Hello, my name is Amy and I am a recovering eyeliner-a-holic. Back in the day, I went through black eyeliner pencils like candy. I would even go swimming with waterproof eyeliner circling my entire eye. I thought it was a good look.

Spoiler alert: It is not.

Lots of eyeliner, not a love of eyebrows. Yikes. Over time, as my early 2000s eyebrows regrew from extreme plucking, my aggressive eyeliner morphed into a much softer and much more flattering look. Are you a little baffled about where you should put eyeliner, and ready to stop looking like Avril Lavigne? I gotchu, girl.

Eyeliner Don’ts

DON’T line your whole eye.

Drawing your eyeliner from outside corner all of the way to the inside corner of your eye, on top and bottom, is just a whole lotta eyeliner. It’s harsh and unflattering, and makes your eyes appear smaller. It also makes it look like you wear a studded black belt over your Billabong t-shirt. I probably lost everyone born after 1995 with that reference. The point is, it’s not cute.

DON’T tight line your waterline on top and bottom

Tight lining is when you use an eyeliner pencil or crayon (never liquid eyeliner) to fill in the waterline right beneath your lashes on top, and above your lashes on bottom. There is a right way to tight line your eyeliner, but filling in your water lines from corner to corner is not it. It makes your eyes look smaller, and it frequently smears from being in constant contact with your eyeballs.

DON’T draw a uniformly thick line

Drawing a thick, uniform line all the way across your eye closes off your eye, and makes your eyes look squinty instead of opened and bright. You want your line to taper as it moves towards in the inner corner of your eye. On your bottom lash, you just barely want to smudge a line on about 1/2 to 3/4 of your lower lash line.

DON’T pull your skin tight to draw a line

This results in a wrinkly and unnatural line. Use a smooth and sharp pencil or liquid liner, to draw your line on while your eyes are relaxed.

DON’T only use jet black eyeliner

I love a dramatic eye, and I almost always use black eyeliner on my top lid. On my bottom lid, I always smudge with a brown shade. If I’m going for a more casual look, I use brown eyeliner on top and bottom, and smudge them both with a tapered brush to soften the line.

DON’T apply your eyeliner immediately after applying moisturizer.

This may lead to your makeup sliding and smudging. If you apply moisturizer before you do your makeup, wait at least 10 minutes.

So you’re ready to stop channeling Avril Lavigne and look a little more mature with your make-up. Now you know what NOT to do- so what SHOULD you do?

Eyeliner Dos

DO tight line your upper lash line

Especially if you have light hair! When you draw on your eyeliner, sometimes the skin between your eyelashes can show underneath the line. Take an eyeliner pencil (never liquid for tight lining) and hold it vertically to your eyelashes. Smudge a line right at the root of your eyelashes, from the outer corner to about 2/3 of the way in. We’re not trying to color in your entire waterline. We’re just blending in your lashes with the top line.

DO smudge your line to soften the look

If you are going for a more casual and softer look, use an angle brush to smudge the line.

DO taper your top eyeliner as you move towards the inner corners

Start applying your eyeliner at about halfway across your lid. Make small strokes as you move towards the inner corner, and let the line become thinner until it naturally disappears into the corner of your eye.

DO use eyeshadow to create a soft line on your bottom lash line

Rather than drawing an aggressive line under your eyes, smudge a dark eyeshadow color right under your eyelashes. Start in the outer corner and taper the line as your move inwards. End the line about 1/2-2/3 across your bottom lid.

DO use eyeshadow to set your eyeliner

If you have problems with your eyeliner smearing or ending up under your eyes, set the eyeliner with the same color eyeshadow. Use an angle brush and just follow the line with a matching color to lock in the color and prevent it from sliding.

DO prepare yourself for an adjustment

If you’re used to your eyes being outlined by a jet black circle, you might feel a little bare faced without your usual raccoon circles. Stay the course! Try a little cat eye to spice up your top eyeliner. Smudge a fun gold or smoky blue on your lower lash line to add interest. I promise you this look is more flattering, and soon you won’t be missing those dark rings at all!