8 Must-Try Eyeliner Trends

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By Elizabeth Denton
Published on July 5, 2021
Close-up of Lucy Boynton rocking minimal face makeup and a floating eyeliner look
Close-up of Lucy Boynton rocking minimal face makeup and a floating eyeliner look

Call it the Euphoria effect or the resurgence of ‘70s fashion and beauty trends, but eyeliner feels fresh all over again. Folks all over TikTok and Instagram are getting creative with innovative takes on eye makeup. New eyeliner trends are popping up left and right and classic eye makeup looks are getting a modern update. Celebrity makeup artists are going viral for their color eyeliner looks, beauty influencers are taking the cat eye to the next level, and we’re all watching and copying in awe.

There are a handful of eyeliner trends that have been gaining speed with makeup artists and beauty lovers alike. Some look, well, complicated to recreate. That’s why we enlisted makeup pro and beauty influencer Lupe Cuevas to give us the scoop on some of the top eye makeup looks. Cuevas shows her 372k followers how to get the latest beauty trends using everything from pigments to gel eyeliner and liquid eyeliner in classic shades and colorful hues. Now, she’s giving us the scoop. Go grab your eyeliner pencil and a mirror and get ready to become your own makeup artist.

Meet the Expert

Lupe Cuevas is a makeup pro and beauty influencer.

How to Get These 8 Trendy Eyeliner Looks

1. Classic Cat Eye

Zoë Kravitz rocking neutral makeup and a classic cat eye look
Zoë Kravitz rocking neutral makeup and a classic cat eye look

1. Anchor your wing: Apply a piece of clear tape at a 45-degree angle beginning at the end of your upper lash line.

2. Trace the tape: Take a black liquid eyeliner such as ILLAMASQUA Liquid Eyeliner in Black and draw a line along the edge of the tape.

3. Finish the wing: Draw a line from the tape to the outer corner of your eye, making a triangle shape.

4. Line eyes: Continue the line across the upper lash line.

5. Shade: Fill in the wing.

6. Bonus: Apply black pencil eyeliner such as ARACELI BEAUTY Ojos Perfectos Gel Pencil Eyeliner in Black to the waterline.

2. Floating Eyeliner

Lucy Boynton rocking minimal face makeup and a floating eyeliner look
Lucy Boynton rocking minimal face makeup and a floating eyeliner look

1. Outline: “Use a spoon to outline. I've tried it, it works!” says Cuevas. Place the spoon on your eyelid where you want the line to go.

2. Trace: Use a pencil eyeliner to trace the rounded edge of the spoon.

3. Anchor: Apply black eyeliner to only half the waterline, starting from the middle and going to the inner corners.

4. Perfect the lines: “Don't be afraid to use concealer to perfect it! Or you could get a thin brush and liquid makeup cleaner to clean the edges,” adds Cuevas.

3. Graphic Eyeliner 

Janelle Monae rocking a textured leather hat, black and gold Chanel dangling earrings, and a graphic white eyeliner makeup look
Janelle Monae rocking a textured leather hat, black and gold Chanel dangling earrings, and a graphic white eyeliner makeup look

1. Choose a color: Graphic eyeliner can work with any eyeliner color or formula. We love this white eyeliner on Janelle Monae. Try ESSENCE COSMETICS Kajal Pencil in White for a similar matte eyeliner look.

2. Draw along cut crease: With your eyes open, start at the inner corner and line your crease with the white eyeliner, creating a small wing near the outer corner. For hooded eyes, draw the line a little above the crease.

3. Finish: Connect the little wing to the outer corner.

4. Bonus: Apply a contrasting color, like black eyeliner, in the waterline and finish with mascara.

4. Negative Space Eyeliner

Bella Hadid looking fierce in a white dress, silver necklace and earrings, and a negative space eyeliner makeup look
Bella Hadid looking fierce in a white dress, silver necklace and earrings, and a negative space eyeliner makeup look

1. Prime your eyelids: It’s especially important to prime your lids when doing negative space eyeliner so the color doesn’t transfer. Try the THE BEAUTY CROP Stuck On You Eyeshadow Primer, which keeps eyeliner locked in place for up to 12 hours.

