1. Hooded or Deepset Eyes: Kohl or Pencil Eyeliners

Eyeko Sport Waterpoof Eyeliner

Beyond perfect for beauty beginners, a kohl-esque pencil is superb for soft smudging of the rims – think a less OTT version of a full-on smoke on the lids. A solid workwoman-ready pencil product like Mac Cosmetics’ Modern Twist Kajal Liner, $31, is perfect for this purpose. Quick note: Selecting a liner with good glide is absolutely essential – you don’t want painful tugging around your delicate orbital region.

Starting from the inner corner and using a decisive hand, deftly trace around the contours of your lower lashline, then blink rapidly to transfer some of the pigment to your upper waterline. (You can use an angled eyeliner brush to pick up the pigments, but straight from the pencil is perfectly fine, too.) Finish by using a small domed brush to blur out the outer edges for a diffused, more natural appearance. So easy!

2. Big Almond-Shaped Eyes: Liquid 

REVLON Colorstay™ Liquid Liner, $19.90

Liquid liner is lovely for pin-point precision. Like needlework, use a felt-tip liquid liner like L’Oreal Makeup Designer Paris’s spectacular Superstar Felt Liner, $19.90, for understated enhancement of large eyes, in a technique referred to in makeup parlance as “tightlining”. Here’s how. With a steady hand, “connect the dots” between your lashes, following your eye’s curvature and getting as close to your upper lash line as possible. Restraint is of the essence here. Don’t wing it out; rather, stop lining at the farthest end of your natural lash line.

Top tip: Stick to a clean canvas for a super minimalist take: Just a kiss of nude blusher, maybe a little mascara, a slick of gloss on the lips. The beauty is in the perfect little imperfections: Hair that’s mussed up and not too “done”, lips that don’t appear lacquered on. Elegant, easy to pull off, and very “visionary”, in all senses of the word.

3. Monolids: Gel Eyeliner

LOREAL PARIS Super Liner 24Hr Gel Liner, $21.90

Gels are gorgeous for budge-proof drama for night – think a sweeping cat-eye swoosh that’s as exuberant as the Nike logo. Big bonus: Gels like Bobbi Brown’s sensational new Sunset Pink Limited-Edition Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner, $41 each from July 2016, are great for greasy lids because the polymers in most formulas bind to your skin like a temporary tattoo. This makes them fantastic for a fabulous feline flick, which for my money is the best pep-me-up ever: The jaunty tick at the outer edges gives downturned single-lidded eyes a beguiling Botox-like lift.

Start by resting the tip of your angled liner brush about two-thirds the way in from the outer corners to trace out the outer wing and where you want the “tick” to end. Now that you’ve got an outline of sorts, run it over it with a windshield wiping motion of the flat side of your brush for a really robust body. And you’re done!

Text: Eugene Quek/HerWorld Plus

Additional Reporting: Atika Lim