Eye makeup is a type of cosmetic which aims to make the eyes look noticeable and attractive. It is mostly used by females, and by stage performers of all types. Eye makeup is an important part of the fashion and cosmetic industries. The main types of eye makeup are:

Mascara
Eye shadow
Eye liner

The idea can be taken much further. The colour of the eye can be altered by using contact lenses. Glitter and other appliqués can be stuck on near the eye. Fake eyelashes or eyelash extensions are possible. Eyebrow plucking is quite common for brunettes.

Eye shadow

Eye shadow is a cosmetic that is applied on the eyelid and under the eyebrows. The average distance between eyelashes and eyebrows is twice as big in women as in men. Pale eye shadow visually enlarges this area and has a feminising effect.

Eye shadow can add depth and dimension to one’s eyes, complement one’s eye color, make one’s eyes appear larger, or simply draw attention to the eyes. Eye shadow comes in many different colors and textures. It is usually made from a power and mica, but can also be found in liquid, pencil, cream or mousse form. Just like other trends, eyeshadow looks also have trends.

Civilizations across the world use eye shadow predominantly on females but also occasionally on males. In Western society, it is seen as a feminine cosmetic, even when used by men. In gothic fashion, black or similarly dark-colored eye shadow and other types of eye makeup are popular among both sexes. In India, eye liner, called Kohl, played a prominent role in various dance forms and ceremonies such as weddings.

Eye Shadow has gone through lots of different phases, for example during the 1920s where the smoky eyes were in trend, and the 1930s was when people started adding lots of colors to their eyeshadow looks.

Types of eyeshadow

Many types of eyeshadows exist: powder eyeshadows (also called “pigments”), liquid eyeshadows, cream eyeshadows, and many more

Types of Brushes

There are different kind of Eyeshadow brushes, there are brushes for blending the eyeshadows, which is called a blending brush. Another brush is called the crease brush which is used to pack the eyeshadow on the crease of the eyelid and blend. Another eyeshadow brush that is used on the eyelids is an angular brush that is used for the inner tear duct of the eye to make the eyeshadow pop in eyes and is a very precise brush.

Eye liner

Eye liner or eyeliner is a cosmetic used to define the eyes. It is applied around the contours of the eye(s) to create a variety of aesthetic effects.

Liquid Liner

Liquid eyeliner is all about creating those stunning Brigitte Bardot cat eyes. But it takes a steady hand and a load of practice to be able to draw a straight line with liquid liner. That said, well-applied liquid eyeliner has an instant bombshell effect, and it is the best way to add some “oomph” to your look in an instant.

All liquid eyeliners are not created equally, however. It really does take some experimenting to find the right one. Liquid eyeliners are most commonly felt tip liners that look like pens, but they may also come as a small wand that dips into an inkwell. They’re available in a variety of thicknesses and pen shapes, as well. The ideal liquid liner will feel easy to hold and control, offering a solid dose of inky color in one application.

Choose liquid liners:

If you love to wear a cat’s eye
If you like the focus to be on your eyes
If you want to boost the volume of your lashes (you can easily draw between your lashes)
If you want a very defined line (even a thin one)
If you have oily eyelids: many liquid formulations are waterproof with good staying power for oily skin types.

Gel Liner

Gel types of eyeliner are identifiable by their little pots and angled brushes. In some ways, they’re even more intimidating than liquid pens, because you have to get the ink onto a brush and then attempt a clean line. However, there are also gel pens available, which make the process more straightforward, but still require a steady, skilled hand.

Use gel eyeliner:

To create dramatic cat’s eyes
For layering and building smudged, smokey eyes
If you need to cover your mistakes (you don’t need to get gel right on the first stroke… you can “build” the line as you go).
For softer, smudgier lines that aren’t as harsh and angular
For oily skin: look for budge-free formulations

Pencil Liner

This liner, sometimes called a kohl pencil, is a trusty favorite which can be found in just about everyone’s makeup kit. In fact, it’s probably the first eyeliner you ever used. Pencil liners are available in a vast multitude of colors, which is likely why they’ve been so popular for decades. The pencil liner is the easiest “go-to” liner that you can get your hands on.

Use a pencil liner:

For drawing soft, smoky lines (thick or thin)
If you want to be able to “smudge” your line
As a much cheaper alternative to liquid or gel liner
For subtle, everyday wear
On your waterline for added depth (a big no-no for liquid liners)

Gel Pencil (or Eye Crayon)

Offering a better glide than a pencil and a simpler application than a gel pot and a brush, the gel pencil is basically a hybrid of these two types of eyeliners. It’s a modern update of the trusty eyeliner pencil and is one of the more popular types of eyeliner.

Use a gel pencil:

When you don’t want to be beholden to a pencil sharpener
To create softer, blended looks
When you don’t need a sharp point
If you want a creamier, softer application than a pencil
When you want the rich pigment of a gel without using a pot and brush
For long-lasting wear (many are waterproof)

Shadow Liner

It’s back to basics with this trick, where you simply use your eyeshadow as an eyeliner. A small, angled brush is dampened, dipped into the eyeshadow, then painted along the eye line. Sounds simple enough, right?

Use a shadow liner:

For more graduated, smoldering looks
When you don’t have a steady hand – you can blend any mistakes away easily
For applying over the top of liquid or gel liner to set the look, or to start building a smokey eye across the eyelid.
To create a soft line under your bottom eyelashes.

Mascara

Mascara is a cosmetic used to darken, colour, thicken, lengthen, or define eyelash Historically, it was (and still is) usually black, but now it also comes in many colours and tints. Mascara comes in three forms: liquid, cake, and cream. It is available in tubes with wand applicators. Ingredients in mascara include water, wax thickeners, film-formers, and preservatives.

KAJAL

Kajal is another name for kohl, an eye cosmetic in use since ancient times.

Kohl is an ancient eye cosmetic, traditionally made by grinding stibnite (Sb₂S₃) for similar purposes to charcoal used in mascara. It is widely used in the middle east,the Mediterranean , South Asia, and the horn of Africa as eyeliner to contour and/or darken the eyelids and as mascara for the eyelashes. It is worn mostly by women, but also by some men and children.

Kohl has also been used in India as a cosmetic for a long time. In addition, mothers would apply kohl to their infants’ eyes soon after birth. Some did this to “strengthen the child’s eyes”, and others believed it could prevent the child from being cursed by the evil eye.

Health concerns

The content of kohl and the recipes to prepare it vary greatly. In North Africa and Middle East, homemade kohl is often made by grinding galena. Western manufacturers use amorphous carbon or organic charcoal instead of lead. Plant oils and the soot from various nuts, seeds, and gum resins are often added to the carbon powder. The non-lead products are considered to be of inferior quality to the older, traditional varieties and therefore there has been an increase in the use of handmade, lead-based kohl.

A Kurdish kohl (kil) set.

For decades various conflicting reports in the literature have been published relating to kohl application to eyes being responsible for causing higher blood lead concentration, which may cause lead poisoning. While at the same time, a number of research studies and reports have also been published refuting any such links with increased blood lead level upon kohl (surma) application.