Why does my eyeliner not work?

[briot]

I wanted to create this look with eyeliner above my eye and I bought a pencil and it literally does not even draw on?

The skin around my eyes is probably more oily but I’m scared to use a liquid one as I feel it’ll run?

I can't see very clearly what the eyeliner is doing but MAC liquid last 24hr eyeliner is the only liquid eyeliner I've bothered with in years, it doesn't move. V fine point

Blot your face first rather than apply eyeliner to oily skin?

You could use blotting papers.

You need to do the skin below the lashes. You don't need to draw a line just a series of dots.

That’s what I’m doing? I think.

I’m placing one finger on my lid so it pulls up slightly and using the pencil on it - but no colour goes on???

Have you warmed the pencil first? Are you trying to tightline your top lashes? You effectively rub it into the roots of the eyelash.

I always have to warm the pencil first as PP has said. I either touch it briefly on a hot radiator or the underside of the hot tap! It melts it slightly so it's softer and easier to apply.

You need a good quality soft pencil. Some of the bad quality ones are just too hard, even after warming them up

ah ok didn’t know about the warming, I just bought a Rimmel pencil as I didn’t want to spend a lot and not like the outcome.

You can soften it against a warm hand, or I used to keep it in my open mouth.

Make sure it's an eye liner from Rimmel and not an eyebrow pencil.

Sometimes you get a dud pencil. Especially gel pencil liners. They sort of stop working. It's like rubbing a piece of rubber along the skin

If this is the case return it or chuck it. There is no resolving

I'd be careful about warming eyeliners quickly by having the nib touch anything hot - I would be worried about picking up bacteria, especially if you're tightlining. Poss better to keep your pencil on/near the radiator/somewhere warm so it's generally heated through.

I use a.thin brush with black eyeshadow its a lot easier

Try Avon glimmersticks - they are soft and go on easily, and last well, also very cheap and have lots of colours. I had the same problem with eye pencils!

Try Avon gel liner, it’s soft and doesn’t drag like a pencil but you can blend and smudge for a couple of seconds after you use it.

Rimmel is fine but I wouldn't tightline but put the eyeliner just above the eyelashes.

If it's a pencil they often dry out, I've bought cheap ones before but as I don't use it regularly it's a bit useless!
When I wore eyeliner daily I found the Avon glimmersticks very easy to use.

I've always had the same problem with eyeliner. I've tried the Rimmel ones too and literally nothing at all comes out when I try to draw it on my skin! So I just stick to kohl now - it doesn't give such a defined line, but it's much softer and easier to go on!

The heat worked! My application needs a bit more practice but I actually loved the result.

I have straight lashes and recently had an LVL which made a huge difference as you could actually see I have lashes so that with the eyeliner I finally have some definition.

But I’ll try and Avon suggestion!