24 Epic Eyeliner Looks You Need to Try STAT
Even though it’s often done with just one beauty product, there’s nothing boring about eyeliner. Just a few swipes and you can create endless eye makeup looks. A favorite? The classic cat eye. Beauty expert and founder of Makeup N’ Sip and IGL Nails, Brittany Golden, agrees. “The black cat eye is classic and timeless,” she says. “It’s sexy and adds a pop of boldness to any makeup look.” But if you want to take your makeup look to the next level, you might want to kick classics to the curb and go for something a little more fun.
Golden is seeing neon eyeliner looks and what she calls “outliner liner” trending right now. “I am loving neon eyeliner because you can play around with colors that can also glow in the dark,” she says. “Outline liner looks are gorgeous because they add a bit of graphic element to your look. It brings everyone's attention straight to the eyes whenever you walk in a room.” You can create any of these looks on your eye shape, too. It all depends on placement.
“For hooded eyelids, using a liquid liner to create a cat eye works best because it allows you to draw fine lines closest to the eyelashes even if there isn’t a lot of eyelid to play with,” explains Golden. “If you have a larger eyelid, a dense tip liquid liner is the way to go for a luxe and dramatic look.” Nothing if off limits. Need some inspo? Try these creative eyeliner looks from your favorite celebs.
1. ‘60s Eyeliner
Lucy Boyton looks like a modern day Twiggy with black eyeliner just on the bottom lash line and tons of chunky, black mascara. The most important thing here is that both the eyeliner and mascara you use is the blackest black you can find. We especially like EYEKO Black Magic Liquid Eyeliner for its jet black color and the way it glides onto eyes with ease.
2. Dotted Green
Whitney Peak’s creamy green eyeliner is already unexpected — and so cool! — on the red carpet. But her makeup artist didn’t just stop there. It looks like she used the green eyeliner to dot along the lash line making it look like negative space. If you want to get a similar look but don’t have as steady of a hand, you can draw a line and then use makeup remover to create the empty spaces.
3. Gold Glam
Tavi Gevinson’s gold eyeliner creates a subtle glam perfect for fashion week. If black eyeliner feels a bit too intense for daytime, try a golden hue like ARACELI BEAUTY Ojos Perfectos Gel Pencil Eyeliner in Gold / Dorado. Use a pencil eyeliner to smudge the lash lines for that lived-in feel.
4. Shimmery Cat Eye
Sure, Megan Thee Stallion’s thick black cat eye is a classic look. But she takes it to the next level for a glam night out by first applying shimmery shadow as a base. That pale shimmer shade goes all the way up past her creases so it’s the star of the show.
5. White Waterline
It’s subtle but if you look closely, you can see the white eyeliner on Kaia Gerber’s waterline. That’s usually done to brighten up the eyes and make them appear wider and more doe-eyed. Skin-colored eyeliner is also popular and said to brighten in a less obvious way. Try SKINN COSMETICS Bright Eyes Eye Enhancing Eyeliner for that wide-eyed look.
6. Rainbow Eyeliner
Dua Lipa is wearing not one but three different eyeliner colors walking the Versace fashion show Spring Summer 2022 in Milan, Italy. The makeup artist created an exaggerated cat eye using different colors stacked on top of each other. Instead of lining right on the waterline, the colors are outlining the eye creases making them more noticeable from far away.
7. Black Lids
Instead of her usual classic cat eye, Selena Gomez took her liner from the inner corners out towards the brow bone to almost fully cover her lids in a glossy black hue. It’s a dramatic look that packs a serious punch. Be sure to use an inky liner to get that glossy finish, such as ARACELI BEAUTY Ojos Perfectos Liquid Eyeliner in Night/Noche.
8. Pink Smoky Eye
Selena Gomez loves a cat eye. But to bump up her classic look, her makeup artist added pink eyeshadow and smudged both colors. The finished product has that trendy “pink eye” look but a little more dramatic for nighttime.
9. Slept-In Eyeliner
Kristen Stewart nails the slept-in eyeliner look on the red carpet. She lines her waterline with black eyeliner and smudges the top lids so the look is less than perfect. Be sure to use a pencil eyeliner to get this look and use your fingers or a stiff eyeshadow brush to smudge easily.
10. Graphic White Eyeliner
Doja Cat’s white eyeliner is the star of an otherwise simple makeup look. The white liquid liner starts just outside the inner corners of her eyes and traces the upper lash line, swoops around and finishes up by her cut crease.
11. Black-and-White Eyes
Lupita Nyong’o’s eye makeup started simple enough with a classic black cat eye. But with a line of white eyeliner on top of each black line, the entire look pops against her skin.
12. Negative Space Cat Eye
Usually negative space eyeliner has a section missing along the wing. But Dove Cameron’s cool liner is much different. She actually lined the inner corners of her eyes but didn’t continue along the bottom lash line. It’s a simple change that makes a huge difference!
