Brighten Your Spring Makeup Look With These Pastel Eyeliners

If you want to add a pop of color to your spring makeup routine, look no further than soft pastel eyeliners. Easter egg hues like pink, lilac and pale yellow open up the eye for a wide-awake effect that flatters every skin tone and eye color. You can pair your pastels with an equally dreamy cotton candy eye or go subtle with no-makeup makeup on the rest of the face. 

We asked NYC-based makeup artist Tony Tulve for his favorite ways to use pastel eyeliner. Keep reading for his tips and our top liner picks of the season. 

6 Ways to Use Pastel Eyeliners

Accentuate Your Waterline

Tulve confirms that there are a myriad of uses for pastel colors beyond just adding a cool hue to your look. “These shades look great in the waterline,” he says, because they add lightness that helps open up the whole eye area and makes the whites of eyes appear even whiter.

Use Pastel Eyeliner as an Eyeshadow Base

Not only will the pale hues brighten up a lid, but they also work as “a good base for glitter or more iridescent pigments to keep them in place,” Tulve says. Pastel liners also add extra vibrancy to whatever shadow you layer on top.

Elongate Your Eyes

One of Tulve’s favorite tricks is to extend the liner just outside your waterline to create the illusion of a wider eye.

Highlight Your Brows

Use a more neutral shade like white, peach or pale pink to give your brows the illusion of a lift. Simply draw underneath and a bit on top and then gently smudge the line for a subtle highlight effect.

Recreate the Cat Eye

You’re probably so used to doing this look in black that you can’t imagine it any other way, but a robin’s egg blue or mint green wing will breathe new life into the classic look, while also adding a fresh burst of color to your face.

Spotlight Your Inner Corners

The area between your nose and corner of your eyes can appear dark, which is often why makeup artists add a touch of highlight there to help open up the eye. Usually done in a shimmery white, peach or pearly gold, a small amount subtly adds light without looking like a disco ball. 

Instead of highlighter, you can use a pale yellow or green liner to extend all the way around the tear duct (top and bottom), and across top and bottom lash lines. The yellow neutralizes blue or purple (like dark circles) and the green helps to diminish redness so your eyes look bright.

The Best Pastel Eyeliner Shade for You

We asked Tulve to tell us how he uses his favorite hues. Check out his guide, then grab a liner and go to town. We’ve done you a solid and rounded up some of our faves. Use any one of these beauties to add light, dimension and a fun dash of color to even the simplest of looks.