Avoid Makeup Remover For Cleaning Up Your Eyeliner Mistakes. Here's What To Try Instead

Eyeliner is one of the most popular makeup items available, with the global market being worth over $3 billion in 2021 (via Reports and Data). It is most commonly used to add an extra bit of "oomph" to the eyes and is often paired with other products, such as mascara or false eyelashes, to perfect a look. However, while it is a fantastic option for creating dazzling makeup, one wrong move can send all your hard work up in flames. As a result, eyeliner can look like a complete mess, often smudging or leaving black marks in its wake for you to clean up. Once you've removed it all, you then have to start again. Sigh.

If this sounds familiar, you probably know all too well that being a seasoned eyeliner wearer can be challenging. Eyeliner is notoriously hard to fix. However, this simple solution could calm your eyeliner woes in the blink of an eye. Instead of reaching for your makeup remover, try using a primer. You'll thank yourself later.

For many of us, it's all too easy to reach for a bottle of makeup remover or a makeup wipe when our eyeliner goes haywire. While you can remover your eyeliner this way, it's often annoying and time-consuming. Instead, there's a much simpler fix to the problem. 

Rather than using your makeup remover and removing all of the product from your eyelids, you can clean up your mistakes with a primer instead. Speaking to Glamour, makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes recommended using "a small synthetic brush dipped in a primer" to correct your pesky errors. She added that doing so will help to "[smooth] out the edges" of your eyeliner, which is a considerably better alternative to wiping a black smudge of eyeliner all over your eyes.

Be careful not to overload your brush with primer. Instead, start with a little, and work your way up if necessary. It is also important to note that using the correct brush is essential, as this will allow for more accuracy and maneuvering power when re-working your eyeliner into place. However, this isn't the only way that you can correct your eyeliner mistakes.

If you don't have a primer on hand, then don't worry; there are still other ways that you can correct your eyeliner mistakes. Instead, you can try using a concealer in its place. If you don't have a concealer, then you can always try using your foundation, although it may not provide as much coverage as a concealer. 

Thankfully, the technique for concealer is basically the same as the technique you would use with primer. To correct your mistakes, simply cover them with a liquid or cream concealer of your choice, taking the time to be careful and allowing for extra precision — just like you would with a primer. Being gentle is key. However, make sure that you wait until your eyeliner is dry if you're using a liquid or gel product. Otherwise, you may make your mistakes worse and trigger further smudging. Just like with the primer technique, you can use a small synthetic brush or, alternatively, a cotton swab.

Using these tips and tricks, you should be able to save your makeup look in most cases — unless you make a very big mistake. However, it is important to note that you shouldn't pull your skin taut when re-applying your eyeliner, as it may negatively affect the final look.