Perfecting the Wing: How to Apply Eyeliner Like A Pro

With the increased need for mask-wearing in public, one key beauty trend is how to make your eyes pop with makeup. Eye makeup looks are fun and creative ways to draw attention to the face, even while it's covered up.

One key skill that elevates any eye makeup is perfecting the winged eyeliner. It helps define your eyes, makes them appear rounder, and can add a polished finish to your look.

How to Apply the Perfect Winged Eyeliner

Dark circles can create an illusion of shadow around your eyes, making them appear smaller. By applying concealer on your under-eyes, it will help even out the skin tone across your face, illuminating your eye area.

There are two ways you can get the perfect wing, but both require a smudge-proof eyeliner with a fine tip. Eyeliners like the Maybelline Hypersharp Liner work best as they feature a water-, sweat-, and oil-resistant formula and laser-precision tip.

Technique A: Wing First

The technique uses the wing as an anchor for the rest of the eyeliner, allowing you to adjust its thickness to your liking. You can easily create bolder eyeliner looks with this technique.

1. Start with an angled line on the outer corner of the eye, towards the tail of the eyebrow.

When drawing this line, it helps to aim towards the tail of your eyebrow. This line will serve as the bottom of the wing, which can either be straight or follow a slight curve. For a more natural look, use the natural angle of your lower lid as a guide.

2. Connect outer tip towards the lash line

Connect the tip away from your eye with another line, aiming it towards the lash line--this will be the top of the wing. This will leave a gap between the end of the first line and the lash line.

3. Extend the line towards the inner corner of the eye.

From the end of the top line, use your eyeliner to draw a line across your eyelid. This can either maintain the size of the gap between the wing and the lash line or tape the wing closer to the lash line.

4. Fill in the gap between the line and the lash line

Carefully cover any skin within the lines you've drawn with eyeliner. As much as possible, keep your strokes in one direction and work slowly. This will keep your liner looking neat and helps you avoid going outside the lines.

5. Clean up any mistakes with cotton buds and makeup remover

Mistakes happen, and that's okay. Using a cotton bud dipped in makeup remover, you can smoothen out any flaws on the other part of the liner. You can also clean up the liner edges to create crisper and sharper lines.

Technique B: Lash Line First

Starting your eyeliner from the lash line is great for those who have trouble finding the right angle for the wing. Having the lash line filled gives you a better estimate of where the wing will connect. With your best precise eyeliner, this technique will help with more natural and subtler wings.

1. Draw a line starting from the inner corner going outwards

If you aren't confident with drawing longer lines, you can create a series of "dashes" where you want your eyeliner to sit. Then, connect them to create a flawless and precise line.

2. Thicken the eyeliner along the upper lash line

For a more natural look, keep the line as close as possible to the lash line. For a fuller or more dramatic look, you can slowly thicken the line to your desired size. This gives better control of the line and allows you to perfect the liner's edge.

3. Add a flick on the outer corner of the eye, towards the tail of the eyebrow

Once your eyeliner is at the desired thickness, you can start the bottom line of your wing. Working at your desired angle, flick outwards from your lash towards eyebrow. You can use the angle of your lower lid as a guide for a more natural look.

4. Connect the tip of the flick to the lash line and fill in

From the tip of the flick away from your eye, draw a line downwards to your lash line. This forms the top of your wing. Fill in any gaps between to complete the look. Work slowly and draw strokes in one direction to avoid going out of the lines.

5. Clean up any mistakes with cotton buds and makeup remover

Use a cotton bud dipped in makeup remover to correct any imperfections and make your liner look sharp and neat.

Bonus Technique: Cheat with Tape!

Learning how to draw the perfect wing can be daunting, especially for those with shaky hands. This technique is a great workaround by using tape and your best black eyeliner.

1. Cut about 2cm of tape and stick it on the outer corner of the eye

The winged eyeliner look helps make your eyes appear bigger. For this technique, use a black eyeliner by starting at the center of your upper lash line, extending it outward, and then upward toward your eyebrow. Then, angle another line from that point of the wing downward and across your lash line until it connects to create a winged tip.

You can use scotch tape, masking tape, or washi tape of this. Position the tape diagonally, aiming towards the tail of the eyebrow. This will serve as the template for your wing. How high or low the angle will determine how dramatic your wing is.

2. Trace along the tape's edge with the eyeliner

Using your eyeliner, create a line using the tape's edge as your guide. Don't worry about going over the tape--not only does it provide a template for a smooth and crisp line, but it also shields the skin underneath from any stray liner.

3. Extend the line along the upper lash line

Once the line is complete, you can take your eyeliner and extend the end of the line across the upper lash line to create the rest of the wing. For a more dramatic look, you can extend from the middle of the line and create a gap between your liner and the lash line.

4. Peel the tape off

Follow the other eyeliner steps, such as filling in any gaps and cleaning up the edges. When you're satisfied with the look, peel the tape off, and you're done!

Have the Confidence and Wing It!

Learning how to apply eyeliner can make all the difference in your mask-friendly makeup routine. Use these easy-to-follow eyeliner steps to level up your eye makeup game today!

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