5 Ways to Brighten Your Eyes With Nude Eyeliner

TikTok’s obsession with nude eyeliner is one of the better makeup trends we’ve gathered from the social media app. Nude eyeliner does a great job of brightening your eyes and it can be used to fake a refreshed, wide-awake gaze or even a bigger eye shape. 

While it may not take the place of a classic black eyeliner in your makeup bag, nude eyeliner is a seriously handy makeup product that’s worth keeping on hand. To prove just how valuable nude eyeliner can be, take notes as we share five ways to use it in your makeup routine to illuminate your eyes. 

What Is the Point of Nude Eyeliner?

Nude eyeliner (along with white eyeliner) has been used by makeup artists for years to make the eyes look bigger and to make the face look more awake and radiant. Typically, nude eyeliner goes on the waterline (the thin line of skin between the lashes and eyeball), as brightening this small area of skin makes the eyes look bigger and more refreshed.

5 Ways to Use Nude Eyeliner in Your Makeup Routine

Nude eyeliner is unparalleled to other makeup products when it comes to its brightening effects on the eyes. Here are five ways to use it in your makeup routine.

1. To Brighten the Appearance of Your Eyes

In the same way that you highlight your upper cheekbones to create a glowy, lifted appearance, you can also highlight your eyes to help make them appear brighter. To do so, grab a nude eyeliner pencil and apply a thin line along your lower waterline. We like the L'Oréal Paris Infallible Grip Mechanical Gel Eyeliner in Nude or the L'Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Last Waterproof, Up to 24HR Pencil Eyeliner in Nude because it glides across the lids without smudging and wears for up to 36 hours.

2. To Make Your Eyes Look Bigger

Taking a cue from the doe eyes makeup trend, nude eyeliner can also help you fake the illusion of a bigger eye shape. To get a wide-eyed look, use a heavy hand to line the waterline and apply a dab of nude eyeliner to the inner corners of both eyes. Use your pinky finger or a small blending brush to gently feather the nude eyeliner out.

3. To Make Your Eyes Pop

If your gaze seems sunken or your lids simply aren’t popping as much as you’d like, grab an eyeliner that’s lighter than your skin tone (we suggest the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Last Waterproof, Up to 24HR Pencil Eyeliner) and color in the center of your eyelids to create a bit of dimension. When the center of your lids are lighter than the sides, this gives the illusion of rounder-looking eyes, which tend to look wider and more awake.

4. To Shape Your Brows

Bold, groomed eyebrows are trendier than ever. One way to help fake the appearance of perfectly shaped brows or accentuate the shape you already have is to use nude eyeliner to carve them out. The key to achieving this hack is to trace your arches with the nude eyeliner and then blend it out with your fingers or a blending brush to get rid of any obvious lines.

5. To Rework the Classic Winged Liner 

Instead of a sharp black wing at the outer corner of your eyes, use nude eyeliner (under darker eyeshadow) to create a bright contrast that illuminates your entire makeup look. It gives a slightly mod touch that transforms your entire makeup look into one that is charming and fresh.

Next: How to Style Bushy Brows

Photo Credit: IG/@ hellojessyjo_mua