The Eyeliner Trick Every Woman Over 50 Needs to Know (Use Your Liner as Eyeshadow)

Quick answer: Use a soft, creamy waterproof eyeliner as a cream eyeshadow. Swipe the pencil onto your lid, then blend it up from the lash line with your finger or a small smudge brush before it sets. Flick the liner up at the outer corner and diffuse it toward your brow for a soft, lifted look. It takes seconds and works beautifully even if you have shaky hands or trouble seeing up close.

Key takeaways

• Reach for a soft, creamy eyeliner (not a dry mechanical pencil) so it glides on and doubles as a cream shadow.
• Apply it a little messily along the lash line, then blend upward quickly, because creamy formulas set fast and lock in place.
• Flick the pencil up at the outer corner and smudge it toward the brow for a soft, lifted "wing" illusion, not a hard graphic line.
• Top the color with a shimmer to create your own custom shade, then finish with a volumizing, curling mascara.
• The same one-product logic works with lipstick used as a cream blush for an easy, monochromatic finish.

Hi ladies, welcome back. This is hands down my favorite eyeliner trick, especially if you are over 50, 60, 70, and beyond. If you do not feel confident with eyeshadow, if your hands are a little shaky, or if you just want to pull yourself together fast, this one hack does the work for you. You can use any color your heart desires, and it takes only seconds. In the video above I walk through the whole look on camera; below I have written out every step so you can follow along at your own pace.

How do you turn eyeliner into eyeshadow?

1. Prep your skin however you like, then decide whether to prime your eyes. If you are using a lighter liner or have discoloration, prime first. For a deep shade like my dark chocolate, you can skip the primer.
2. Swipe your creamy eyeliner right onto the lid. Be as loose and messy as you want, you can practically close your eyes and do it.
3. Working quickly, blend the color up from the base of the lashes with your fingertip or a small brush so most of the depth sits at the lash line and fades softly toward the crease.
4. Do not let it sit before you blend, because a good creamy formula sets and will not move once it does. Once it is diffused, you have a natural cream-shadow base you can build up as intensely as you like.

How do you lift the eye with the eyeliner flick trick?

1. Curl your lashes first so the eye already looks more open.
2. Take the pencil to the outer corner and gently flick it up at the end, following the natural angle of your lashes.
3. Go back to the base and drag the color up and out into those outer lashes to give the eye a lift.
4. Use a short smudge brush (or even your finger) to whisk the color out toward your brow and soften it. You are not drawing a sharp winged liner, just diffusing the end for a lifted illusion. Add a little more color if you want more definition.

Which eyeliner formula works for this hack?

1. Choose a liner that is genuinely soft and creamy so it will not drag or tug on delicate lids. I reformulated my waterproof eyeliner to be rich, glossy, and long-wearing exactly so it can double as a cream shadow and stay put all day.
2. Pick your color. I love dark chocolate, and Plum and Navy are gorgeous too, Navy is especially flattering on brown eyes. The shade is printed on the barrel so you are not digging through a bag of look-alike black pencils.
3. Avoid dry, old-style mechanical pencils. If a liner feels hard or dull, it will skip, irritate the eye, and it will not blend into a shadow, so let it stay as a liner only.

How do I finish the rest of the face?

1. Optional: press a shimmer topper over the color to add a subtle sheen and make it look less flat, almost like a custom shade.
2. Separate and lift the lashes with a precise, volumizing mascara. Front-load the brush at the base, wiggle, then comb straight up. My intense curling and volumizing mascara is made for this kind of controlled, lash-by-lash application. Brush up your brows.
3. Perfect the skin with concealer where you need it, then buff in a little coverage. A BB cream with a buffing brush evens tone without feeling heavy, and my blending brush makes it seamless.
4. Pull the face together with color. Line and fill your lips, then dab the same lipstick onto your cheeks as a cream blush for a soft, monochromatic look. I used my Cameo lip liner with my NikRay lipstick, and finished by topping the lip with a Manifest & Glow gloss for shine.

The bottom line

Great makeup does not have to be complicated. When your eyeliner is soft and creamy, it can be your liner and your eyeshadow in one, so you get a pretty, lifted eye in seconds, even on a rushed morning or a trip where you forgot your palette. Get your fingers in it, keep it a little messy, and have fun. Ready to try it? Explore my best sellers or browse the full makeup collection to build your own one-pencil routine.

Frequently asked questions

Can you really use eyeliner as eyeshadow?

Yes, as long as the liner is soft and creamy. Swipe it onto the lid and blend it up from the lash line before it sets, and it behaves like a cream shadow. Dry or mechanical pencils will not work, because they skip and set too hard to blend into a smooth wash of color.

What eyeliner colors work best for mature eyes?

Rich, wearable shades are the most flattering. Dark chocolate gives soft definition without looking harsh, plum adds a little warmth, and navy is especially beautiful on brown eyes because it makes the whites look brighter. Choose whatever color you love, since the creamy formula lets any shade double as a diffused, natural-looking eyeshadow.

Do I need to prime my eyes first?

It depends. If you have discoloration on the lids or you are using a lighter eyeliner shade, priming first helps the color stay true and last longer. With a deep shade like dark chocolate, you can usually skip the primer and apply the creamy liner straight onto bare skin, then blend it up right away.

How do I keep the eyeliner from dragging on my eyelid?

Start with a genuinely creamy, long-wearing formula so it glides instead of tugging. Work quickly to blend it up before it sets, and never drag a hard, dry pencil across the lid, because that pulls delicate skin and irritates the eye. A soft liner does the work for you with almost no pressure.

Can I use my lipstick as blush too?

Absolutely. If you forget your blush, dab a little of your lipstick onto the apples of your cheeks and blend with your fingers. It gives a dewy, natural flush and creates a monochromatic look, so your lips and cheeks match effortlessly. It is one of the easiest ways to pull a simple face together.