eyeliner

Graphic details, smokey eyes, winged effects, and waterproof finish — this is the moment you fall in love with liner. Explore liner in all formats, from gel to liquid to pencil, and shades, like black, blue, brown and colorful eyeliner, to achieve your smudge-proof eyeliner look!

Here's how to do winged eyeliner using our best winged eyeliner hacks:


TIP #1: Apply a piece of household tape right below where you will draw your eyeliner wing. Use the tape as a tracking line and draw on the wing. Remove the tape for a mess-free, perfectly sharp swoop.


TIP #2: Rest your arm on a table to stabilize it and look down into a tilted mirror when applying eyeliner for simplified, stress-free application.


TIP #3: When you've finished drawing on your eyeliner line, dip an angled brush or Q-tip in makeup remover and use it to clean up any imperfections.


TIP #4: If you're new to eyeliner, especially liquid eyeliner, start with a pen version, like Hyper Easy Liquid Eyeliner. To get a feel for the fluidity of the pen, practice on the back of your hand before applying to the eye. Use small strokes along the lash line until you can perfect one fluid line.

Newbies, take note: a little practice in the mirror is needed in order to get comfortable. Pencil eyeliner is nice and smudgy—but liquid eyeliner is all about clean, swooping lines, and only professional calligraphers get it right on the first go. Make sure you have lots of damp q-tips on hand to fix any mistakes as you go.


There's no one way to apply liquid eyeliner. Some people draw a thick line and then go in after with a damp q-tip to perfect it—good, pro-approved technique that only works if you don't already have on eyeshadow. If you're applying eyeliner after applying eyeshadow, start by tracing a thin, smooth line in one stroke from the inner corners of eye to the outer corners. Keep the line thin and as close to the lash line as possible, so no skin shows between the lashes and the liner. You can always go in and add thickness and extra touches like swoops at the corners of eyes later.

 First step to cat eye perfection? A touch of shimmer. Sweep a shimmery, deep toned eyeshadow shade across the crease of the eyelid to contour and make eyes pop. Next: Draw a smooth, even cat eye by starting at the inner corner of the upper eyelid, moving the brush tip outwards. For best results, use a black liquid liner. Apply a piece of household tape right below where you will draw your eyeliner wing. Use the tape as a tracking line and draw on the wing. Remove the tape for a mess-free, perfectly sharp swoop.

No skills? No problem. Eyeliner, while maybe not as easy-breezy to apply as say, lipstick, is quite easy to master once you get the hang of it. The great thing is, there are so many kinds nowadays. Thick. Thin. Smudgy. Precise. Gel. Kohl. Liquid. Take your pick!The trick to applying eyeliner, especially when you're just getting the hang of it, is: expect mistakes. Roll with it, don't get discouraged, and always have patience and q tips on hand!


Newbies should apply eyeliner before mascara and eyeshadow, to allow for smudges and mistakes, which are harder to fix if you've got on other makeup that you don't want to mess with. Don't worry about creating a perfectly smooth, straight line—bumps and uneven lines are easily fixable with a dash of makeup remover on a q-tip. Get close to the mirror and trace a line from the inner corner of the eye to the outer corner. Always keep the line as close to the root of your lashes as possible.

Lining the lower lashes is so cool—a real glamour look. The goal is to line right along the waterline. The waterline is that sliver of exposed skin between the eye and the lashes. It's a sensitive area, so always be gentle and use only the cleanest tools here. For this look, an eyeliner pencil is the best option, the softer and more pigmented the better. Kohl formulas are fantastic here, too. It will deposit a gorgeous, saturated line of color on the lash line and not bleed into the eye like a liquid liner will.


To apply, take a clean, freshly sharpened pencil and gently glide it along the waterline, from the inner to the outer corner.

Newbies should apply eyeliner before mascara and eyeshadow, to allow for smudges and mistakes, which are harder to fix if you've got on other makeup that you don't want to mess with. Don't worry about creating a perfectly smooth, straight line—bumps and uneven lines are easily fixable with a dash of makeup remover on a q-tip.


Get close to the mirror and trace a line from the inner corner of the eye to the outer corner. Always keep the line as close to the root of your lashes as possible. And be sure to sharpen the pencil eyeliner before using!

 Always use a freshly sharpened eye pencil in the inner corner of eyes, but dull the tip a bit with your finger. This keeps everything sanitary and safe. Then, just lightly pencil in color along the inner corners. Because that stretch of skin is naturally wet, color won't adhere the same way it does to say, the upper lash line. But after a few strokes you'll have gorgeous definition. A little goes a long way.

Whereas dark eyeliner acts as a picture frame, defining the edges of your eyes, white eyeliner acts as a blank sheet of paper, keeping the possibilities open and edges fresh. Aesthetically speaking, white eyeliner is incredibly edgy and reads 100% modern and cool.


You can also use white eyeliner to make your eyes look bigger! To achieve this effect, line your lower waterline with a white eyeliner and it will make the eyes seem wider and more open.

 You can easily turn eyeshadow into eyeliner. All you need is a skinny eyeliner brush, the shadow of your choice and a bit of water. Take your brush (a slim, angled eyeliner brush works best in this case), dip in water then drag across the surface of your eyeshadow. Then line eyes the way you would with any other eyeliner. The water will intensify the shadow pigment and turn it almost into a liquid liner. Once you're satisfied with your look give it a minute to "set" then apply the rest of your makeup as you would normally.