Bed Head (TIGI) Big Fat Fun and Mally Beauty Eyeliner Pencils

I admit it - I've always been eyeliner challenged. I blame part of it on my vision - I'm blind as a bat, and have trouble wearing contacts, which means that I have to practically touch the mirror with my nose to see what I'm doing to my eyes. The other part of it, I fear, is a lack of talent. Both can be overcome with practice, and the right tools.

Finding those tools can be difficult. Most eyeliner pencils are rather hard, which is fine when you're a teenager and have firm young skin beneath your eyes. But as you get to your mid-30s, you may find that under-eye skin becoming thinner and more fragile, and eyeliner pencils pull. That only gets worse as you continue to age. There are powder liners to put on, wet or dry, with little brushes; these can be difficult for those of us who are "challenged" to use. I tend to get more color - or less color, then more - than I intend, and have trouble drawing the line, or putting the powder, where it's supposed to be. I'm fairly sure this dates back to my childhood, when I never could stay inside the lines when I colored. It's fine to be creative and go outside the lines in a coloring book, or even in your life ambitions, but doing it with eyeliner is just plain embarrassing. Liquid liner pens should be easier, but tend to put out blobs of color at the worst possible moments, at least when I'm using them. Cream eyeliners require the use of a brush and a steady hand, and the brushes all seem to be too long to allow me to use them and see what I'm doing at the same time, much less keep my hand steady while I'm doing it. What's a woman to do?