Beauty Hacks For Stunning Eyes That All Women Should Know

Eye makeup frequently stymies even the most seasoned of us. Lashes, liners, shadows, concealers, primers, and more — there's a ton of technique and products involved in making truly stunning eyes. Even if you're an old pro at doing your own makeup, you may be stuck in an eye makeup rut or looking for ways to brighten your look. Check out these beauty hacks which will make getting glamorous eyes super-easy.

Eyeliner pencils can be difficult to apply, with the hard tip pulling and tugging at your sensitive lids. To make application go more smoothly, stick the tip of your eyeliner pencil in the flame of a lighter or match for one second. Let the pencil cool for about 15 seconds, and then apply. That previously hard liner pencil will temporarily have a softer, more gel-like consistency, which will be easier to apply and give a thicker and easier-to-smudge line.

Just like the last trick, use heat to pump up your eye routine. Your curling iron uses heat to give your locks perfect curl. Use the same premise with your eyelash curler. Blast the curler with your hair dryer until it heats up, and then let cool until it is warm. Too hot, and you can end up burning your face or eyelids. Clamp down on your lashes, and watch with amazement as your stubborn lashes curl like they were born to.

First of all, if you've had your mascara longer than three months, do not use this trick! Instead, toss out that old mascara (which may be harboring nasty bacteria), and get a new tube. But if your new mascara is already getting dried out, or the formula is just a little too cakey for your tastes, add a couple of drops of contact lens solution to the tube in order to thin and liquefy your mascara again.

Winged eyeliner is both gorgeous and intimidating to apply, especially if you're a beginner. While some beauty bloggers recommend using Scotch tape to lay out your wings ahead of time, we find that the tape can irritate and tug at sensitive eyelids. Instead, we found this great idea of using a spoon to be your guide. Flip the spoon over and use the edge of the bowl to guide you as you draw the wings.

As if the last tip didn't give you enough reason to stock up on spoons, check out this spoon trick: use a spoon to pump up your mascara. Flip it over and place it next to the roots of your lash, then pull slightly upward on the lid of your eye with the spoon. This will expose more of your lash roots and shield the skin of your eyelid. You can go for a heavier application than you normally would and will get better coverage on your entire lash. The spoon will keep you from getting mascara all over your eyelids, preventing unnecessary clean-up later.

Probably one of the most versatile pieces in your eye makeup arsenal should be a white eyeliner pencil or eyeshadow stick. Use white eyeliner in a light blended application all over your eyelid before applying your regular shadow color. The white base will intensify the color, which is especially important for sheer colors that need a boost. Secondly, you can apply a white shadow stick along the outer part of your brow bone and blend into your all-over eye shade to define your brows and brighten your eyes. Lastly, use white eyeliner applied along your lower water line to open up your eyes and make them look brighter, whiter, and larger than they actually are. If you have deep skin, try a nude liner on your waterline instead.

If you love the spider-webbed, clumpy, editorial look of really thick mascara, check out this tip. After you apply your first coat of mascara, lightly dust translucent powder on your lashes before applying a second coat. The powder will give the next coat something to "grip" to, resulting in a thicker look for your lashes. The tutorial video we've included below shows the basic technique, but make sure you use translucent powder, not baby powder like shown in the tutorial. Baby powder contains talc, a mineral which can be very irritating to your eyes.

You may be used to applying eyeliner above your eyelashes to accentuate your look, but have you tried tightlining before? If not, definitely give it a go, because it can really change how you do your eye makeup forever. When you tight line, you should be applying eyeliner directly at the roots of your lashes with a gentle "dotting" technique. This gives you the appearance of thicker and fuller lashes without any mascara. Use this liner technique alone with a nude eyeshadow and no mascara or clear mascara for a gorgeous natural look. Or you can add this technique into your regular routine, because when paired with winged liner, mascara, and dramatic shadow, tightlining care really make your eye makeup look amazing.

Stop your concealer from creasing by changing your routine. Make sure you're using a relatively thin formula under your eyes, not the thick stuff you'd normally use for covering blemishes. Beauty vlogger Bella Fiori shows us a great technique in her video on this topic. Apply only to the inner corner under your eye, before sweeping down across your cheekbone. Use a damp sponge or brush to blend up under your eyes and into your cheeks, then let dry. After it's dried, gently pull down on the skin under your eye, and carefully blend out any creases that have formed using your fingers. Once this is done, use a translucent setting powder and a soft brush to gently add a light coating of powder over your under-eye area.

If you're especially prone to creasing, you can try "baking" your makeup for longer crease-free power: After applying a much thicker coating of translucent powder, let it sit several minutes, which will "bake," or set, your base makeup. Then use your fluffy brush to dust off all the excess powder.