No More Panda Eyes: A Simple Trick to Stop Eyeliner Smudging

We’ve all been there – you spend forever carefully applying your eyeliner, making sure your cat eye flick is on point or your lower lashline has the perfect amount of smoky definition. Yet somehow, within a few hours, you catch your reflection and see that your flawless eyeliner application has transformed into messy, smudged panda eyes. Not a good look!

Eyeliner smudging and transferring is caused by a number of factors:

Why Eyeliner Smudging Happens

Oily Skin

Oily skin types are often susceptible to eyeliner smudging, fading, and transferring. When naturally occurring facial oils or moisturizer residue mix with eyeliner formulas, especially liquid or pencil liners, it can break down the product and cause migration onto other areas of your face.

Oil slick skin creates a slippery base which makes it difficult for eyeliner to adhere properly. Sebum, the natural oil secreted by our skin’s sebaceous glands, is the main culprit. Those with genetic oily skin phenotypes have overactive sebaceous glands which produce higher amounts of sebum.

Excess oil mixes with eyeliner to create a smudgy mess. Even if you don’t have chronically oily skin, applying too rich moisturizers can lead to transient increased oiliness, again leading to eyeliner issues.

Skin care ingredients like glycerin and petroleum jelly, while hydrating for the skin, can also migrate into the eyes and break down eyeliners prematurely. So ensure any eye creams or primers used are oil-free formulas.

Humidity and Hot Weather

Heat and humidity are eyeliner’s worst enemies! Warm weather and humid environments essentially melt your eyeliner off your eyes. The moisture in the air breaks down eyeliner formulas while high temperatures soften waxy and creamy textures.

Temperature increases also cause us to perspire. Sweating along the hairline, cheeks, nose, and eyes leads to eyeliner smudging and fading. On sweltering hot days, little beads of sweat essentially wash away precise eyeliner application.

Humidity is particularly challenging because unlike skin oils which pool in certain areas like the tear duct and lash line, moisture saturates all the skin. There is little escape from humidity wrecking eyeliner!

Waterproof eyeliner formulas are meant to withstand sweat and moisture. But often ‘waterproof’ really means water-resistant. Unless expressly formulated as sweat-proof, few liners hold up to high heat and humidity combo.

Applying Too Much Product

We all love a thick, dramatic cat eye flick or lower lash smoky haze. But piling on excessive amounts of eyeliner often leads to smudging issues. Thick layers take longer to dry down fully and the excessive amount of product doesn’t properly adhere.

Eyeliner often looks darker and more opaque when first applied. But once dried down fully, you may be surprised to see it appears faint. This tempts many to reapply more liner before the base layer has set, creating a slippery, messy base.

With pencil or kohl eyeliners, layering too much in one area melts down the waxy formula due to pressure and friction. This pooled melted product then transfers easily. Starting with thin layers is key, slowly building up thickness once each dash or line fully sets.

Gel eyeliners are the trickiest formulas when it comes to excess amounts. Their mousse-like creamy texture is part of their smooth application appeal. But apply too much in hopes of dramatic intensity, and they can slide right off your eyes.

Inferior Eyeliner Formulas

Cheap eyeliners often use inferior formulas focused more on affordable pricing than quality. This means they skip out on key ingredients that make eyeliners smudge-proof and transfer-resistant. Without film-forming agents to make them adhere properly, drugstore liners never fully cure and stay wet and slippery.

Likewise, natural and clean beauty eyeliners sound environmentally friendly. But their formulas often perform poorly without preservatives and binding agents. These liners fade and slip quickly despite best intentions.

Paying more for prestige brand eyeliners or ones expressly marketed as budge-proof and waterproof ensures you get superior wear. With eyeliner, you really do get what you pay for in terms of longevity!

While waterproof mascaras prevent raccoon eyes by enduring moisture, waterproof eyeliners are too stubborn to remove without vigorous scrubbing. Tugging at the delicate eye area to wipe away stubborn waterproof liner leads to redness, irritation, and inflammation for many.

The Simple Tissue Trick

So what’s the solution? How can you make sure your eyeliner stays immaculate from the moment you apply it to the moment you are ready to take it off?

We’re going to share a super simple trick that immediately sets any liquid or pencil eyeliner and keeps it from transferring and smudging all day:

Step 1

After applying your eyeliner as desired, while the liner is still wet, take a tissue or blotting paper and prepare to gently press it against your lashline. Make sure your tissue does not have any fibers that can pull at the skin or eyelashes. A smooth paper texture is best.

Step 2

Gently press and sandwich your eyelashes between the tissue and your eyelid. Do not rub the tissue or drag it against your skin. Simply hold the tissue in place, with light pressure on top of your lashes and liner for 20 to 30 seconds.

Step 3

Slowly peel the tissue away from your eyelid and lashes. Be very gentle during removal to not tug at the delicate eye area skin.

And that’s it! This simple 2-3 step trick sets your eyeliner by absorbing any excess moisture or oil. The tissue soaks up the slippery residue which would otherwise break down your liner and lead to fading and smudging.

