How to contour different eye shapes with kohl
Celebrity makeup artist Namrata Soni shares tricks to redefine your eyes with the humble kajal
It’s fashion season and there is enough beauty inspo – on and off the runway – to get you through 2024. Actor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja recently attended the Dior Cruise 2025 show in Paris and a simple kohl trick made her makeup stand out in the front row. “Her look was inspired by the styling of tribal jewellery in India and we wanted to incorporate a little bit of its essence in makeup. So we strategically concentrated black kohl just at the centre of the lower lash line instead of lining it entirely. I have only used rose gold pencil on the waterline to make the eyes look bigger and brighter,” says celebrity makeup artist Namrata Soni who created this look.
Kohl tricks
“I always set black kajal with black eyeshadow to make it look stronger and to make it last long,” says Soni, founder of beauty brand Simply Nam. Another step she swears by is using a liner brush to apply kajal as a liner. “A gel pot liner can be strong and striking. But applying kajal pencil with a brush gives it fluidity and smoothness which I like. Always use a smudge-resistant kajal and it stays put once you set it with black shadow,” says the expert.
Also read: How pret designers are shaping Indian fashion
Using kajal on the entire lower waterline is one of the most common beauty steps for Indian women, babies, and even men from different communities. But to elevate your kohl use to contour your eyes, understanding the shape of your eyes plays an important role in how you do your kajal lining. “If you have protruding, big, bold eyes, use the kajal inside your waterline, upper and lower line, tightlining to make the eyes look smaller. If you have downturned eyes, lift the kajal from the outermost corner, pull out to a soft liner with a brush to lift your eyes,” says Soni. If you have monolids or hooded eyes, thin liner rarely shows, so try thick, innovative liners instead. “For monolid or hooded eyes, start from the centre of the eye and create a dramatic liner going outwards and upwards, angled towards the tip of the brow. Also concentrate the pigment underneath the waterline on the bottom lash line, which looks dramatic and beautiful,” says Soni.
The artist decodes Ahuja’s look from the show
1. Start with good skin prep, to create a good canvas for your makeup.
2. I start with underpainting with bronzer and blush. I like to use cream formulations as they make skin look soft and dewy. I then use a little concealer and foundation and set just the under-eye and T-zone area with a little setting powder to ensure the makeup doesn’t move.
3. For eyes, I have used a soft brownish nude eye shadow all over the eyelid including the brow bone.
4. Use an intense brown kajal with a liner brush to create an almost invisible liner from the inner corner of the eye stretching to the outer corner, becoming almost invisible.
5. Use a soft brown kajal on the lower lash line from the inner corner to the centre. Use black in the centre and brown from the centre to the outer corner, the black kajal at the centre has to stand out.
6. Use a rose gold pencil on the lower waterline to make the eyes pop more.
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First Published:22 Oct 2024, 01:00 PM IST
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