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Thursday, June 16, 2011

How to Do Winged Liner


So this post is devoted to those of you who love the cat eye but are quite unsure on how to achieve this look. It is best worn on nights out, and can a little more time than your usual liner look to do. If you're a newbie to this, it's best to not do this in a rush. With a bit of practice, however, you can achieve a very sexy look within a matter of minutes or even seconds (if you become that skilled, which is possible). Here are a couple of tips to follow when daring to go all out with your liner:
  1. If you're starting out, be aware of the type of liner formula you use. When I started out, I used liquid. It was a challenge to say the least, especially with the awkward and sometimes small brushes the containers came with. It took time to master it. And then, a bit too late (lol), I discovered gel liner. I can honestly say that MAC Fluidline changed my life and would've been a million times easier to have used in the beginning. This type of liner glides on smoothly and doesn't dry as quickly, so you can maneuver the line in case you mess up a bit. Use a stiff liner or even a brow brush to apply to eyes.
  2. If gel is even a challenge for you, you can still achieve this look with pencil liner. I wouldn't recommend a kohl liner for this; however, you would have to use a highly pigmented longwear liner so that the line doesn't smudge after you've worn it for an hour or so. Urban Decay's 24/7 Zero liner is a good bet if you want to go for classic black. It's longwear; plus it goes on very well. 
  3. Make sure you have your mascara on and brows done for this, especially for more dramatic use of winged liner. Otherwise, the look will seem incomplete.
Here's a process to easily achieving the look:
  1. Use a lighted mirror, like those Conair ones that are lit from the sides. Sit at a vanity or your dining room table. Tilt the mirror up so that you're looking down into it slightly. Rest your elbow on the table.
  2. Create the wing first. Draw a small elongated triangle (base should start at the line) about a quarter of an inch long that extends your natural lash line. This will end up looking like you flicked your brush up quickly at the ends, creating a bolder look.
  3. Draw three thin short dashes on your upper lashline: one on the inner corner, one above the pupil, and one on the outer corner. Carefully join them together. Keep the line thin at first. Go over the original line. This time, make the line thicker as you go out towards the wing. The line should not be thicker than the wing itself. If this does happen, adjust the wing. 
  4. If you make a mistake, dab some waterproof eye makeup remover (I like MAC Cleanse Off Oil actually because it takes off any formula you put on your face and eyes) onto a Q-Tip and run it along the messed up wing/line. I like using Eye Tees by Fran Wilson to correct mistakes with liner because they have a different tip on each end: a flat, rounded tip and a pointed, precise tip. I use the precise tip to fix both wing and line. Be careful not to overload the cotton tip with remover, or else you might end up making the line run and/or have the formula run down your face. Not awesome and quite annoying either way.
  5. Duplicate the process of lining with the other eye. Clean up the line if mistakes are made.
Alternate method at the jump (one which I have used personally many times):


  1. Start out by standing in front of a bathroom mirror. For those of you a little more experienced and/or steady-handed, you can afford to follow the rest of this freehand or resting your drawing arm against the mirror. If new to this, again refer to Step One of the first method.
  2. Start drawing your line from the center of the eyelid. Start out drawing thin, short strokes, and gradually thicken the line using a series of strokes. Make sure the line goes from very thin to thick from the center of the lid out to the outer corner so it doesn't look clownish. 
  3. Create the wing by dragging the liner brush in an upward curve. Start out thin, then adjust thickness so it matches the line. This creates a wing that is not as harsh and geometric, but gracefully curved and more refined. Think Sophia Loren and that bold, yet delicately-shaped liner she wore.
  4. Fix any errors with Q-Tips and remover.
  5. Duplicate process on the other eye. Fix as needed.
And you're done!

With these tips, you should be well on your way on channeling your inner Brigitte Bardot. Kisses!


P.S. - I know this is easier to duplicate when you can see this being done, so I'll be uploading videos in order to help with that. :)

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