Eyeliner is everybody’s worst enemy and best friend. It always looks so good when you get it on- but getting it on, that can be a real struggle. You’ll get one side perfect, and the other is too long, too thick, not even.

There are so many different types of eyeliner looks out there too, from the cat-eye to the basic line. There’s liquid eyeliner, pencil eyeliner, and you can even get eyeliner tattooed! If tattooing your eyeliner to save some time is too much of a risk for you, here are some tips that might help you land that perfect line.

Find the right type of eyeliner
There’s a pencil, gel, and liquid. Every one works differently for every person and every occasion. Pencil eyeliner is typically better for the everyday look. If you opt for a pencil liner, however, you must sharpen your pencil regularly, so you’re not left with a dull, blunt line when you go to draw on your eyeliner.

Gel eyeliner is more versatile because you can control the thickness level of the actual line. However, this gets risky because you have to make sure you have a steady hand, and making them even on both eyes can get quite tricky.

Liquid eyeliner is for the pros. While you can achieve that perfect, dramatic eyeliner look with liquid liner, there is also a lot of room for fault. Getting the ideal line with liquid liner takes practice, but once you get it done, there’s no going back to any of the other types.

Use a primer
Using a good eye primer ensures your eyeliner and the rest of your eye makeup isn’t going anywhere. Just dab some on, wait a little for it to dry, and then get to work applying the eyeliner

Hold your eye
Holding your eye when you’re applying the liner gives you more control. Lightly pull the skin above your eye for a smoother line, so there’s less room for mistakes. Just make sure you’re careful and handling your eye with care!

Pick a color that suits you
There are so many eyeliner colors out there if you don’t feel like going for the basic black- you don’t have to! Sometimes a black eyeliner can be too harsh for people, so it’s better to choose a brown or a lighter shade. You can even play around with brighter colors, like purples and blues, which are especially useful to bring out the colors in your eyes.

Clean up your mistakes
Mistakes happen, and thankfully they can be fixed with our little friends: cotton swabs and concealer. Dab a cotton swab in a little bit of water or makeup remover and carefully wipe away any eyeliner mishaps, or you can help shape a wing with a little bit of concealer on a small concealer brush.