A few days ago, alienman had a wonderful illustrated tutorial on tightlining. I loved her artistic version, and decided to make a photographic version.

Tightlining is the method of filling in (and consequently, darkening) the stretches of skin at the roots of your upper lashes to give an illusion of thicker lashes without using mascara. It’s also a great alternative to the “no makeup” look as its less harsh/obvious than applying eyeliner on the upper lid. It’s a subtle, but noticeable difference.

Tools:
- eyeliner (any type you’re comfortable with; for this tutorial, I used a pencil)

STEP 1: Gently pull your eyelid up to expose the stretch of skin under your lashes (pink line). You can also gently push in at the edge of your eyeballs, but I don’t do that because it makes my vision weird. No matter which method you use, it helps to tilt your head back and look down into the mirror.

STEP 2: Take your liner, and getting as close to your lashes as you can, start lining. If this is your first time trying tightlining, use gentle strokes as your eyes may not be completely comfortable with this yet. Go over the line until it’s as dark as you want. Gel/liquid will give a more darker and vibrant effect, whereas pencil will be more subtle.

FINAL RESULTS