Sure, it's maybe possible that blondes have more fun, but do you know what they definitely don't have? Thick, doll-like lashes. Or, at least, not ones that you can see. Piling on mascara helps my dirty blonde eyelashes come out of hiding for a regular day at the office, but for when I need to seductively bat my eyes like an actress from a dramatic black and white movie, those thin, stringy lashes just won't do. And that's where The Body Shop's 2-in-1 Smoky Gel Liner & Brow Definer swoops in to lend a helping hand.
First off, gel liner in general is the best liner. It's the perfect middle ground between a pencil and a liquid: It goes on with one, highly pigmented swipe, but feels just as easy to control as your favorite crayon liner. The only minor inconvenience is that you do need a special, super thin and stiff brush to apply the stuff... but wait! The Body Shop version comes with said brush nestled inside the cap! What a treat! And, just like the rest of the brand's products, it's made with fair trade ingredients. As you may have guessed by the name, it's allegedly great for enhancing your brows as well, but the black formula would have looked absolutely ridiculous on my face.
Most everyone associates gel liner with that classic, flicked out, cat eye, but my personal favorite way to use the stuff is way more subtle. Gel's super-concentrated formula makes it perfect for swiping into your waterline, and doing so on the upper lid makes for instantly pumped up lashes. Watch:
With a couple of coats of Marc Jacobs Beauty O!Mega Lash Volumizing Mascara, my lashes are doing fine... but they can be better.
Apply the gel liner to your upper waterline — that's the inner part of your lid, right under your lashes — with short, pressing strokes to really get it into the base of your lashes. I like gel formula best for doing this, since a pencil takes a few layers to really show up (which can lead to eye irritation) and a liquid can drip down into your eyeballs (again, more irritation). If you want, apply another coat of mascara after the liner to really blend it all together.
"Wow! Amazing! Are those false lashes?!" your friends will undoubtedly scream. Or, you know, they'll barely notice because that's the sign of expertly applied makeup — when no one can tell what's exactly different about you. One last little side by side, to show the subtly fantastic change:
If you're into this little trick, you can snag the 2-in-1 liner for $13.50 at thebodyshop-usa.com.
Images: Brent Karwatowski
