I'm a classicist when it comes to eyeliner. I like a simple line across my top lids (maybe a flick if I'm feeling snazzy), and a tiny smudge on my lower lashes for definition. So when it comes to tightlining, or the act of applying of eyeliner at the base of your lashes rather than above or below them that can make your eyes look bigger, I wasn't sure it was for me. That is, until I went backstage at Emilio Pucci's spring 2016 show, where makeup artist Lucia Pieroni used was using the technique. Obviously, I asked her opinion on the subject.
The inspiration for the makeup and hair at the show was Kate Moss in the '90s, which meant loose waves, bare skin, and black eyeliner traced along the inner rims of the eyes on both top and bottom lids. "It's supposed to look like it was put on three days ago," she said, although, how would that be any different if she just smudged it along the lashes? "Well, because it smudges out much nicer," she explained, "and it gives that effect that you once had mascara on." If done correctly (here's a quick primer, if you're unfamiliar), it creates a softer, more worn-in smudge, and it may even make your lashes look thicker. But here's the real kicker: It also makes you look like a badass. "If it was above the lashes it would look pretty, but we don't want pretty. We want the models to have a tougher edge—and to look really cool." I don't think I need much more convincing than that, my friends.
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