paid for it, although I love how many colors it comes in. But with that being said, there are a TON of different brands that offer different colors, including NYX. Talk a walk around your local Sephora or Ulta and look at the different types.  

​

PROS:

  • Easier to draw small details with the pot version

  • Can get very sharp lines for a wing

  • Easiest product to find in waterproof

  • Common eye liner in makeup brands

  • Usually can find in different colors

  • No extra brush needed

​

CONS:

  • Tip dries out and splits on pen version after long usage making it hard to keep getting a clean line

  • The felt pen version seems to dry out or run out the fastest of all products

  • I usually have to trace over 2 or three times to get a deep black color over my eye shadow

​

PRICING (FELT TIP PEN):

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

$$ - NYX

  • Drugstore/beauty stores

  • $9.99 avg.

$$$ - BareMinerals

  • Makeup stores/ brand stores

  • $18 avg.

$$$$ - Stilla

  • Makeup stores

  • $22 avg.

$$ - L’Oréal

  • Drugstore

  • $4.99 avg.

$$$ - Milani

  • Drugstore

  • $7.99 avg.

$$$$ - MAC

  • Makeup stores/ brand stores

  • $21 avg

800897085605_epicinkliner_main_edited.jp
zoom_d87bfecfc41402e7a3cb170f012e218bd91
21702_jet_black_2400x.jpg

$ - Elf

  • Drugstore

  • $4.00 avg.

$ - Elf

  • Drugstore

  • $2.00 avg.

PRICING (POT LIQUID LINER)

Pencil Liner
bareminerals-lasting-line-long-wearing-e

$$ - Maybelline

  • Drugstore

  • $9.99 avg.

$ - Rimmel

  • Drugstore

  • $5 avg.

PRICING (AUTOMATIC)

$$ - Maybelline

  • Drugstore

  • $7.99 avg.

$$$ - NARS

  • Makeup stores

  • $14.99 avg.

$$$ - Sephora

  • Sephora store

  • $12 avg.

$$$$ - Urban Decay

  • Makeup stores

  • $21 avg.

$$$$ - BareMinerals

  • Makeup stores/ brand stores

  • $18 avg.

pencilliner_edited.jpg

Pencil eye liners are a stick of color that can either be encased in wood or plastic that needs to be sharpened, or an automatic twist up. They can come in a myriad of colors both natural and fun. Sometimes the sharpener will come with it, or even a "smudger" (that little rubber or spongy type thing at the back of a pencil sometimes). They have a thick creamy consistency, can be water proof, and able to be found everywhere from drugstore to high end makeup sellers. Most common product in a drug store for eye liner product.  

​

Ahhh pencil eye liners. Let’s be honest, it was probably your first, wasn’t it? There’s one in every eye pallet found at HotTopic or Claire’s and man you just COULD NOT WAIT to just put it ALLLLLL over your eye. Top, bottom, water line. Didn’t matter. It you could put it on your eye and look like your favorite singer well by god you would use the whole stick. Memories. But I digress. Pencil eye liners have their place in the adult world too. I love using it to create a soft line above my eye and smudge it out for a slightly smoky look or when I don’t want the hard line of a liquid. It’s also my favorite trick to making my eyes bigger and my lashes thicker. A little white or nude color on the bottom water line to make my eyes bigger, and then a little black on the top line to make my lashes thicker and to complete my wing eye so there isn’t a gap showing. I’ve also used it to trace out where I want my mask to go, or used black as a lip liner for when I use a dark lipstick. While it may not be the first line I grab, I always keep on one hand.

​

PROS:

  • Can come in a wide variety of colors, usually more than liquid

  • Easy to draw on your body with

  • Easiest product to control for mistakes

  • Smudges the easiest for soft line

  • Great for using on waterline or tight line (upper water line)

 

CONS:

  • Hard to get a really sharp line

  • Smudges easily

  • Can transfer to upper lid easily

  • Will “melt” so it’s under your eye the easiest

  • Can lose sharpener

  • Can flake off when applying (and you’ll go to brush the flake away only to suddenly have a giant black line on the middle of your cheek ( -_- )

 

PRICING (SHARPENED):

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

$ - NYX

  • Drugstore/beauty stores

  • $4.99 avg.

So that wraps up the first beauty section of CKC’s website. I didn’t go into all the ways to apply it because honestly I feel like that’s more of a visual thing. Maybe when I do my video I’ll use all three types and show you how I apply them. Let me know what you want to see! All comments are appreciated. Comment and let us know what kind you like to use (and where you got it so that we can try it out!)

 

Later Kittens!

LaKinta

bottom of page