Should You Wear Eyeliner On Your Bottom Lid? An MUA Explains

On the days I wear eye makeup—increasingly rare—I like to gently smudge a bit of brown or black pencil in my top lash line. I find it gives my lashes a nice full base, frames my eyes, and overall makes me look a bit more put together. Occasionally I'll move the pencil just a bit lower, hovering over my bottom lid, and ask myself: Do I dare attempt a bottom liner? The answer is always no. 

I sent my question over to a trusted source, and it turns out: I couldn't have been more wrong! Done correctly, liner on your bottom lashes can create the illusion of larger eyes. Oh, do tell. 

"A little liner under the eyes can instantly make them appear bigger. My preferred technique is to start with a taupe pencil line, lightly smudged under the eyes with a rounded eyeliner brush," says celebrity makeup artist Jenny Patinkin. 

Let's break this tip down. First up, the color is very important: "The reason I suggest taupe is that it's a combination of brown and gray, which mimics the look of a shadow. By creating a subtle, horizontal shadow under the eyes, it creates the illusion that the bottom lash line is lower, which in turn makes the eyes look bigger and taller," she says.