Kayal for the eyes – what is it for and how to use it

In the cosmetic bag of a modern girl, you can find various interesting makeup products – primer, concealer, bronzer. Today, journalists decided to acquaint readers with such a tool as kayal (kayal). We learned everything about this representative of decorative cosmetics – what it is, how it is used, how to choose. For example, a slice, a kayal is a bold eyeliner, you can use it to draw arrows, for continuous eyeliner, for toning a moving eyelid. Read more about kayal in our article.

What is kajal, a little history

If you look at the image of Cleopatra, the first thing that catches the eye is her magnificent arrows in front of her eyes. The queen, and then noble women, men used exactly kayal in order to initiate the fashion for eye makeup. Kajal is widely known in North and West Africa, in southern Asia. This tool was used not only for makeup, but also for the following purposes:

1. Protection of the eye area from the negative effects of environmental factors – sun, sand, wind.

2. Disinfection of the mucous membrane, improvement and prevention of infectious and inflammatory eye diseases.

3. Protection from the evil eye (eyes were painted even for newborn children).

4. Creation of images and drawings with religious-ritual, cerimonial meaning, to characterize social status.

The term 'kayal' has more than 3 thousand years of history. This word stands for 'cosmetics'. In those days, eye kajal was made from crushed natural components – galena, antimony, malachite, lead, charcoal, soot. Vegetable oils, extracts, resin were used as binding agents.

Kayal was also popular during the silent film days – it was used on the set of Charlie Chaplin and actress Teda Bara. Kajal is also used in modern cinema – what is the image of Jack Sparrow from the movie 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. This cosmetic product is used by famous women of fashion and ordinary girls. But how is it different from a cosmetic eyeliner? Makeup artists gave the journalists of the online edition an exhaustive answer and recommendations on the choice and use of this tool.

The difference between kayal for eyes and a regular cosmetic pencil for drawing arrows

Consider how the kayal for the eyes differs from the usual means for drawing arrows:

1. First of all, the marking – on the kayal there is always an inscription 'khôl' or 'kajal'.

2. Structure. A regular pencil can be hard, soft, or medium hard. Kayal, on the other hand, is very soft. You can even say that its core is quite bold. The lines that kajal leaves on the skin differ in color saturation and width. This special pencil slides very easily both on the skin and on the mucous membrane, it does not need to be pressed on, and therefore there is no risk of causing any injury to the eyes.

3. Scope of use. A regular pencil is designed to draw arrows along the outer edge of the upper or lower eyelid. Kayal in most cases is used to draw lines along the inner contour – along the mucous membrane of the eyes. Due to its soft structure and durability, this product fits well on the mucous membrane and does not 'blink' when closing the eyelids.

4. Structure. Most modern kayals are made on the basis of mineral and plant components, natural antiseptics. Therefore, kayal in the modern world also protects the eyes from damage by infectious agents. The most common type of product is kayal, made from Dutch soot and additional natural ingredients. In most cases, soot is obtained by burning off tar and birch bark.

5. And the last difference is that kayal can rarely be found in a girl's cosmetic bag, or she simply does not suspect that her cosmetic product belongs to this type. In most cases, kayal for the eyes is bought by makeup artists, make-up masters. This is justified by the fact that this tool has a fairly wide range of applications.

Kayal types

On sale you can find kayals in different colors and shades. Let's see what application they have found in the field of modern make-up:

1. White kayal for the eyes. Excellent makeup base. Can replace primer. Applied in a thin layer and blended, evens the skin tone and provides a good 'adhesion' of the eyeshadow to the skin of the eyelids. And also, being the base, provides maximum brightness of shades of shadows. If you apply a light-colored kayal to the mucous membrane of the lower eyelid, the eyes will become visually larger and more expressive.

2. Kayal in a champagne shade with a light shimmer. If you apply the product on the inner side of the lower eyelid, the look will not only be more open and expressive, but also fresher and more vigorous. Ideal for everyday makeup.

3. Black kayal for the eyes. Great for making Smokey Eyes, for drawing bold and retro arrows, for expressive and dramatic evening makeup. In the latter case, kayal is painted over the entire movable eyelid before applying black shadows or cosmetics of a different color to it. If you have a photo session. you can use only kayal and do without shadows. This product has a matte structure, does not reflect light, so you will look perfect in the pictures.

4. Kayals for eyes of other colors and shades (nude, blue, olive) – can be used as a base for makeup or as an independent means for drawing arrows and covering the area of ​​the moving eyelid with pigment.

How to use kayal – methods of applying cosmetic products to the eyes

Make-up masters shared with the journalists of our publication the techniques for using kayals of different shades:

1. Solid black eye contour. In this case, kayal is applied to the inner side of the contour of the lower and upper eyelids. The line is continuous, the tail of the arrow on the upper eyelid may or may not be present. The technique is suitable exclusively for owners of large, naturally wide-open eyes.

