By Hannah Powling
London Fashion Week saw many gorgeous makeup looks; but one in particular was the bold Amy Winehouse-esque winged black liner for the Creatures of the Wind show. Although most of us might not opt for this statement liner for our casual every day look; we wanted to pay homage to the winged liner and put in a little tutorial for a great way to get a perfect liquid liner, every time.
So there are three main steps to this technique…
Firstly, map out where you want your wing. It doesn’t have to be too neat at this stage. This will be the base of your angle, and I like to imagine it as the bottom lash line just carrying on upwards, as this is flattering on the eyes. Do this whilst looking straight ahead into your mirror, if you can.
Secondly, motioning the brush back on itself, use the tip of the brush as the point of the wing, and bring back the line onto your lid so you have your point.
Thirdly, using the tip of the brush, start at the middle corner of your eyes and bring this line into the wing, neatening it all up.
Don’t be afraid to stretch the skin with your other hand a little while you neaten everything up – I wouldn’t suggest doing this in the early stages of drawing on your liner, as once you let go, the shape of your wing will change! Tip your head back as you are looking into the mirror as your lids will be nice and flat, as your eyes will be semi-closed; but you can still see what you’re doing.
For ease I like to use a fine pointed tip synthetic makeup brush. Here I am using Tarte Cosmetics Double Ended Bamboo Liner Brush (available from QVC with eyeliner for £16). I say synthetic as I find the real-hair fine tipped brushes splay out ever so slightly after a while of using them; as the hairs naturally curve with moisture and use, and you lose that precise pin-point tip you want for a winged liner.
I do find the tips that are included in many liquid liners that you buy (felt tip nibs, brushes) are not very easy to use at all. So when it comes to the formula, I use Laura Mercier Tightline Cake Liner in Black Ebony (£19.50 from Selfridges). I have been using this liner for years now… when I run out, I buy another. It lasts forever too. You use it like you would a paint; mixing in some water into it with a brush, and you have a liner that you can choose what kind of transparency/density you’d prefer daily. You can actually use it dry too, making it more of a dense, chalky, soft liner. It is water soluble, so easy to remove, but stays on all day.
D&G embraced a soft feline winged liner at Milan Fashion Week; check out the looks and what products they used to get their sexy feminine look..
Here’s a little video to show you how…
Happy Lining!
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