How To Make Liquid Eyeliner

So, we want to try being a mad scientist now, huh? Well, you will be pleasantly surprised and satisfied as well with the answers and results you’re about to get. Yes, you can DIY your liquid eyeliner at home and try making them right now!

Making liquid eyeliner at home is a fun idea, and we’re glad you wanted to try it out. Customizing your liquid eyeliner is simple and versatile. It has its benefits, which marketed products can never ensure. Not to mention the rising popularity of different-colored eyeliners. Not even popular brands make so many colors of eyeliners. Making them on your own is the only convenient and super easy option.

Here, in this ultimate guide, you’ll get to know not only How to make Liquid Eyeliner but also all the safest and different ways to make your liner. I wouldn’t say I like it or love it, but do try these fun DIYs we shared here.

Introduction to DIY Liquid Eyeliner

If the focus and effort are done for the eyes, defining them is necessary. And that’s when liquid eyeliner comes into the picture because it’s well-known in this field. Liquid eyeliner has the power to give you a polished look and the lashes a fuller look.

Liquid eyeliner will forever be in vogue. With all kinds of newer trends popping up, which include eyeliner less and less, questions like “Is liquid eyeliner out of style?” are often being asked nowadays.

There’s a vast difference between “off-trend” and “out of style.” Liquid eyeliners may ride the backseat for a while, but that doesn’t mean it has lost its spark. Still, for people, it’s an instinct to grab some eyeliner. At the height of Instagram trends, eyeliner is a staple. Wing eyeliner style is its standalone deal. Liquid eyeliner is the only item that serves a wing eyeliner right every time. So when questions about liquid eyeliner’s worth arise, the OGs often reply with- 

“They can pry my liquid eyeliner out of my cold, dead hands.”

What are the essential Ingredients and Tools you Need

If you have some essential ingredients listed below, you can try making your liquid eyeliner!

Essential Ingredients:

1. Charcoal/Kohl powder/Soot/Eyeshadows: As colorants.
2. Aloe Vera/Beeswax: As base.
3. Oils: As natural preservatives.
4. Rose water: To liquify.

Must have tools:

1. Mixing bowl: To make the eyeliner on.
2. Teaspoon: for measuring and also for mixing powdered ingredients well.
3. Toothpick/stiff makeup brush: For mixing liquid ingredients.
4. Airtight container: For storing the final product.

How To Make Liquid Eyeliner

Method 1 – Aloe Vera Base

• Things you need-

1. Aloe vera gel
2. Kohl powder/Charcoal/Safe pigment
3. Vitamin E capsule.

• Things to keep in mind-

1. Raw aloe vera gel is not recommended because it is precarious due to its high water content. That’s why it’s a perfect place for microbial growth. If you still want to use raw aloe vera gel, use it when you don’t plan to store your liquid eyeliner.
2. Market-bought aloe vera gel can sometimes be green in color, and that’s completely fine.

• Steps you need to follow-

1st STEP – Take one pump of any market-bought aloe vera gel and blend it well. Blending breaks down the aloe vera gel and gives it a smoother and more liquidy texture, which we want for our liquid eyeliner

2nd STEP – You can use kohl, charcoal, or safe pigment as a colorant. Take half a teaspoon first of whatever you decide to mix. Mix well with the gel. The consistency will get more liquid-like by the minute. 

3rd STEP – Lastly, add some drops of vitamin E oil it will work as a preservative.

• SHELF LIFE of your DIY Aloe Vera Gel Eyeliner – 

It will stay suitable for a considerable amount of time if used market-bought aloe vera gel. Check the expiry date of aloe vera and vitamin E oil for more assurance.

• STAYING POWER of your DIY Aloe Vera Gel Eyeliner – 

3-4 hours. It’s not smudge and waterproof.

Method 2 – Charcoal Infusion

• Things you need –

1. Talcum powder
2. Activated charcoal powder
3. Rose water

• Steps you need to follow – 

1st STEP: Take slightly less than one teaspoon of talcum powder.

2nd STEP: Now add one capsule of charcoal powder. One capsule of activated charcoal contains around half a teaspoon of powder. If your charcoal powder doesn’t come in capsules, that should be the measurement. Remember that your charcoal powder should be finely ground and free from harmful additives or contaminants.

3rd STEP: Mix talcum powder and charcoal by pressing with the back of a spoon. Mix till it gets black.

4th STEP: Add rose water little by little while mixing. The measurement is up to your liking. But usually, 1.5-2 spoons are required. Mix everything well before transferring to your preferred container. You can use regular water instead, too. But rose water has natural pH-balancing properties that can be beneficial for skin as well as our DIY liquid eyeliner.