2. Wing it out: Start by creating a classic cat-eye along your lash line.

3. Draw negative space line: Go back towards the inner corner of the lid, leaving a space between the two lines. Don’t finish the wing.

4. Get glam: Finish with tons of mascara. Try BENEFIT COSMETICS They're Real! Lengthening Mascara in Jet Black to fake a falsies look.

5. Colorful Liner

Lupita Nyong'o rocking a blue eyeliner and mascara makeup look and silver dangling earrings
Lupita Nyong'o rocking a blue eyeliner and mascara makeup look and silver dangling earrings

1. Choose a shade: Black and navy blue are both popular eyeliner colors, but this cobalt blue hue on Lupita Nyong’o is a trending shade. Try NYX COSMETICS Epic Wear Liquid Eyeliner in Sapphire for a similar option.

2. Get creative: Swipe the same shade in your lower waterline. This is just one way to recreate Lupita’s colorful look.

3. Add more color: You’re not done yet! Swipe on a matching blue mascara (focusing the color on your outer lashes) to get the highest impact.

6. Uni-liner 

Solange Knowles performing and rocking a silver uni-liner makeup look
Solange Knowles performing and rocking a silver uni-liner makeup look

1. Choose a color: This trending makeup look resembles a unibrow, so it’s best to go with a color far away from your own brow shade, like the molten silver on Solange. Try NYX COSMETICS Vivid Brights Liner in Vivid Gunmetal.

2. Apply tape for straight lines: “I highly suggest using tape,” says Cuevas. Place the clear tape in the middle of your nose towards the corner of your eyes and towards the crease of your eyes.

3. Trace the tape: Draw as many lines as you’d like using the tape as a guide. Be sure to draw one long line connecting both upper lash lines to get the unibrow look.

4. Fill in uni-liner: Cuevas recommends using a similar colored eyeshadow to fill in the lines or you can leave them empty for a more graphic eyeliner look.

5. Add a wing: Use black liquid eyeliner to create a classic cat eye right up against your colorful eyeliner.

7. Smudged Double Wing

Smiling Olivia Wilde rocking a red sequined dress and smudged double wing eyeliner look
Smiling Olivia Wilde rocking a red sequined dress and smudged double wing eyeliner look

1. Start with a cat eye: Use your trusty black liquid liner to draw a classic cat eye.

2. Draw the bottom wing: Use a soft gel liner like ARACELI BEAUTY Ojos Perfectos Gel Pencil Eyeliner to swipe the pencil along the lower lash line, curving the wing so it goes in an opposite direction. Don’t worry about being as precise as the top wing.

3. Clean edges: Use a Q-tip and makeup remover to ensure the top wing has sharp edges.

4. Buff edges: Use a dry Q-tip to lightly smudge the lower wing for a sultry look.

8. ‘60s Eyeliner 

Lily Collins rocking pastel lilac eyeshadow and bold eyeliner and eyelashes makeup look
Lily Collins rocking pastel lilac eyeshadow and bold eyeliner and eyelashes makeup look

1. Start with pastel eyeshadow: Apply a soft pastel eyeshadow to the entire lid. COMPLEX CULTURE Full Time Eyeshadow in Lavender Metal is a great choice for a shimmery look.

2. Draw a wing: Create a thick black cat eye with a black eyeliner pencil, such as REALHER Eye Am Amazing 24HR Eyeliner in Black.

3. Line eyes: Continue the wing across the top and bottom lash lines.

4. Exaggerate inner corners: Take the top lines right down past the inner corner of the eye towards the nose.

5. Add tons of lashes: Go for a Twiggy eye look with layers of mascara and false lashes.

Grab all the eyeliner you need to master these trendy looks in the IPSY Glam Bag. Take our Beauty Quiz now to get started. Already an Ipster? Refer your friends to earn points, which you can use toward products. Either way, don’t forget to check us out on Instagram and Twitter @IPSY.

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