A Better Way to Sharpen an Automatic Eyeliner

The obvious benefit of automatic eyeliner is that you don't have to carry around a pencil sharpener or deal with the mess of makeup- and wood-shavings. The big drawback, however, is that, while automatic eyeliners are supposed to "automatically" sharpen, those flimsy built-in sharpeners often fail to create a perfectly sharp point and usually end up wasting makeup by shaving or breaking off too much product.

A much more effective way to sharpen your automatic eyeliner is simply by using a tissue and a little technique.

In one hand, hold the plastic eyeliner casing close to the opening where the actual eyeliner comes out. Holding the tissue in your other hand, use your thumb and index finger to lightly pinch the tip of the eyeliner with the tissue. Rotate the pencil while slowing pulling it towards you and out of the tissue again. As you get closer to the very tip of the pencil, gently squeeze it with the tissue to create a point on the end.

Think of this action as using your thumb and index finger to "mold" the tip of the eyeliner by gently pinching it and cleaning off the excess eyeliner with a tissue.

Repeat this process, if necessary, until the tip of the pencil is sharp. The result should be a freshly cleansed pencil with a perfectly pointed tip.

By sharpening your automatic pencil in this way, you waste a minimal amount of product. Furthermore, you lessen the risk of eye irritation since your pencil will be cleaner after wiping off the outer surface of the liner.

Now line away!