How To: Apply Winged Eyeliner

Want sexy, seductive eyes? Just wing it!

By popular demand, here is a winged liner tutorial. Many of you have trouble with this look, and I have a super easy way to achieve a perfect wing every time. Just like anything else, it’s all about practice. So, if you mess up the first few times, don’t stress! You’ll get it eventually. Inspired by THEE beauty icon Marilyn Monroe, this is a very sexy, sultry look. I find that it completely changes the shape of your eye. You can incorporate it into your day to day look, or a night out. Very versatile, ALWAYS sexy.

All you need for this is an eyeliner brush and a liquid or cream eyeliner. I recommend using a liquid or cream eyeliner for a winged liner for best results. It’s a bit difficult to achieve this look with a pencil liner. You don’t have to spend a crazy amount of money for either product. Eyeliner brushes can be found at your local drug store, Wal Mart or even the art store (I use a LOT of art brushes in my kit, will do a review later on). Most drugstore brands also carry liquid or cream eyeliners. Alright, let’s go!Step 1: Dip your brush into your eyeliner. Point your brush to the corner of your eyelid. For the best shape, you want it to line up with your bottom lash line. 

Step 2: Draw a straight line from the corner of your eyelid, upwards, towards the crease of your eye. Don’t be afraid of tracing a solid, straight line. The higher the line, the more dramatic the wing. Keep that in mind.

Step 3: Once you’ve done that, drag your brush from the tip you just traced, to your lash line, creating a triangle shape. 

Step 4: Fill in the triangle you’ve just traced. If you find that your lines are a little crooked or shaky, fill them in as needed. The trick is to keep the liner in a solid line, even if you have to thicken it a little bit. It is always better to have the liner thicker on the wing, and thinner towards the inner corners of the eye.

Step 5: Now, with very LITTLE product on your brush, run it along your lash line. Start in the middle, and work your way to the front. I never apply eyeliner starting in the corner of my eye. I always start at the end, because, as I’ve already mentioned in step 4, you always want your liner to be thinner in the inner corner, and thicker on the end. A lot of women apply it starting in the inner corner, and often end up with really thick  liners, making their eyes look smaller – no good!

Step 6: You want to maneuver your brush in a way that only the tip of it makes contact with the corner of your eye, keeping the line very thin, progressively getting thicker to the end.

Step 7: Make sure that your liner has unison. You don’t want little gaps in between each step, so take this time to connect it into one straight, sleek line.

Step 8: If you want a thicker wing, this is the time to build a little volume. Stay away from the inner corner of your eye and focus on building from the middle to the wing.

Step 9: Make sure both eyes are even. If at this point you notice that the wing isn’t perfectly symmetrical, apply a tiny bit of eye makeup remover to a q-tip and manipulate the shape of the wing. If I already have my under eye concealer or foundation on when I’m applying eyeliner, and I happen to mess up, all I do is go over that spot with under eye concealer after cleaning it up. Sometimes I even take the under eye concealer on a clean brush and USE it to clean up my winged liner. I will save that for a video tutorial.

Step 10: VOILA! You did it! Apply some mascara and you’ve got yourself a perfect, sexy winged eyeliner. This look is even SEXIER with a pair of false lashes. For a step by step tutorial on how to apply false lashes, click here.

Note: I often use waterproof cream or liquid liners for this look, because I want it to last all day. If you are a beginner, try to avoid using waterproof liners, because they require you to work faster, as they dry quicker and are harder to manipulate if you mess up. Just a heads up! If you feel like you can master this right away, by all means, go wild with the waterproof.

Let me know if this works for you, and remember: Practice, practice, practice! One eye will always look nicer than the other, at first. This took me YEARS to perfect!