3 ways to apply gel eyeliner

Gel eyeliner can help define your eyes for a bold and impressive look. While there are many types of gel eyeliner products on the market, you can try making your own gel eyeliner at home for a more interesting experience. Whether you realize you've run out of your usual gel eyeliner at a crucial moment or want to find a more natural formula, making your own gel eyeliner is an ideal solution. Best of all, you can easily create gel eyeliner with ingredients you likely already have—or can easily purchase at a pharmacy or local health food store.

Prepare the ingredients

To make simple gel eyeliner, the ingredients include: 1/ Petroleum jelly; 2/ Powdered eyeshadow.

Two-ingredient all-natural gel eyeliner includes: 1/ 1 to 3 activated charcoal capsules; 2/ ½ teaspoon (2.25g) coconut oil.

Long-lasting all-natural gel eyeliner includes: 1/ ½ teaspoon (2.25g) beeswax, grated; 2/ ½ teaspoon (2.25g) coconut oil; 3/ ¼ teaspoon (1.25g) activated charcoal powder; 4/ ¼ teaspoon (1.25g) distilled water.

Method 1: Make simple gel eyeliner

Step 1: Put a small amount of powdered eyeshadow into a container

To quickly mix homemade gel eyeliner, find a powdered eyeshadow in the color you want for your eyeliner. Sprinkle a small amount onto a lid or other flat surface where you can mix. It's best not to use shimmery powdered eyeshadow.

Because shimmer particles can fall into your eyes if you apply shimmery eyeliner. If you don't have powdered eyeshadow, you can scrape pressed eyeshadow with a nail file or butter knife to get some colored powder for mixing.

Step 2: Add a little petroleum jelly

Once you have your eyeshadow color ready, use a toothpick to dab a small amount of petroleum jelly into the container with it. Stir the eyeshadow and petroleum jelly together to form gel eyeliner. Start with a very small amount of petroleum jelly and only add more if necessary. There should be more eyeshadow color than jelly. Use a toothpick to swipe a little of the mixed gel eyeliner onto your hand to test the color. If it's not dark enough or not the color you want, mix in more eyeshadow.

Step 3: Use a brush to apply the homemade gel eyeliner

Once you are satisfied with the color of your homemade gel eyeliner, use an eyeliner brush to apply it along your lash line. Because petroleum jelly is extremely emollient, you should use gel eyeliner with powdered eyeshadow of the same color. Eyeliner applied with this gel eyeliner is particularly prone to smudging and can easily run. It is best used if you are doing a bold or smoky eye makeup style, which requires smudging the eyeliner.

Method 2: Make two-ingredient all-natural gel eyeliner

Step 1: Put activated charcoal powder into a dish

All-natural black gel eyeliner is colored with activated charcoal, which is often used to treat stomach problems and for other medicinal purposes. Open 1 to 2 activated charcoal capsules and pour the activated charcoal powder into a small bowl. You can usually find activated charcoal capsules at pharmacies. They are also available at many online stores.

Step 2: Mix in coconut oil

Add ½ teaspoon (2.25 g) of coconut oil, and mix it with the activated charcoal powder in the small bowl. Mix both together with a toothpick or even an eyeliner brush until you have a smooth paste. You can substitute sweet almond oil or grapeseed oil for coconut oil. Instead, just add ¼ teaspoon (1 ml). You can also mix distilled water with activated charcoal instead of coconut oil. However, a water-based product will not last as long on the eyes.

Step 3: Transfer the gel eyeliner mixture to a container and use a brush to apply the freshly made gel eyeliner

Once you've created the gel eyeliner mixture, use a small spoon to transfer it to a small jar or other lidded container. When you're ready to apply eyeliner, use your usual eyeliner brush and carefully apply the gel along your lash line. The gel eyeliner will stain clothes and other fabrics, so be careful when putting it in the storage container and when applying it to your eyes. Refrigerating the gel eyeliner will help it last longer. Even when stored in the refrigerator, you should discard it after a month.

Method 3: Make longer-lasting all-natural gel eyeliner

Step 1: Melt wax and oil together

Fill a small saucepan halfway with water and place a glass bowl or measuring cup into the saucepan. Add ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) of grated beeswax and ½ teaspoon (2.25 g) of coconut oil to the glass bowl. Gently boil the water in the saucepan over medium heat until the wax and oil melt, which will take 10 to 15 minutes. You can substitute sweet almond oil or grapeseed oil for coconut oil if you prefer. You can often find beeswax at local farmers' markets, health food stores, or organic grocery stores.

Step 2: Mix in activated charcoal

Once the wax and oil have melted, remove the glass bowl from the double boiler. Add ¼ teaspoon (1.25 g) of activated charcoal powder to the bowl. Stir well with a spoon until the activated charcoal is completely incorporated into the wax and oil.

Step 3: Add water

Once the activated charcoal is fully incorporated into the wax and oil mixture, mix in ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) of distilled water. Whisk the mixture until the water is completely combined and forms a smooth gel. If you find that the ingredients are separating, mix in Lecithin from a capsule (only mix in 1 Lecithin capsule) to help keep the gel eyeliner ingredients combined. You can find Lecithin capsules with other supplements at pharmacies.

Step 4: Put into a container and store in the refrigerator

Once the gel eyeliner is thoroughly mixed, use a spoon to transfer it to a small container with a lid. Keep the gel eyeliner mixture in the refrigerator for longer use. Since there are no preservatives in homemade gel eyeliner, you should discard it after 3 to 4 weeks.

Step 5: Apply gel eyeliner to your eyes

For best results, dip a small, narrow eyeliner brush into the freshly made gel eyeliner mixture. Apply the gel in a thin or thick line as desired along your lash line. To remove the eyeliner, apply a little coconut oil to your eyes with a cotton pad. Gently wipe your eyes until all the gel eyeliner is removed.

Translation: Huyen Tran.

Source: Wikihow. Copyright belongs to: Kallos Vietnam.