Eyeliner is a makeup staple that’s used all year round. You simply can’t complete your eye makeup without eyeliner. Even if you don’t wear eyeshadow, only wearing eyeliner can complete your look. But what to do when you’ve run out of eyeliner or your favorite liner dries out?
Many people consider using their lip liner as an eyeliner substitute. But can you use a lip liner as your eyeliner?
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Quick Answer
Even though most of the ingredients used in lip liners are the same as those used in eyeliners, you can’t use them on your eyes. Mainly because your eyes are delicate and few ingredients used in lip liners aren’t safe to be used around the eyes. These are some additional ingredients not found in eyeliners.
What can you use an eyeliner substitute if you can’t use a lip liner around the eyes? Read on to find out!
What to Use Instead of an Eyeliner?
Don’t worry too much if you run out of your eyeliner; two other eye products are completely safe to use as a substitute for eyeliner. These are mascara and eyeshadow.
- Mascara: Mascara works exactly like a liquid liner and has been used as a substitute for eyeliners for more than a decade. With your mascara, it’s possible to create different looks, but you’ll need an angled brush. Before starting, make sure you dip the mascara brush into the mascara tube. Once a handsome amount is present on the mascara wand, you can dip your angled brush in the wand.
Start applying eyeliner normally, and you’re good to go. If you want to create a winged eyeliner, you can start applying the mascara via the angled brush starting from the inner corner of your eye and slowly moving towards the outer corner and angle it the way you’ll get the perfect wing. Of course, it might take you a few tries before you get the perfect wing. But if you’re a pro at applying wing or cat-eye liners, this should be a piece of cake for you.
- Eyeshadow: If you’re going for the smudgy eyeliner to go with your smokey eyes, you can always use your eyeshadow if you don’t have your actual eyeliner with you. Before applying the eyeshadow, make sure you dampen your brush.
A damp brush will give you more precision, and there’s less chance of your eye look getting messy. Start applying eyeliner as usual, and you’ll have the perfect smudgy eyeliner to match your eyeshadow. Instead of sticking to black, you can even use different eyeshadow colors to match your eye makeup.
Is it Possible to Make Eyeliner at Home?
It’s very easy to make eyeliner at home if you have all the supplies. It’s a great way to save money and is perfect for emergencies. To make eyeliner at home, you need the following ingredients:
- Activated Charcoal: Activated charcoal will give the eyeliner a jet-black color. It’s commonly available in the form of capsules. Moreover, it also takes away toxins from the skin and is a great detoxing agent used in many skincare so it won’t harm your skin in any way. Activated charcoal is a form of carbon.
- Beeswax: Beeswax has natural antibacterial properties, so it’s a safe ingredient to use. It’s used to give your eyeliner its thickness, and when you use it at home, you can control how thick your eyeliner gets.
- Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is again antibacterial and is used in the eyeliner to give it smoothness during application.
- Distilled Water: Distilled water will produce your desired consistency of the eyeliner.
- Bowl: Of course, you’ll need a bowl to mix up all the ingredients. A small bowl would be enough to mix everything and create your DIY eyeliner.
How to Make Liquid Eyeliner at Home?
Using all the ingredients mentioned above, you can easily make a liquid eyeliner at home by following the instructions given below:
- Twist apart both the activated charcoal capsules and pour them into your bowl
- Add 1/8 teaspoon of grated beeswax into the bowl
- Add 1/8 teaspoon of coconut oil into the mix
- Mix all the ingredients thoroughly for a few minutes
- Add distilled water as needed to maintain your desired consistency. Ideally, 1/8 teaspoon of water should be added.
- Your eyeliner is ready. You can store it in any suitable container for later use.
What are the Main Ingredients Used in Store-Brought Eyeliner?
Initially, eyeliners contained kohl, which is a toxic ingredient. Kohl primarily consists of lead. This was way back in the years. Today, eyeliners are made using safer ingredients because of the increased awareness in consumers.
Eyeliners are mainly made using clays, oils, waxes, and let’s not forget pigment. Iron oxide is used as a pigment to make black or brown eyeliners. Titanium dioxide is used as a pigment for creating white eyeliners. Based on the types of eyeliner (gel, cream, liquid, pencil), the ingredients and proportions vary.
What Ingredients Make Lip Liners Harmful for Eyes?
Lip liners have high amounts of alcohol in them to keep your lips from drying. While that may work on lips, the same is not the case for eyes. Eyes are more sensitive and can’t stand a high amount of alcohol on the delicate skin. Moreover, the pigments used in lip liners are harsher and have a stronger chemical composition.
Another drawback is that lip products can cause cross-contamination. Things like bacteria and germs can get in your eye, leading to eye irritation and infections.
Can Lip Liner be Used as Eyeshadow?
Although using lip liners as an eye product is not something beauty gurus recommend, nude lip liners can, however, be used as a base under your eyeshadow. But you have to be very careful when using lip liner around the eye area. Make sure the tip of your lip liner isn’t sharpened, and keep it away from your lash line, so the product doesn’t get in your eye. Otherwise, it may irritate you, and your eyes might start to water, which can do a lot worse than just ruining your eye makeup.
Can Lipstick be Used as Eyeshadow?
Many makeup manufacturers consider consumer needs and have developed eye-safe lipsticks that you can use as eyeshadow. But then again, think of all the factors, including hygiene. Keep it away from your lash line when applying lipstick as an eyeshadow. And if the product doesn’t say it is eye-safe, it’s best to stick to your eyeshadows instead.
Generally, lipsticks should not be used around the eyes because of their harsh chemical ingredients and cross-contamination.
Wrap Up
Using lip liner as eyeliner is not something we would recommend. But you can always make your eyeliner at home with a few basic ingredients. It’s a quick and hassle-free process. Plus, you always have your eyeshadow and mascara to back you up.
Let us know in the comments what you use as an eyeliner when you run out of the original!