If you’ve applied eyeliner and discovered that it looks too thick, there are some things you can do to fix it easily without re-doing your makeup look.

The best way to fix eyeliner that is too thick is to use an eye makeup remover pen to gently stroke away the thicker parts of the eyeliner. An eye makeup remover pen works well because it’s easy to carry and helps to erase your eyeliner like magic!

In this post, I connected with a few beauty experts and put together a list of the best tips you should know for fixing your eyeliner that is too thick.

Use an Eye Makeup Remover Pen

Crissy Henderson, Founder & CEO of Willow Grace Beauty, suggests using an eye makeup remover pen to fix your eyeliner.

Here’s What You Need To Do:

1. Take the tip of the pen and gently start at the corner of your eye and stroke towards the inner corner or the thicker parts of the eyeliner. This may remove parts of your eyeshadow but it should be small enough to fill back in without smudging the eyeliner. Gently go over the areas of your eyeliner that you want to thin out.
2. Repeat Step 1 until the eyeliner is thin enough to your liking. The makeup remover pen should help you erase your eyeliner like magic!
3. Use a pencil liner to fix areas that may have faded.

Make it Thick and Erase

Crissy also suggests that erasing mistakes is sometimes easier than trying to nail it the first time. The “Make It Thick and Erase” method requires that you draw on your eyeliner thicker than usual and then erase some of it to make it thinner.

Here’s What You Need To Do:

1. Draw the eyeliner on your eyes thicker than usual.
2. Take a pointed cotton swab and dip it in baby oil or micellar water.
3. Use the cotton swab to sharpen the line by removing the excess liner, making it thinner.

Use a Concealer

Another tip from Crissy is that you can use a concealer to fix your thick eyeliner.

Here’s What You Need To Do:

1. Take your concealer and dab it over the thick areas of the liner.
2. Use a finger, a small synthetic brush, concealer brush, or a small sponge to blend the concealer in.  This should give a your eyes neutral look and fade the eyeliner enough so the eye seems bare.
3. If the liner smudges, add concealer over the whole eyelid so it covers the old liner.
4. Take your eyeliner and redo the line.
5. Use an eyeshadow that resembles the eyeliner color and go over the liner to set it in place.

Turn It Into A Smokey Eye

Makeup Artist Lillee Jean suggested to simply turn your thick eyeliner look into a smokey eye look.

Here’s What You Need To Do:

1. Grab a dark-toned eyeshadow, brown or black.
2. Starting from the base of your lashes, gently smudge up. Use harsh pressure at the base and lighter pressure
   as you gradually move up. The Mac 219 synthetic pencil brush is great for this process.

The thick line as you add product on will turn out to be a glamorous statement look!

BTW, I’ve posted a guide on doing a casual eye makeup look. Check it out if you don’t want to do a smokey eye.

How to Apply Thin Eyeliner for Beginners

If you can’t fix your eyeliner that is too thick, it might be easier to remove it and try again.

To get proper advice, I connected with Jillayne Helmholdt, a makeup artist and founder of her beauty salon, GR Beauty Game.

Jillayne provided the following step-by-step guide for creating a beautiful thin line that will naturally enhance any eye shape.

Here’s What You Need To Do:

1. Choose black, dark brown eye shadow or pomade of your choice. You will also need an angled brush. Choose Black colors for medium to dark skin tones. Dark brown for medium to fair skin tones.
2. Lightly tap your angled brush into the shadow or pomade.
3. Tap off any excess shadow, no need to do this if you are using a pomade.
4. Lightly pinch the angled brush underneath the product to get the brush as thin as possible.
5. Starting on the outer edge of your lash line, position your angled brush with the short edge of the angle on the inside and the long sharp edge on the outside.
6. Get the brush as close as you can to the lash line and begin by connecting little dashes, working from the outer edge towards the inside of the eyelid. Creating little dashes will help you control the eyeliner from becoming too thick or crooked.
7. Work until you get towards the inner corner of the eyelid (about the last 1/3) of the lash line. Stop and repeat steps 2-4 to get more product on the brush.
8. Flip your brush 180 degrees and work from the inner corner towards the outside.
9. Slightly focus your eye opposite of your nose, this will help to tighten the lash line and prevent any bumpy lines.
10. Starting from the inner corner, continue with tiny dashes, working towards your outer dashes. Continue until you connect the two lines. Remember to keep your brush as close to the lash line as possible.