Eyeliner/Guyliner

I recently saw Dallas Buyer’s Club, and was swept away by the level of talent and storytelling the film possessed in portraying the true story of Ron Woodroof’s fight to obtain HIV-inhibiting medication in the 1980s.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I urge you to do so. It’s a story exemplifying the strength and friendship that was needed in that difficult time. If that doesn’t convince you, let me bring one more argument to the table: Jared Leto. That longhaired, blue-eyed fox pulled off his role as Rayon, a transgender woman living with AIDS, with such grace that his Golden Globe for best supporting actor came as no surprise.

Watching him accept that award, my roommates and I became jealous by his effortless ombre hair and, what was even more impressive, his expertly applied eyeliner — a Jared Leto trademark.

I’ve been rocking the same sweep of black brown liner on my top lids since high school. It’s my go-to look, yet I found myself wondering what I might look like with Mr. Leto’s smudgy lined eyes — and how exactly he conquered that elusive look. Some research and self-practice gave me the set of application tips below, good for eyeliner, guyliner, and everything in between.

Step One: Start on the Top

Pull lid tight at the outer corner, creating a smooth surface for easy application.

Starting in the middle of your lid, use a kohl pencil liner to create a line to each corner. Wiggling the eye pencil, try to get the liner in between the lashes — it will make them appear fuller. Don’t worry too much about creating a completely straight line; the next step will help smooth over any bumpy mishaps.

Once finished with the initial application, use a Q-tip or small makeup brush to smudge the eyeliner ever so slightly, creating a smooth line on the lid.

Step Two: Move on to the Bottom

Grab corner of the lid and pull it tight.

Aiming for the inner eyelid just above the lashes, apply liner from the inside out, using small strokes if need be.

Smudge using a Q-tip or makeup brush.

These steps are a process for the most basic full-eye liner. If you’re feeling really adventurous, here are two options for some more extreme guyliner applications.

Apply a matching eye shadow slightly above the top lid liner for a more intense look. For even more contrast, opt for a mismatching color, such as a manly steel grey or blue. The latter can be especially useful in accentuating natural baby-blues.

Follow up your lower-eye liner application with a deeper smudge of kohl eyeliner below the lashes. Be weary of it smearing too far down though, lest it give you the appearance of dark under eye circles.