• SHELF LIFE of Your DIY Charcoal Infusion Eyeliner: One to two weeks or more, depending on when the rose water dries out. Your DIY liquid eyeliner can last longer with a good rose water brand and an excellent air-tight container.

• STAYING POWER of Your DIY Charcoal Infusion Eyeliner: 

It will stay up to 5 hours.

Method 3 – Eyeshadow Transformation

Things you need:

1. Eyeshadow of your choice.
2. A spoolie brush.
3. Micellar water/ Setting spray/ Duraline
4. Any eyeshadow brush for mixing

Things to keep in mind-

1. Do not directly pour or spray anything on top of eyeshadow to make liquid eyeliner. Because you might not intend to make that much liquid eyeliner, the texture or the color payoff of your eyeshadow may not be the same once it dries out again. This means you won’t be able to use your eyeshadow as it is again. So, use the eyeshadow lid or any other mixing palette for transformation.
2. You might think micellar water won’t work correctly, as it is a makeup remover. The soap in micellar water improves the miscibility of oil-based products in water. If the eyeshadow you’re going to use has a lot of oil in it, micellar water will be your best bet if you want it to completely dry.

Steps you need to follow:

1st STEP: Scrape off your preferred eyeshadow with a spoolie brush with light pressure. The reason you should use a spoolie brush is that it turns the eyeshadow pigments into powder after scraping. Other tools, like toothpicks, may ruin the eyeshadow by breaking it into blocks. After scraping, close the eyeshadow lid and hold it upside down to transfer the eyeshadow pigments onto the lid.

2nd STEP: To transform the powder pigments into liquid eyeliner, you have three options- micellar water, makeup setting spray, and duraline. The best option among them is duraline. Even a tiny drop can get you the perfect waterproof eyeliner. Whatever option you choose, mix little by little until you get your preferred consistency.

Shelf Life of Your DIY Eyeliner from Eyeshadow – It is best to use up within a few weeks as they are all fast-drying products.

Staying Power of Your DIY Eyeliner from Eyeshadow – All day. Won’t budge easily

Method 4 – Activated Charcoal and Oil

Things you need-

1. Organic Coconut oil
2. Sunflower oil
3. Castor oil
4. Vitamin E oil
5. Beeswax
6. Activated Charcoal
7. Radish root ferment filtrate (Natural preservative)

Things to keep in mind-

1. This recipe might not always be liquid-like, as it’ll have a wax-like consistency after the temperature gets low. But that doesn’t mean you cannot use it afterward. You’ll still be able to get a perfect eyeliner look, but it just won’t be liquid anymore. You can heat your eyeliner for it to be liquid again, though, but the longevity would be in question then.
2. If you’re planning to make a lot of liquid eyeliner, then you need to add preservatives. Otherwise, it’s okay to skip it if it’s one container.
3. You need to use a double boiler method to melt and mix everything. For this method, you need two pots, one smaller than the other. Feel the bigger pot with water and place the smaller one inside without it touching the water. We have to melt everything using only the steam coming from under. This is what the double boiler method is.
4. The measurement is really up to you. But still, to guide you through- take two tablespoons of coconut oil and one tablespoon of the other three oils. Take half a teaspoon of grated beeswax. The reason why we are taking coconut oil more is because it is known to have antimicrobial properties that help protect against harmful microorganisms. So even if you skip natural preservatives, your DIY liquid eyeliner can last long.

Steps you need to follow-

1st STEP: The first step is to mix coconut oil, sunflower oil, castor oil, vitamin E oil, and beeswax with the double boiler method. Now, if you’re in a hotter climate, your oils are already liquid to begin with. All you need to do is wait till the beeswax melts and mixes with the oils. When the mixture is yellow in color and completely liquid, it’s time to start with the next step.

2nd STEP: Now, it’s time to add the charcoal. Add half a teaspoon or one capsule first. Stir while still, the stove is still on. And then, if necessary, add another capsule. Adding charcoal depends on what consistency or color payoff you want. Your liquid eyeliner is ready.

3rd STEP: Cool down and set it to see if the color payoff fits your liking. As it is mainly oil-based, you must set it up for use. Otherwise, you’ll face instant smudging unless you live in a frigid climate where oil will dry up within seconds.

4th STEP: This step is for those who want to use preservatives. If you made a fair amount of liquid eyeliner using this method, you need something extra to preserve it. Use radish root ferment filtrate after your liquid liner’s temperature is below 40 degrees Celsius. The recommended usage rate is 2-4%. Please keep reading to learn more about this natural preservative.

