Winged eyeliner is undoubtedly one of the most glamorous and fun ways to wear eyeliner. Whenever I see a woman with winged eyeliner, I imagine that she is a person who has a dramatic – yet playful side to her! If winged eyeliner is something that you have admired from afar, but never mastered – this post is for you.

Today, I am going to show you step-by-step photos on how to do winged eyeliner. Once you see the images, it will take all the mystery out of how to achieve the “winged” effect.

 

 

Here’s a selfie I took when I was in the car with my husband on the way to see Adele in concert. Not a great photo, but you can see my eyeliner.

How To Do Winged Eyeliner

First, you need the right tools for the job:

1. Black Liquid Eyeliner – here is a link to an Allure award-winning eyeliner: Kat Von D Tattoo Liner
2. Matte Eyeshadow – in my opinion, the best way to show off your winged eyeliner is with eyeshadow that is a little lighter than your natural skin color. While I love a smokey eye, and luminescent eyeshadow, I think that winged eyeliner is more impactful with softer colors.
3. Black Mascara – once your eyeliner is set, several coats of black mascara make your eyes pop even more. Here is a link to a Bare Minerals mascara, I’ve found these brand to be non-irritating: Lash Domination® Volumizing Mascara
4. Other Tools – to apply eyeliner, you need a well-lit space, a mirror with magnification and preferably a table that you can rest your elbows on and a chair to sit on. Avoid applying eyeliner when you are leaning over your bathroom sink, it’s too tricky.

Preparation – Apply the eyeshadow from your lashes to below your eyebrow. You can always fill in your eyebrow (if you do that) and apply more eyeshadow beneath your eyebrow after you’ve applied the eyeliner. When you are ready to apply the eyeliner, gently pull back the outer corner of your eye with the pointer finger of your less dominant hand. The reason for pulling it back is to make the skin taut. This will make the liquid eyeliner glide on evenly in a straight line.

Below are the step-by-step photos and instructions:

Step 1 – Using the liquid eyeliner, draw a line about a half of an inch long, from the corner of your eye at a 45 degree angle (see above photo).

Step 2 – Starting in the middle of your eye, i.e. aligned the tip of the eyeliner brush with your pupil. Draw the second line up so it meets with the end of the first line, increasing the thickness as you go (see above photo).

Step 3 – Starting at the inside corner of your eye, draw the third line so it meets with the the second line. It should end at the edge of your iris (see above photo).

Step 4 – You’re in the home stretch! All you need to do is fill in the spaces and smooth out the lines if necessary (see above photo).

Step 5 – How gorgeous is that!

Step 6 – Apply several coats of black mascara and you’re done (see above photo).

 

Click anywhere on the image below, it will automatically open up a new tab and you can print this out and keep it as a handy reference on your vanity table.

 

I hope that this has taken away the guesswork and encouraged you to give it a try. It takes a little bit of practice to get it down, but it is so worth it! My last tips:

• Let the liquid eyeliner dry before opening your eyes completely, or you will get liner where you don’t want it.
• Rest your elbows on the table when applying eyeliner, this helps keep your hand still.

 

sarah o’brien

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how to do winged eyeliner