7 Eye Makeup Tips We Learned That Got Us So Many Compliments

Makeup tips are often passed around from friend to friend as words of advice, via hashtags or even from our mothers. While we can always add more advice to our collection, the best tips are usually the ones we've learnt through a little experimentation.

Sometimes it feels that eye makeup is purposefully designed to be tricky, so trial and error is definitely required here. We didn't exit the womb with an innate ability to apply mascara perfectly, but over the years, we've all managed to find out what works for us.

As sharing is caring, we've got some eye makeup tips that are about to make your routine a whole lot easier. Plus all of the products you need to make it happen. You're most welcome.

Liner at the Corners

Byrdie UK Editorial Director Amy Lawrenson has never got on with liquid liner: "I find that if I apply it along my whole lash line, it makes my eyelashes far less noticeable. Recently, I experimented with just adding a line to the outer third of my upper lash line then doing a small flick. It opened up my eyes without taking away from my lashes, the best of both worlds, and I got lots of compliments."

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner $22.00

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Whether you're sticking to liner on the outer corners or going for a full-on feline flick, this super-precise inky pen is the only tool you need.

Finding Your Go-To Daytime Shadow

"A few years back, I discovered Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Taupe. It's the perfect everyday color for my skin tone and it's got a warmth to it which is super flattering. It's subtle but makes me look a little more polished. It's the sort of color that goes with everything, from peach blush to a nude lip. With an orange-red lipstick, it really comes into its own," Lawrenson advises.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick $30.00

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This stick of never-ending creaminess comes in enough shades for you to find one that enhances the natural shade of your lids. Most importantly, the color lasts all day.

Keeping Eyes Open When Applying Liquid Liner

Byrdie UK's social media editor, Alyss Bowen, is well-known for being the liner girl: "I have hooded lids, so when I open my eyes, it can look like any trace of eyeliner has vanished. Lottie Star, Beautyblender's global pro artist, told me to keep my eyes open when applying my liner so I can see where my flick sits. It completely opens up my eyes and means I don't suffer from midday smudge! People often comment on how good my liner looks, too."

Morphe Gel Liner in Vitamin Sea $9.00

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Get your thinnest eyeliner brush ready and dip it into this pot of intense pigment for liner that's easy to apply but looks like it's been done by the hands of a pro.

Layer Your Mascara

"I have long lashes, but unfortunately they never curled—until I learned this layering trick. First, I use Glossier Lash Slick to lengthen, and then I layer on top my holy-grail mascara, Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Volume Mascara to curl my lashes. This trick leaves me with jet-black, fluttery and volumized lashes," Bowen recommends.

Glossier Lash Slick $14.00

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If you're already blessed in the lash department and need length instead of dramatic volume, this is the everyday mascara you've been holding your breath for. Think of it as a "your lashes but better" mascara.

Ditch the Bottom Lashes

Byrdie UK contributor Chloé Burcham realized bottom-lash mascara wasn't her thing: "My lashes are naturally long, and when I used to apply mascara to both the top and bottom lashes, they'd end up looking spidery. Once I started ditching the bottom-lash mascara, my eyes looked bigger and I didn't have to worry about my mascara smudging throughout the day."

Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Mascara $25.00

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If you're skipping the bottom-lash mascara, you might as well give yourself permission to make your top lashes look their absolute best. This do-it-all lifting-and-curling brush will get you seriously bold lashes.

Powder Your Lids

"I tend to have quite oily eyelids (great for if you're wearing eye gloss; not so great for anything else). Whenever I'd wear eyeliner, it would transfer onto my socket crease, leaving me with a weird half-moon mark. Turns out it's actually really easy to combat this: All you need to do is powder your eyelids. Take a translucent powder and apply it like an eye shadow (sometimes I use bronzer if I'm not wearing any shadow for extra definition) and voilà—no more oily eyelids!" Burcham adds.

Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder $46.00

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This blurring powder seamlessly blends into skin to avoid the caking that can often occur with setting powders. It's ideal for an eye shadow base, touch-ups and as the final step for long-lasting foundation.

Highlight Your Inner Eye Corners

Byrdie UK contributor Giselle La Pompe-Moore knows the benefits of highlighting your inner eye corners: "Brown and black eyeliner leave me looking quite tired and feel a bit too much with my false lashes and liner. Instead, I've swapped to using a soft, pinky-gold metallic shadow to highlight the inner corners of my eyes as well as the lash line. It softens my look and complements my eye shadow too."

Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Furore $16.00

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If you thought you could only apply this to your eyes, you'd be mistaken. This buttery soft powder melts into skin and also doubles up as a cheek and brow highlighter.