The tissue trick works by absorbing excess moisture and oil before it destabilizes eyeliner formulas. Blotting paper and smooth tissues are gentler than cotton pads and won’t leave fibers on the eye area.

The tissue trick can be used with any formula of eyeliner – liquid, gel, pencil, or cream. It instantly sets wet liners that take time to fully dry down, preventing smudging of soft liner styles like tightlining or lower lash kohl lining.

Even waterproof eyeliners can benefit from this hack as an added insurance policy against sweat and sebum. The tissue sets your liner immediately whereas waterproof formulas still need a few minutes post-application to fully set. Why not lock down your look ASAP?

Now, while the tissue trick does set and prolong your precise eyeliner application, choosing the right eyeliner formula and applying it correctly also helps prevent fading and smudging in the first place.

Here are some other tips for keeping your eyeliner perfect all day long:

Choose an Eyeliner Formula Suited to Your Eye Type

With so many eyeliner finishes and formulas available, it’s about choosing the right one for your eye shape and lids. Here’s how to make the perfect selection:

For Hooded Eyes

The overhanging lid of hooded eyes hides a lot of eyeliner real estate. You need a formula that adheres despite not drying fully. The pigment also needs to pop against thin visible skin:

• Liquid liner with a flexible brush tip – The bendable tapered brush makes drawing the flick outward easy despite little visible lid space. Try the easy-to-use Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner.
• Creamy retractable pencil liners – Smooth and protective pencil liners easily slide along the lashline without catching or tugging. Retractable ones require no sharpening. Our top pick is the waterproof Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil.

For Oily Lids

Sebum-rich oily lids can swiftly break down eyeliner. Longwear smudge-proof formulas are a must for longevity:

• Gel pencil eyeliners – Formulas like Bobbi Brown’s Long Wear Gel Eyeliner glide easily without tugging but don’t budge, making them perfect for slippery lids.
• Liquid pen liners with acrylic polymers – Acrylic resin polymers create a flexible, water-resistant film protecting liner from oil. The NYX Epic Ink Liner contains acrylates copolymer for impressive wear time.

For Mature Eyes

Thinner skin and fine lines demand gentle eyeliners that apply smoothly without pulling or skipping:

• Soft pencil eyeliners – Formulas that smoothly apply without any roughness or dragging prevent further creasing on aging lids. Try the Trish McEvoy Essential Pencil.
• Cake eyeliners – When applied with a light hand and damp brush, these build easily offering rich color without irritating mature skin. The Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick swipes on easily.

For Sensitive Eyes

Those with allergies, eczema, rosacea and contact lens wearers need hypoallergenic formulas:

• Natural mineral pencil liners – Mineral pigments avoid irritants making them ideal for sensitivities. The Jane Iredale Eye Pencil is great for waterlines.
• Cubed gel eyeliners – Light, easily-buildable formulas like the Cle Cosmetics One Stroke Gel Eyeliner Pencil avoid overwhelmed sensitive eyes.

Apply Eyeliner Correctly

While a steady hand and some practice make eyeliner application easier, technique also plays a role. Follow these tips when applying to make smudging less likely:

Keep inner corner eyeliner thin – Avoid layering liquid liner at the inner corners. The waterline gets naturally wet with eye moisture. Thick product will dissolve quicker here.

Use small dashes for pencil liners – Whether smudging kohl on the lower lashline or tightlining, use tiny dashes and dots to deposit color rather than drawing one long line. Color builds better when applied in small segments.

Work thinner to thicker – Always start thinner than your final desired line or wing. Allow to dry fully before going over with another layer. Slowly thicken the line for added drama once the base adheres properly.

Blot excess formula – After lining lips with lipstick, many blot with tissue to remove excess before it feathers or smears. Do the same with eyeliners. Gently press away extra product with a Q-tip to prevent slippage issues.

Use setting spray – Keep a travel size setting spray like Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray in your bag. Mist your eyeliners with a light coating before they fully set to lock in the color.

Lock It In With Sealers and Setting Powders

In addition to the tissue blotting trick, you can further waterproof and sweat-proof regular eyeliners using:

Eyeliner Sealers

These liquid formulas create a polymers barrier preventing eyeliner feathering. They also reinforce thin pencil liners and give liquid liners extra longevity.

• Danessa Myricks Vision Flick Eyeliner Sealer – This vegan lash extension-safe topcoat protects your eyeliner like a commercial grade sealant.
• L’Oreal Infallible Lacquer Eyeliner – The white side seals any liner while the black side refreshes faded eyeliner midday.

Setting Powders

Just like finishing the rest of your face with powder, you can set eyeliner too. Lightly dusting eyeliners helps prevent smudging by absorbing excess moisture and oil.

• Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder – This colorless loose setting powder contains skin-soothing ingredients making it ideal for sensitive eye areas.
• Fenty Pro Filt’r Setting Powder – Available in multiple shades to suit all skin tones, this ultra-fine powder mattifies without looking cakey.

So don’t dismay the next time you notice your sultry smokey eye has turned into a smudgy mess! Just reach for a tissue, blot that liner into place and keep slaying your look. No one needs to know!

Have your own hacks for keeping eyeliner from smudging? Share in the comments below!