The winged liner is a classic look, and a favourite of makeup lovers and artists alike; so, why do so many of us struggle with it? I know I do, without the perfect liner and the perfect stress free situation, I find it almost impossible to master the winged liner. Those two little black lines, matching nicely with their smooth wings, they’re a lot harder than they look!
I think if you’re going to master the look there’s a few things to keep in mind. So here are my winged liner tips:
Choose the right applicator
If you’re just starting out your best bet is the liquid pen liner. Pick one with a fine nib and you’ve set yourself up for the best possible outcome. This is still the method I use, and one of my favourites has to be the L’Oreal Superliner. There’s something so convenient about popping a cap off of a marker style pen, no messing about with pots and brushes. Just think of it as a sharpie for your eyes, but not nearly so permanent…which brings me onto my second point…
Chill out, it’s just liner
If this is your first time, chances are something’s going to go wrong. So just have some eye makeup remover (like one of these) and cotton buds. If you mess up, use the tip of a pointed cotton bud (my favourites are from The Body Shop) or the side of a regular one and get cleaning.
Practice makes perfect
The cliché it is, but it’s true. No one goes in and does it first time; but after a few tries I bet you’ll be impressed with how things are coming out. Try it out on a bare eye so you don’t have the stress of perfected eye shadow underneath.
I forgot to mention, get the right liner
Slipped my mind there, but it’s important to go for a very dark formula. Forget fighting with patchy liner, or grey wings; if you’re going to do this pick the blackest liner you can find. It might sounds scary, but this will really help the overall look of your makeup at the finishing line. Sure, you might have got your shape down, but a wishy-washy formula would let any pro down at the last hurdle.
Take it nice and slow
Finally, go slow and steady when you’re applying your liner. Don’t rush in thinking you can slap it on in one swipe, you’ll most likely need to use small, short strokes to get the shape you want. Try tracing along your lash line, in small lines overlapping, then extend you wing tracing from your lower lash line towards the tail of your brow.
Let me know in the comments below if you have any winged liner suggestions, I’d love to hear them!
Sam