Beyoncé’s makeup artist has a genius hack for nailing razor-sharp winged liner

Sir John (AKA the makeup artist behind Beyoncé’s best-ever beauty moments, and an absolute living legend) doesn’t mind playing favourites when it comes to makeup looks.

“I love liner – it’s my favourite thing to do,” he spilled of his affinity for feline flicks via a recent IGTV segment. And hey, we’re sure we'd love eyeliner more than anything else on the planet, too, if we could draw cat-eyes like him.

Well, considering he just shared his go-to hack for mastering a line sharp enough to slice, it’s safe to say we’re well on our way… watch out Sir John, we’re coming for your wing skills…

The secret to starting out strong? The angle. “Start in the mirror, and lean your head back almost like you’re looking up your nose – I know it sounds crazy, [but] that’s going to give you a flat view of what your lids look like,” explained Sir John. Flattering? Not usually. Genius? Absolutely.

Once you’re in position, it’s time to get lining – but don’t expect to nail it in a Harry Potter-style ‘swish and flick’. “A gorgeous line happens in about three lines; it never happens with one line,” he shared, noting that patience and precision are key.

“Don’t worry about mistakes [either], we’re going to fix mistakes with a cotton bud later,” he confirmed, explaining that “it’s all in the cleanup".

"Whenever you’re doing a cat-eye or feline flick, you’re going to take a small cotton bud and you’re going to shape up [the wing] – it’s all about the shape-up after.”

A dry cotton bud won’t get the smooth drag you’re after, though – luckily, Sir John has a secret sharpening method up his sleeve, and er, this is the kinda gross part.

“I have a little hack; I know this sounds really bad, but take a little of your saliva [on the cotton bud], just like your mum would, [pull the skin around your eye taut to ensure there are no creases during the cleanup] and then pull [the damp cotton bud] all the way up. Get in there and really shape that wing,” he explained.

“You’ll give yourself the most precise [liner] ever – it’s going to be the perfect sharp wing." The perfect sharp wing?! We've only had that on our vision boards our entire lives.

Main image credit: @sirjohn

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