There are tons of videos like this out there & it's always so frustrating to me. It's not that they do a bad job. The girls always do a wonderful job & their liner looks great.
The problem is that it looks great on them.
Everyone's eye's are different & this often gives girls the wrong impression. The'll do it exactly like the girl does in the videos & then it won't look like it did on the girl that did the video. Because of this they think that they just can't wear winged liner or that it just looks bad on them.
This, of course, is not true. You simply have to work with your eye shape & may need to do it in a different shape to achieve the style & shape you're looking for.
So it's not that I'm against these videos, it's just that I think that they need to be renamed to something like "How I do my winged liner".
So how do you know how to do winged liner on your eye shape?
Practice & lots of it!
I suggest sitting in one night, taking a cheap black eyeshadow with an angled brush (my favorites are Raven eyeshadow by Loreal & the ELF Angled brush, I find that a small angled brush is easier to control then a bent or pointed liner brush when you are first starting out), some baby wipes & going to town. Try it out & wipe it off until you find something that works for you. Then, when you get it to a point that you like it, take a picture (with eyes open & closed) & post it in the area that you do your makeup. This way, you have your very own little cheat sheet next time you go to do your liner.
So, where do you start?
There are a few different techniques to figure out the general line that you can follow. Each will give you a different shape & pronounce your eyes slightly different. Most of it comes down to personal style & what comes more naturally to you.
#1- Put on a pair of false lashes that have a long curved outer corner. Open your eyes wide & follow along the outer edge of the lashes. This technique is best suited for people without a deep set crease or that naturally have a large lid space. This gives you a traditional 50's-60's type of look.
#2- Extend the line from the natural curve of your lower waterline. Place your brush on the corner of your water line & just follow where that would naturally go if it extended towards your brow. I find that this technique works on all lid shapes & will give a upturned look to the eye.
#3- Place a cream product along your lower lash line. Then take the side of your index finger, place it along your lower lash line & drag your finger along the lash line to either your temple or the corner of your brow. Now just follow your liner along the inside of the smudge. I find that this technique works the easiest for those just learning where they should place their liners outer edge.
#4- If you like more of a triangle elongated effect, take the line from the middle of your bottom lash line up towards your brow or temple. This technique is much harder to master & really is dependent on eye shape as well as personal preference.
#5- Take a piece of paper, line it up from the corner of your nostril to the corner of your bottom lash line. Make sure the paper extends to your hairline & follow along it with your liner. I find that this technique works the best for people with mono-lids, deep set eyes, or hooded eye lids because it extends the line beyond the crease which can distort your wing. This technique also elongates the eyes.
Now that you have the bases of your outer line (which is definitively the hardest part) it's time to bring it towards your top lash line.
If you want a more dainty look, start about half way up your outer line. Pull it in a sweeping motion to a forth of the way into your top lash line, accenting a deep curve. Then blend the liner into your lash line. Keep building this line until you are happy with it. You can build it up higher on your outer line as well as further into your lash line. Remember to build slowly & alternating between both eyes, making sure they are even (nothing sucks worse then having one eye perfect & then trying to get the other to match).
If you want a stronger look, pull your line over from just below the top point of your outer line. Drag it in a straight line towards your lash line. You can pull it to about a forth of the way in for a modern pin-up look, half way for a dramatic effect, or almost all the way to the edges of your lashes for a great rock chic look.
Of course, either of these techniques can look more subtle or stronger depending on how high you take the initial outer line.
Now for the liner against your top lash line. This comes down mainly to personal choice & how you want your eyes to look. The top liner greatly effects the way your eyes will look shaped.
For a sultry Marilyn Monroe type of shape, start at the inner corner of your lashes (just at the very start of your tear duct). Make a straight angled line to about a forth of the way into your lash line, it should be about a 45 degree incline. Now round out the corner into a straight line across your lash line to your outer corner. Make sure to round out the edge before your wing as well.
For a dramatic, rocker type of look start at either the edge of your tear duct or just a little bit into your lash line. Now do a straight angled line to your outer wing. The higher you take this, the more dramatic it will look. I suggest starting by taking it just a little bit less the 1/4th of the way up & then building it from there. This will give your eye a very lifted elongated shape. I think that this works best when your initial outer line is more angled away from the crease (techniques # 3, 4, & 5)
For a rounded baby doll look, do a line tightly against your lash line. Now, slowly build up a dome in the center of your lid pulling it down towards the corners. You may have to even out the angle or sweep between the outer edge of your dome & your wing depending on how steep or wide it is. Work with it until it flows the way you want it to, this may take a little time & practice so be patient.
I know that this was a rather long blog post with a ton of information. I tried to explain things as clearly as I could but, if you have any questions at all or would like a short video on a specific technique please feel free to comment below.
Hope this helps you figure out a few new tricks to winged liner!