2. Beautiful arrow on the upper eyelid. In this case, you need to draw a continuous line, starting from the inner corner of the eye (along the line of growth of the eyelashes, hairs, not along the mucous membrane) and ending with a graceful tail, which goes 0.3-0.5 cm beyond the upper eyelid. The ponytail can be straight or curled up, depending on your personal preference. The arrow, which is drawn with kayal, can be easily shaded if necessary.

3. Lower eyeliner combined with toning of the upper. In this case, you can create a very effective make-up that will suit any occasion. The application technique is simple – apply kayal pigment to the movable upper eyelid, shade; bring the mucous membrane of the lower eyelid, departing from the inner corner of the eye 0.5 millimeters (do not paint over the corner). At the end of the procedure, you need to take a shimmery shadow of a dark beige, light chocolate, graphite (optional) shade and apply to the inner eye area, under the lower eyelid. After that, you can paint your eyes with mascara, giving them even more expressiveness.

4. Coloring of the space between the eyelashes. This technique can act as an independent makeup method if you want to achieve maximum naturalness. If you use brown, black or gray kayal, you can emphasize the eyes and create the effect of no makeup. Also, a dyed lash line can be an excellent base for applying mascara (especially in the case of false eyelash makeup), drawing an arrow, or using dark shadows.

Life hack from experts – since kayal is very soft, girls often have difficulties sharpening this tool. To prevent the tip from breaking or crumbling in the process, place the pencil in the freezer. In 25-30 minutes, he will be completely ready to meet with the sharpener.

How to choose a kayal – instructions from makeup artists, advantages and disadvantages

Consider what are the pros and cons of kayal for eyes compared to other similar makeup products:

1. Dark kayal visually reduces eyes. It, like any other dark product, is not recommended for continuous eyeliner narrow eyes. Although it fits perfectly to large eyes, it visually narrows the cut, adds expressiveness, piercing, and attractiveness to the look.

2. Kayal is much softer than a regular line pencil. In most cases, it gives a less persistent and unusually thick line, which can be mistaken for poor quality goods. You need to carefully read the information on the package – kayal and should be soft, unlike a contour pencil.

3. Kayal for eyes is available in different color variations – more than 40 shades, including shimmer and satin. You can often find options with two colors on different sides of the pencil.

4. Kajal is highly pigmented. The dark shade of the product will allow you to create the most striking image for festive, solemn, wedding makeup, for a photo shoot or performance. At the same time, kayal does not flow, does not smear and does not imprint on the eyelids, the durability of the product is 8-10 hours. There are waterproof kayals (for example, Romanovamakeup Sexy Smoky Eye Pencil), which set quickly and require rinsing with a permanent makeup remover.

5. A high-quality kayal for eyes can be quite expensive – more than 2,000 rubles. The disadvantage of this product is that, having a soft, oily structure, it is consumed very quickly.

How to choose a kayal for your eyes:

1. Shade – it must be selected depending on the goals, as well as in accordance with the color type of appearance.

2. Price – more expensive products contain natural ingredients, do not cause an allergic reaction, have increased durability and the most pleasant structure. But the same properties are inherent in cosmetics, which belongs to the middle price segment.

3. Release form – a retractable mechanical pencil, wooden, requiring sharpening. As well as products in a metal or plastic shell, or a tapered stick that does not need to be sharpened. The tree can crumble during the application of makeup, which can irritate the mucous membranes. Metal and plastic are more resistant, not prone to crumbling. And the stick is convenient in that it is always ready to use, does not require processing with a sharpener. There are also pencils with optional accessories – they can have a brush or applicator on the other end for blending.

A brief overview of popular products from trusted manufacturers

Make-up experts recommend our readers to pay attention to such cosmetic products:

1. Master Kajal, Maybelline New York. Creamy in structure, which has increased durability. Does not spread, does not smear, does not collect into lumps.

2. Couture Kajal, Yves Saint Laurent Beauté. The structure resembles a soft wax crayon. It is easy for them to draw relatively clear arrows and create soft coverage over the entire eyelid area.

3. Le Duo Khôl, Lancôme. This kayal is more versatile as there is a different shade on each end of the pencil – light and dark.

Alternative method of using light kayal

Kayal of white or flesh color can be used not only in eye makeup, but also in lips, for fine contouring, highlighting the desired areas of the face:

1. Lips. Apply lines with a light shade of kayal along the contour of the lips, blend the product – the lips will appear more voluminous.

2. Eyebrows. Apply a light kayal under the brow line, blend – the brow will appear clearer and more expressive.

3. Contouring. Apply light kayal to small areas between the eyebrows, on the bridge of the nose, on the bridge of the nose, above the upper lip, on the dimple of the chin and blend – this will create the desired accents. In this case, the kayal simply replaces the corrector or highlighter. Do not forget to carefully distribute the product over the skin, otherwise it will create the effect of oily skin.

Make-up artists definitely buy kayal, and often several of the most popular shades. And it is advised to add it to the range of personal cosmetics for all girls and women, because sometimes this tool is simply irreplaceable.

---