Beauty Basics: Eyeliner 101

There's nothing like eyeliner to define and shape eyes. Makeup artist Carmindy from TLC's What Not to Wear shares her tips for small, large, and Asian eyes: Learn where to start lining upper lashes, tricks for making eyes look bigger, and more!

Large Eyes: Overview
On larger eyes, you can start lining all the way at the inside corner and lightly sweep the pencil on in small dashes. Get as close to the roots as possible so it looks natural.

Small Eyes: Overview
"When applying eyeliner on smaller eyes, you can really enhance them if you know where to place it. Instead of going across the entire lid, stick to just half the lid," suggests Carmindy.

Asian Eyes: Overview
"Applying eyeliner on an Asian eye is simple. I like to use a liquid because it always looks nice and defined," suggests makeup expert Carmindy.

Large Eyes: Top Lashline
"If you try to draw one smooth line sometimes you can make a mistake, but with small dashes it's easy to get a great looking line. This is where you don't need to be a master artist to get it right," explains Carmindy.

Large Eyes: Smoothing the Line
For a seamless finish, use a flat, angled brush and smooth right on top of the liner, so all your dashes are connected.

Small Eyes: Top Lashline
Start right at the center of the top lash line, above the iris, and just smudge liner on in little dashes, working your way out. Draw the line thinner in the center and go increasingly wider towards the outer corners. This will open up small eyes and create the illusion that they're a little larger.

Small Eyes: Smoothing the Line
After applying the liner, smooth it out with a flat, angled brush (starting from the outer corner, going towards the center) to create a nice soft, seamless line.

Asian Eyes: Top Lashline
"For beautiful Asian eyes, use liner on the top lash line only, and always stick with a waterproof formula-it won't smudge and it will last all day," says Carmindy.

Asian Eyes: Using Liquid Liner
Choose a black liquid liner and get as close to the lash line as possible, starting at the inner corner and working your way out. Lightly draw it on with feathery strokes and let it dry before opening your eye to avoid smudges.