How To Fix Dried Liquid Eyeliner Pen

Use these tips to ensure your waterproof liner lasts awhile

Discovering that your eyeliner is dried out, damaged, or otherwise unusable puts a damper on your look. Not only are you unable to finish your makeup routine, but you also wasted money on a product you can no longer use! Fortunately, there are ways to extend the life of your waterproof eyeliner to ensure it will stay fresh until you've used all of the product.

How Should I Store My Waterproof Eyeliner?

Waterproof eyeliners come in a few different varieties. Depending on the eyeliner type, there are methods to store the eyeliner to keep it safe and in tip top shape for future uses.

Pencil eyeliners should always be stored in a space that will protect the wood casing and tips from cracks and breakage. In the event of a broken tip, the pencil eyeliner can always be resharpened, but this will waste some otherwise usable product to reproduce the tip. By ensuring the pencil's cap is replaced and it is stored in a protective case, unnecessary damage can be avoided.

Liquid eyeliners in the forms of inking pens and liquid containers with brushes should always have their caps restored tightly at the end of each use. Loose caps can result in dried-out, wasted products—even if the caps weren't left off too long. Liquid eyeliner pens can also be stored tip-down to encourage the product to keep the felt tip moist and ready for the next use.

Some eyeliners, such as gels and cakes, are packaged in makeup pots. Like their liquid counterparts, their lids should always be screwed on tightly after each use. Gels can dry out easily, and powdered cakes can become brittle and dusty if left open for too long. Failure to return the caps to these products also make them easy targets for breakage, leaking, and smudging.

Can You Make Damaged Waterproof Eyeliners Work Again?

Fortunately, there are tricks you can use to restore damaged waterproof eyeliners and extend their life, so you can avoid spending money to replace them.

For pencil eyeliners, there are a couple methods to restore dried-out product. The first method involves gently rolling the wood casing of the pencil between your palms for a couple minutes. The friction creates a warmth that "heats" the product enough to make it malleable again. If this method isn't enough to revive the product, the tip of a pencil eyeliner can always be held over a candle or lighter flame for a few seconds to quickly reheat the product and eliminate dryness (however, you should definitely give the tip a few seconds to cool before trying to apply it near your eyes). If you want to avoid using a flame, a thirty-second blast of hot air from a hair dryer can produce a similar fix.

Liquid eyeliners may require some troubleshooting before identifying the root of the problem. If the liner appears dried out, first test the applicator by applying a few drops of contact solution to it. Dip it in the product and attempt to run it over the back of your hand. This may restore the liner's bold color again. If not, there is another method to try. If you suspect the product itself is dried out, add a couple drops of alcohol-based makeup remover to the container and shake well. This should restore the makeup's bold color again.

Gel liners tend to dry quickly when exposed to air. However, it is easy to rehydrate them to be usable again. To rehydrate a dried gel liner, dribble a few drops of oil onto your hand (olive or coconut oil work well for this trick). Using a brush, swirl some of the oil into the dried product. Replace the lid on the gel's pot and keep it capped for about five minutes. When you check the product again, it should be rehydrated and ready for use.

How Can I Get the Most Out of My Waterproof Eyeliner When I'm Applying It?

A great way to extend the life of a waterproof eyeliner is being mindful of the application process. A great makeup application avoids the need for any reapplications throughout the day, saving your time and your product.

A great first step for any eye makeup look is choosing to use a primer. Primers serve as a foundation for eye makeup to "grip" when it's applied to the skin. Because our skin can become sweaty and oily during the day, primers serve as a strong barrier between the makeup and our skin's attempts to smudge it. Less smudging means less reapplications, which makes the eyeliner last longer.

Resources— StyleCaster, Byrdie

About The Author

Sydney Smith (243 Articles Published)

My name is Sydney Smith, and I am currently a librarian in North Carolina. When I'm not at work, I spend my time writing reviews for ReviewThis, hanging out with my husband and our cat, reading, micro-blogging on my Instagram, and crafting. Both of my undergraduate degrees are in English and I am almost finished with my master's degree in library and information science. Writing has always been a big passion of mine, and I am thrilled to be able to do it in a way that helps people make informed choices about the products they buy!