13. Dark Waterline
Zendaya’s smoky eye is made even more sultry with dark black eyeliner in her waterlines. Get the look by smoking out eyeshadow into subtle cat eyes and using a black eyeliner pencil on the bottom lash line, such as THRIVE CAUSEMETICS Infinity Waterproof Eyeliner in Lauren. The smooth, super pigmented black liner goes on smoothly thanks to shea butter and sodium hyaluronate.
14. Separated Cat Eye
Usually, winged eyeliner is well, shaped like a wing. But Hunter Schafer’s cat eye is actually two separate lines that never connect. It’s a small but creative way to switch up a classic liner look. Try using a black liquid eyeliner, such as ILLAMASQUA Black Eyeliner, to draw a thin line along the top lash line and just outside the outer corner. Use a black pencil liner on the bottom lash line extending it out close to the top line. Smudge the bottom line and add tons of mascara.
15. Filled-In Wing
Lucy Boynton continues to hit the red carpet with creative eyeliner looks and this sparkly winged liner is one of the best. It’s pretty easy to achieve a version of what she’s wearing with black liquid liner, such as EYEKO Black Magic Liquid Eyeliner in Carbon Black. Instead of on the top lash line, start the line inside the crease. Then, create winged eyeliner that’s pointing towards your ear. You can draw tiny strokes instead of a line if you want to get really creative. Then, fill in the wing with your favorite glitter or shimmer, such as the SMASHBOX COSMETICS Cover Shot Eye Palette in Bold Glitter. Don’t forget mascara!
16. Green Lines
Sometimes the easiest way to get a celeb-worthy eyeliner look is to go a little wild with bright green eyeliner (a gel eyeliner works well) that makes your eyes pop. You don’t even need a tutorial for this glam look on Bella Hadid. Simply take neon green eyeliner and draw on thick flicks of pigment across your upper lash line. You can do this on bare eyes or on top of a neutral eyeshadow.
17. Negative Space Cat Eye
Leave it to Lily Collins to start a new makeup trend with just one red carpet look. This eyeliner look reminds us of negative space nail art and the idea is pretty much the same. The actress’ winged liner looks complicated but it’s pretty do-able with the right tools. Use a black liquid liner, such as SKONE COSMETICS Insanely Intense Tattooed Eyeliner in Jet Black, to draw a thick black wing. Then, take a liner brush or Q-tip dipped into makeup remover and remove a strip of pigment in the middle of the wing.
18. Graphic Eyes
Although Kristen Stewart often wears tons of black eyeliner, we love this dramatic look done with sparkly navy eyeliner instead. It feels even more glam and it’s perfect for someone with hooded eyes. Take a blue gel eyeliner, such as CHELLA Indigo Blue Eyeliner, and draw a messy wing on each eye. Don’t worry about each eye being even. Be sure to make the wing heavy and right up into each eyelid crease.
19. White Wings
Another take on negative space eyeliner is this makeup look from Janelle Monáe. The bright white liner makes the musician’s eyes pop. If you have a steady hand, you should definitely try it at home. Take a white liner, such as the ESSENCE COSMETICS Kajal Pencil in White, to draw the open wing. Start near the inner corners and sweep the liner around and through the crease ending in a classic wing. If you’d like, you can add black eyeliner to the bottom lash line.
20. Two-Tone Eyes
Singer Adam Lambert chose not one but two bold eyeliner shades for this red carpet look. This is a fun vibe to recreate with any of your favorite eyeliner pencils. To get Adam’s look, grab purple and green eyeliner, putting one on the lower lash line and one on the upper lids. Be sure to smudge each line for a lived-in, rock star look.
21. Red Wings
Black eyeliner feel a little too dramatic? Try a simple cat eye with a shade like red instead. Joey King pulls off the trendy hue flawlessly. We love the PIXI BEAUTY Endless Silky Eye Pen in RoseGlow for its sparkly, rosy hue in a waterproof formula that lasts all day. Depending on your eye shape, you can easily create a thicker wing or a tin line with this pencil.
22. Graphic Wings
Dove Cameron’s eyeliner look resembles actual bird wings and we can’t stop looking at it. While it’s not the easiest look to try at home, it can be done with a precise black liquid eyeliner and a steady hand. Try IL MAKIAGE Inkliner in Black and draw a large, swooping wing from under the brow bone to the end of the brow. Then, draw tiny strokes at the end of the wing making it look feathered.
23. Electric Blue
Margot Robbie’s blue eyes pop against this electric blue eyeliner. The color is the most important thing here as the shape is pretty much a classic eyeliner look. Simply line your eyes with a bright eyeliner, such as GLAMOUR DOLLS Retractable Gel Eyeliner in Blue, both on the top and the bottom. Get to smudging like crazy for a lived-in look. Finish with blue mascara for extra glam.
24. Exaggerated Wing
Kaia Gerber took her classic cat eye to the next level. Instead of her usual wing, she wore just the lower part of a cat eye with one line coming from the outer corners of her eyes up towards the end of her brow. Get the look with SERAPHINE BOTANICALS Luna Liner - Water-Resistant Liquid Eyeliner in Black.
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