6 essential tips for a perfect winged liner look

We get it - winged eyeliner is one of the trickiest beauty techniques to master, simply because it involves precision, concentration, and a steady hand. And it’s where so many things can go wrong too; you could blink and your liner could transfer to your eyelid or the lines can look uneven thanks to the slightest wiggle in your straight line. But fear no more - follow our guide to perfecting your liner game. You’ll be a pro before you know it.

#1 / Pick the right eyeliner tip for the look you’re after

Whether you’re doing a subtle flick of liner or a bold winged eyeliner look, it’s important to use an eyeliner with the right tip for the job as it will make the application process much easier. Rimmel London ScandalEyes Precision Micro Eyeliner is great for thin lines as the soft fine tip can easily glide across your eyelid, whereas Rimmel London ScandalEyes Thick & Thin Eyeliner is perfect for drawing bigger architectural shapes, all thanks to its chiselled tip. Plus, they’re both waterproof and smudgeproof (as the ink dries almost instantly), so they won’t budge even hours after you put them on.

#2  / Go slow when applying

When you’re new to applying liquid eyeliner, apply a little at a time - trust us, it’s easier to add more than to take it off and start all over, especially if you’ve just spent the last couple of minutes blending your eyeshadow to perfection. Try mapping out your look first by etching a dotted line across your eyelid, and then join up the dots to finish.

#3 / Hold the liner like a pen

For both thin and thick liner looks, hold your eyeliner like you would with a pen for the most amount of control, and press down onto your eyelid with moderate pressure (any harder and excess ink may come out of the product).

#4 / Improve your technique

The best thing about wearing winged eyeliner is how it can really open and widen your eyes. Ready to take on a more dramatic, winged eyeliner look? With an eyeliner that has a chiselled tip, face the longer edge of the tip towards the inner corner of your eye, and lightly draw the product from the inner corner towards the outer corner of your eye. Then, turn the pen so that the tip is facing diagonally up and the angled side is flat against your eye, and in one sweeping movement, draw a line back down towards your top lash line, connecting it to your first movement.

#5 / Practice makes perfect

Like any other tricky beauty technique, lots of practice in front of the mirror (and when you’re not in a rush) will ensure that you improve on your skills over time. If you’re using a particular liquid eyeliner for the first time, practice by drawing a few lines on the back of your hand before applying to your eyes to test the flexibility of the tip and to see how much ink comes out.

#6 / Clean up the lines

A perfect winged eye takes practice and a steady hand, but that can easily be faked by cleaning up around the eye with some micellar water (such as Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution) and an angled eyeliner brush (like shu uemura natural 60b makeup brush). To do so, dampen your brush with a drop of micellar water, and use the angled tip to erase any mistakes and perfect your winged eyeliner.