Ever want to wear colored eyeliner but have no idea how to wear it without looking like a 1980’s reject? Me too. But in some ways, wearing eyeliner in the place of eyeshadow can be more convenient if you’re pinched for time. You can do it between stop lights on your way to work without any powder dropping on your crisp, white blouse.

Admittedly it’s hard to overcome your fear of looking like a complete CLOWN with this look, but you can wear it with confidence, I promise. Truth is, colored eyeliners look AMAZING against brown eyes and brown skin. Purples, teals, blues and even violets will make our eyes pop. Wear a piece of delicate jewelry or nail polish to match your eyeliner color and you are fly, chica.

All Eyes on You

Think of your eyebrows, eyelids and eyelashes like a frame that encompasses the picture (your eyes). All you do should ultimately be to make the picture (your eyes) look as beautiful and vibrant as possible. Here’s a few sure fire steps to make a colored eyeliner look work:

Step One: VISINE

Put a few drops of Visine in your eyes to reduce the red veins in your eyes, which in turn makes your eyes look brighter.

Step Two: PRIME

I used to be skeptical about the usefulness of eye shadow primers until I started using Urban Decay’s Anti-Aging primer, but now I’m sold. It mattifies the lids and get them ready to take on the pigment, then helps keep it in place until you take it off.

Step Three: FRAME YOUR BROWS

Make sure you have a good eyebrow brush and powder to fill in the gaps and accentuate the natural arch of your brow bone. Don’t overdo it…anything drawing above the brow bone and you’re in danger of looking perpetually surprised.

Step Four: GET A SMOOTH LINER WITH AWESOME PIGMENT

This is key. Cheap liners that go on lightly are no good, especially if you are melanin rich. I’m loving Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil, and in the post I’m wearing “Deep End.”

Step Five: FRAME THE INNER LID NEAR THE WATER LINE

Use your colored pencil to line the bottom lid, inside the waterline. If you like, you can use a darker color like black on the outside of the lid along the rim, which I did, using Urban Decay’s 24/7 “Perversion.”

Step Six: LINE UP TOP

Slide the liner along the top lid, following the shape of your upper lid and color in until you get to the crease. If you like, you can then frame the top with a liquid eyeliner, and in this photo I’m using Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner, number 13.

Step Seven: GET THOSE LASHES TO POP!

Everybody’s got their favorite mascara, but right now I’m using Sephora’s Outrageous Volume Dramatic Volume Mascara. You can put on multiple coats for maximum impact and it doesn’t clump. However, if you don’t want to pay the $15, Maybelline has a whole line of really awesome mascaras for less than half the price.