How to Use White Eyeliner

Last Updated: August 4, 2021 References

For a daytime-friendly look that helps you appear bright-eyed and awake, use a creamy pencil liner to highlight the inner corners and/or water line of your eyes with white. If you’d like a bolder look, you can apply white liner thickly to your upper lids, alone or with other colors. Any of the bolder options can be done in a cat eye style, if desired.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Brightening Your Eyes

1
Apply eyeshadow primer with your finger or a small brush. This will help the look last longer, as well as deter smudging. If the primer is wet, such as a liquid or gel, allow it to dry.^{[1]
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- The main purpose of eye primer is to help keep your eye makeup locked in place all day.^{[2]
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  Christin Birckhead. Makeup artist. Personal interview. 8 May 2020.}
2
Apply your eyeshadow of choice with an eyeshadow brush or applicator. Apply your base shade across the eyelid and two-thirds of the way up to your eyebrow. Apply a second, darker shade along your lash line and in the crease at the outer corner of your eye to create a sideways “V.”^{[3]
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- For example, try applying a sparkly nude shade as your base color, and a shimmery chocolate for the accent color.
- Apply the darkest color at the outside corner of your eye and fade it as you get closer to your nose.
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3
Highlight your eyes’ inner corners with white eyeliner, if desired. Color about a centimeter out from the inner corner of your eyes towards your top and bottom lids, creating an inner “V” for each eye. This will help your eyes appear larger and brighter.^{[4]
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4
Line your upper lids near the lash line, if desired. You can line your upper lids with a darker shade of liner by itself, or line them with white followed by a darker color.
5
Line your lower waterline. Use a matte white eyeshadow pencil or thin crayon to carefully line your lower waterline. Brush the line with an eyeshadow brush to soften its appearance.^{[5]
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- Before you line your eyes, take a cotton swab and swipe it lightly 1-2 times across your waterline to dry it. That will keep your eyeliner from smudging.^{[6]
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  Christin Birckhead. Makeup artist. Personal interview. 8 May 2020.}
- To apply white to your waterline, gently hold down the skin under your eyes with one hand. Use the other hand to color back and forth on the waterline with your liner, taking care not to slip and poke your eye.^{[7]
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EXPERT TIP

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist

Stick to pencil when lining your waterline. Laura Martin, a licensed cosmetologist, explains, “It is safe to use a pencil liner on your waterline. However, you should not use liquid or gel liner on the waterline, since they could easily get into your eye and cause irritation.”
6
Tightline your upper water line, if desired. Hold your upper lid up gently as you draw white liner on your upper water line. Release your lid and dot spaces to fill in between your lashes.^{[8]
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- This technique can make your eyes look larger and brighter.
7
Apply mascara. Use mascara on your upper and/or lower lashes, if desired.^{[9]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Applying Bold White Liner

1
Create an all-white cat eye. Draw white liner at your upper lash line. Use an eyeshadow brush or applicator to smudge the liner across your whole upper lid. Line your upper lash line with white again. Flick the corners out into cat eyes, or use tape as a guide to draw the outer edges, tapering off towards the tips. Finish the look with dark mascara to your upper lashes.^{[10]
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- Try touching the sticky side of clear tape with your finger first, so that it isn’t too sticky.^{[11]
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- For an even more striking look, line your upper lash line the second time with liquid white eyeliner or create a whitened water line.
- If you have pale skin, use a gloss white liner or finish with a shimmery white eyeshadow to make the white liner pop even more.
- You can also use white eyeshadow just at the last line, or blend it with a nude shadow.
2
Apply a thick smear of white liner to your top lids. Instead of black or brown liner, draw white liner thickly on your upper lids, beginning as close to the lash line as possible. Top off this dramatic style with mascara to your upper and/or lower lids, if desired.^{[12]
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- You can also pair this with a whitened water line.
- Set your eyeliner by using a very small brush to tap on a similar-colored eyeshadow on top of your eyeliner.^{[13]
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  Christin Birckhead. Makeup artist. Personal interview. 8 May 2020.}
3
Layer white eyeliner with another eyeliner color. Line your upper lids with white, twice as thick as you typically would apply your liner. Draw another shade of eyeliner, such as black or brown, over half the thickness of the white.^{[14]
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- For stark contrast, you can also try the opposite: line your upper and lower waterline with black liner, then trace your lash lines with a shimmery white liner.^{[15]
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- If you want a costumey look, try drawing white eye liner in between two other shades, such as black (near the lash line) and blue (above the white).
4
Try a frosted white look by using metallic cream shadow. Apply the shadow to your top lids, and your bottom lids below the lash line. Blend the edges with a makeup brush or sponge. Then draw in your lower waterline with white eyeliner. Use clear mascara, if desired.^{[16]
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5
Pair black and white eyeliner for a mod look. Line your lower lid with white eyeliner and your upper lid with a darker color, like black. This simple trick will give you a unique, large-eyed retro look.

Expert Q&A

Question

How can I keep eyeliner from smudging or smearing?

Christin Birckhead
Makeup Artist
Christin Birckhead is a Makeup Artist and the Founder of Conceptual Beauty, a beauty service based in Washington, DC specializing in wedding services such as engagements and bridal parties along with fashion shows and executive headshots. She has over 20 years of makeup and beauty consulting experience. She is also the lead makeup artist for Ascender Communications and freelances with the local NBC news team in the DC metro area. Her clients include Nancy Pelosi, Nancy Cartwright, Armin Van Buuren, Hugh Jackman, Vashawn Mitchell, Richard Smallwood, Benjamin T. Jealous, Colin Powell, Wanda Durant, and Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Christin Birckhead

Makeup Artist

Expert Answer
Question

What does white eyeliner do to your eyes?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

White eyeliner makes your eyes look wider and enhances the color. It is especially effective when applied along the waterline.
Question

Is it safe to put eyeliner on your waterline?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

It is safe to use a pencil liner on the waterline. However, you should not use liquid or gel liner on the waterline.