• Shelf Life of Your DIY Eyeliner from Activated Charcoal and Oil – The shelf life can be up to 3-4 months. Notice the expiration date of ingredients before using.

• Staying Power of Your DIY Eyeliner from Activated Charcoal and Oil – Depends on the weather. Use it in cold weather for best results.

Method 5 – Beeswax and Cocoa Powder

Things you need-

1. Beeswax
2. Cocoa powder

Things to keep in mind-

1. To melt beeswax, you have to use the double boiler method here too.
2. As this is a wax-based liquid eyeliner, you must let it cool and set it for hassle-free usage.
3. We will have brown-colored eyeliner as the end product.

Steps you need to follow-

1st STEP: Prepare a double boiler and melt the beeswax. The measurement can be 1-1.5 teaspoons of grated beeswax.

2nd STEP: Mix half a teaspoon of cocoa powder and mix well with melted beeswax. Add more if necessary.

3rd STEP: When mixed well, set it aside to cool down.

• Shelf Life of Your DIY Eyeliner from Beeswax and Cocoa Powder: Best to use within a few months.

• Staying Power of Your DIY Eyeliner from Beeswax and Cocoa Powder: The cooler the weather, the longer it’ll stay.

Method 5 – Almond Soot and Eye Drops:

Things you need-

1. One Almond nut
2. Any eye drops.
3. Tweezers
4. Lighter/candles.

Things you need to keep in mind-

1. We are going to burn almonds for quite a while. So make sure your tweezers have plastic handles, or you grab them wearing globs.
2. Make sure the almond nut is clean.

Steps you need to follow-

1st STEP: Grab the almond with tweezers close to a lit candle or lighter.

2nd STEP: Burn the almond till black. And collect the soot in a container. Repeat the process till you have enough soot.

3rd STEP: Mix a couple of drops of any eye drop with the almond soot. Keep mixing till you get your desired liquid consistency.

• Shelf Life of Your DIY Eyeliner from Almond Soots and Eye Drops – Use it within a week. It is recommended to make a new batch when needed.

• Staying Power of Your DIY Eyeliner from Almond Soots and Eye Drops –  Couple of hours. It will start fading as time passes.

Proper Storage of DIY Liquid Eyeliner

Liquid eyeliner made with raw ingredients will last up to 2-3 days. Just after two days, you will see the difference. That’s why market-bought ingredients are good if you want a longer shelf life. Because they have preservatives in them, all preservatives are not harmful. Here are two harmless natural preservatives you can incorporate in the abovementioned recipes for longevity.

• Radish root ferment filter: This natural preservative is made from the fermentation of radish roots and is commonly found in skincare products. It has an antimicrobial agent, which is why it’s often used instead of synthetic preservatives in cosmetics. It’s a light-scented, pale yellowed formula and soluble in water. It’s a mild type of preservative.
• Grape seed extract: A natural substance made from seeds of grapefruit. Has excellent antioxidant properties and immune-boosting effects. That’s why it is more commonly used in the dietary supplement world. But as it also has antimicrobial properties, it’s often used in skincare and cosmetics. You can incorporate this on DIY aloe vera-based liquid eyeliner to increase longevity.

Now, let’s get this fact straight- none of the recipes we discussed were made under sterile conditions, so everything will eventually spoil. What we can do is keep contamination to a minimum, so spoilage will take much longer, thus giving you time to get the most out of your DIY liquid eyeliner.

• Importance of airtight container: Most mold and bacteria need oxygen or moisture to thrive and reproduce. So, using an airtight container to store your liquid eyeliner will keep out oxygen and moisture to delay their growth. Don’t forget to clean the container well before using it. Additionally, you can put your eyeliner on the fridge to keep it cool and away from sunlight.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All these simple and safe DIY eyeliners are a must-try. I bet everything needed to make them is lying around your house. So why don’t you try it out now? The best fun idea that I can think of is practicing different eyeliner styles with my homemade eyeliner. I can try and try till I master my desired eyeliner style without damaging my skin in the process. Also, colored eyeliners are so on trend! The idea of wearing a different color every day itself is so fun.

The best thing about How to make liquid eyeliner at home is that you can adjust everything and make it how you like. The texture, the color, you have your control over. Also, many of us prefer to avoid the idea of marketed products and choose natural ways. DIY eyeliners are safe for every age. Often, the little ones are more fascinated with makeup than the elders. Make them some liquid eyeliner at home. Knowing that they’re safe is a great way to bond well.