If you use a wayward eyeliner as a ‘sorry I’m late to work’ excuse (occasionally guilty), these new liners could take that one off the table. Or you could just use them for foolproof fun. Either way, here’s the skinny on stamp liners…
I like to imagine myself as an advanced level Geisha in front of her dressing table when applying eyeliner, painting on meticulously even and crisp eyeliner wings in a state of meditative concentration. The reality is more akin to splodging a felt tip liner across my eyelid while squinting into a hand mirror on the tube and hoping for the best. If Nike tick perfect flicks happen, it’s probably purely by accident- even most beauty editors I know haven’t nailed the Da Vinci Code of eyeliner application. Sometimes it’s on point, literally, and sometimes it’s more scary Black Swan than Adele, and there seems to be no science to predicting which way things are going to go on any given day. UNTIL NOW.
Okay I may be getting a little overexcited here- stamp liners are clearly a bit ‘one size fits all’, and you’re unlikely to end up with Audrey Hepburn authentic flicks, but they can be mightily handy when for some reason even the simplest pointy shape at the outer corners is proving impossible to achieve. Also, angled liner isn’t your only option here. You can adorn your eye area with eyeliner crescent moons, hearts and stars if so wish, channelling the liner led creativity seen on the catwalks of late, or just stamp on something incredibly non-faffy yet impactful for Halloween .
Three’s a trend still flies, so here are your options…
Rimmel Wonder Wing Eyeliner, £5.99
With an arrowhead tip, you can create a neat flick by pressing down the flat edge of the nib, using the pointed end for definition along the lashline. It’s a nifty timesaver, but don’t expect Hollywood level liner- it’s a basic shape for days when you just CANNOT. Colour pigment wise it’s not the most intense liner I’ve used, but for ‘in the office’ eye makeup that you won’t cry over if you leave it in the work loos (bargains), it’ll do nicely.
Lottie London Stamp Liner, £5.45
The definition of ‘playful’ makeup, these are probably aimed at tweenagers, but gimme. A dual ended felt tip liner with a classic nib on one end and a themed stamp on the other, you can choose from a half moon, heart, star or musical note print. Ridiculous, but fun, and not too zany in you’ve got a big night planned. Wear them at the top of your cheeks, at the centre of the lower lid or really anywhere you please. Buy a few and mix it up for truly cute and cosmic liner. Or just get one for your ten year old to muck about with to provide an antithesis to complicated contouring videos on Youtube.
The Vamp Stamp, £22.50
This piece of kit is a bit more technical- you dip the stamp in a cream or gel eyeliner, or paint it evenly with liquid liner, wipe off any leakage around the sides, line it up with the outer corner of your eye and press to ‘stamp’ on a flick. Some wear by it as a liner revolution, some actively dislike it (if you have smile lines or hooded eyes you may not have the smoothest ride here), but it does come in different sizes to cater for eye shape, size and personal taste, plus it is remarkably neat if you master it and can make the colour link up with the rest of the liner on your lid. A bit like stabilisers for eyeliner, really, and it’s double ended with ‘left’ and ‘right’ signs for extra hand-holding. I’m not really a fan of the name, but that’s by the by. From a speed/ doing your makeup on the train P.O.V, it’s not necessarily more efficient either, but if precise results are the most important factor, it can deliver small feline eye shaped miracles if you get the hang of it.
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