The secret to liquid eyeliner self-application lies with finding the right felt-tip marker. After all, everyone’s familiar with holding a pen or pencil, right? They’re long, thin, easy to manipulate, and—if you pick the right one—deliver just the right amount of black pigment. Tamah, Alexa Chung’s make-up artist, favors Nars’ Eyeliner Stylo ($27) in Carpates: “It has the fluidity of a brush,” she says. Kevyn Aucoin’s Precision Liquid Liner ($32) in Black has a similarly rounded brush, as does Giorgio Armani’s Maestro Eyeliner ($33) in Black and Revlon’s ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen ($9), though the latter two are a bit plumper (ideal if you favor a thicker line).

Via Who What Wear

L’Oreal’s Infallible The Super Slim Liquid Eyeliner ($9) in Black is the slimmest of the bunch, delivers the darkest black line, and is super flexible, giving you the most control.  Stila’s Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner ($20) in Black has almost the same tip, but is waterproof in case you want to accessorize your swimsuit with a cat eye this summer.  If it’s staying power you’re worried about, there’s Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner ($18) in Trooper.  Though the tip looks like the others, it’s actually a brush, one that delivers a water-resistant formula that dries super fast and stays put all day long.

Whichever marker you choose, practice drawing the kind of line you’re after on your hand a few times before moving to your lash line. And one last tip from Tamah: “People tend to put too much pressure on the brush, but it’s almost like calligraphy—you have to let the pen do the work.”

Thanks to the lovely folks at Who What Wear for sharing these tips from Tamah K, Alexa Chung’s make-up artist.  I’m a huge fan of liquid eyeliner, and my 3 top favorites are Nars ‘Stylo’ Liquid Eyeliner for a bit of a thicker line, Physicians Formula 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner & Serum for a very thin base line (and it claims to thicken your eyelashes as a bonus- also note the low price tag of $11), and Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner for a thin line (but mostly because the black color has this amazing pigmentation that really makes my brown eyes stand out).  What are your tips for applying eyeliner?