The Ultimate Guide to the Types of Winged Eyeliner, Straight From Celebrity MUAs

The perfect winged liner does exist, and regardless of your eye shape, if you believe it, you can achieve it. In fact, we’ve been perfecting this style for more than 2,000 years, dating back to B.C. in ancient Egypt where Cleopatra ruled in a fierce cat-eye.

The winged liner trend found its way to America in the 1920s, and in what some would call a plot twist, skyrocketed to popularity in 1922 when King Tutankhamun aka King Tut’s tomb was discovered. A century later, winged eyeliner still remains in style, with celebrities like Ariana Grande and Adele adopting it as their signature look.

We spoke to celebrity makeup artists Mario Dedivanovic, Sofia Tilbury, and Jacqueline Fraioli to learn the ins and outs of winged liner and get the scoop on how to perfectly style it regardless of eye shape, product preference, or skill. Ahead, the ultimate expert guide to winged eyeliner.

Meet the Expert

• Mario Dedivanovic is a celebrity makeup artist, famously known for his work with Kim Kardashian. He is also the founder and CEO of Makeup by Mario.
• Sofia Tilbury is a makeup artist and product and content creator at Charlotte Tilbury Beauty.
• Jacqueline Fraioli is a makeup artist based in the Tri-State area, known for her masterclasses and work on Adrienne Bailon.

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Classic Winged Liner

For all of the drama (in a good way, obviously) the pros love an inner corner liner that connects for an inner and outer winged look, like Sofia Tilbury’s seen above. They note that working with a pencil can sometimes be more difficult in the precision category, but share their tips to get the cleanest application.

“Start by drawing a very thin line along the upper lash line, as close as possible to your lash hairs to ensure no skin is showing through,” says Tilbury. “When you reach the final third of the eye, stop and create a dot in the outer corner where you’d like your wing to end. Then wing up and out to join the dots—and remember to keep cotton swabs on hand to perfect the finished line.”

“Using a pencil or shadow with a dampened brush can be easier and more comfortable to use for beginners,” adds Dedivonovic. “I always recommend sitting with your elbow anchored on a flat surface to keep your hand steady while you apply. I also keep pointed cotton swabs dipped in micellar water handy to sharpen and perfect the wing at the end.”

As for achieving the perfect inner corner wing, Fraioli shares, “you want to accentuate the inner corner of the eyes. This looks best on eyes that are set further apart. You can do both top and bottom liner with this if you’d like. A pencil liner or liquid liner is best for this look.”

The experts agree: Regardless of your lid, eye shape, eye distance, or preference, there is a wing for everyone. Tilbury shares that her ultimate tip, regardless of the wing style you’re looking to achieve, is to look straight ahead into the mirror while creating the wing to help ensure the wing is tailored to your natural eye shape.

Dedivanovic leaves us with a simple yet important last piece of advice: practice makes perfect, even when you’re a pro.