This post has been updated since it was originally published on January 23, 2022.
Wrinkles commonly form around our eyes and on our foreheads as we age, but with the power of makeup, they can be de-emphasized. Instead, you can highlight the beauty of your eyes and brows with timeless, foolproof tips and tricks that work at any age, and with any eye color and shape.
We spoke with professional makeup artists to gather three helpful tips for lifting your brows and opening your eyes with your favorite products. Whether you prefer drugstore makeup or taking trips to a makeup retailer, these tips are more about technique, and as with most beauty trends, practice makes perfect!
Brow-Lifting Tip #1: Create Fuller Brows (or Emphasize Already-Thick Ones)
If you're looking for an anti-aging, eyebrow-specific makeup routine, makeup artist and cosmetologist Victoria DiPietro explains that "fuller brows" can help. DiPietro's first step for fuller brows is to comb them "up and trim the strays with a scissor."
Next, she says to "figure out where your brows should start and end, and follow a straight line from the edge of your nose up to your brow." That is where your brow should start and will be the thickest, she says. "Then follow a diagonal line from the outside of your nose to the middle of your eye and that is where your arch will be and the highest point," says DiPietro.
"Finally, your brow will end by following a diagonal line from the outside of your nose to the outer corner of your eye." She suggests to use a powder, pencil, or gel to fill in your brows wherever they are sparse, and to "create more volume on the top portion of your brows just slightly to give the illusion of a lift."
If you already have full brows, another way to create a lift is to use a brow gel or wax, DiPietro adds. "These usually come in a tube with a brush and all you need to do is brush your brows in an upward motion," says DiPietro. "Your brows will look clean and sleek. Depending on what you need, these come in colors or clear."
#2: Use Highlighter and Eye Pencils For A Quick Lift
Makeup artist Mary Winkenwerder swears by utilizing the following glow-inducing tools for a quick and easy eyebrow lift—one nude pencil, one white pencil, a silver or diamond shimmer highlighter and a small round-tip blending brush.
On clean skin, Winkenwerder says to "draw a light zig zag line at the top brow line, extending from one end of the natural brow line to the other end of the natural brow line."
The next step is to "blend well into the natural upper brow line and above the natural brow line." Then, dot a small amount of shimmer highlighter above the entire natural brow line and blend well. "This move illuminates the area above the eyes," says Winkenwerder.
Lastly, Winkenwerder says to take the white pencil and do the "same for the area under the brow line," and blend well. "Apply the nude pencil directly under the white line area and blend the two lines while maintaining their unique colorings," adds Winkenwerder.
An Essential Eye-Opening Tip: Grab White Eyeliner
Before you even think of crafting that sharp, winged cat-eye or adding a pop of eyeshadow, Winkenwerder suggests using your white eyeliner pencil, and explains how it works.
She says to firstly apply matte white or shimmer white pencil and blend "into the inner eye near the top of the nose." The next step is to apply white or nude liner at the lower brow line and blend well before applying an eye color statement.
"Apply white or light nude liquid eyeliner on the ball of the eyelid before applying shadow, and blend well making sure that area remains lighter than the rest of the eyelid," Winkenwerder says. "Blending should be sheer."
DiPietro also notes that white eyeliner can help create the illusion of a lift on the skin around your eyes. "Outline your eyes on the top lid and just in the corner of your eye," she says. "Do not use eyeliner under the bottom lash, so that style opens the eye and makes it look bigger."
She says to go a step further and add a cream color eyeliner or white on your waterline. "That will brighten up your eye," says DiPietro. "Another tip to create a younger look with eyeliner is create a subtle wing."
"Make sure when you make the wing you start at the last lash and go up just a tiny bit," adds DiPietro, noting to stop right under where your eye creases "so that the wing doesn't disappear and exaggerate your crease."
Overall, to lift your brows and open your eyes, white eyeliner pencil is an invaluable tool. Filling in your eyebrows and drawing winged liner are other ways to maintain a youthful appearance, but remember that your features are timelessly beautiful on their own, and emphasizing this with makeup can be fun and exciting to try.
