A wing is two decisions and one line. The first decision is the angle, and the lower lash line makes it for you. The second is the length, and the eye shape makes that one. Once both are set, the line itself is a dot, a connecting stroke and a fill.
Most failed wings come from drawing with the eye closed or the lid stretched. The skin moves back when the eye opens and the line moves with it. Charlotte Tilbury's artists advise keeping the eye open and relaxed and using the lower lash line and brow tail as guides (Charlotte Tilbury).
What is winged eyeliner?
Winged eyeliner is a line drawn along the upper lash line that thickens toward the outer corner and ends in a short flick that points up and out. The classic version is also called a cat eye. A thinner, longer and sharper version, drawn with the eye elongated at both corners, is the siren eye.
The wing works because it extends the line of the eye beyond its natural edge. A flick that follows the angle of the lower lash line lifts the outer corner. A flick drawn flatter lengthens the eye without lifting it. A flick drawn steeper opens a rounder eye.
What do you need for a winged line?
You will need
- A liquid liner with a felt tip or a fine brush tip, or a gel pot with an angled brush
- A soft pencil in the same colour, for sketching the shape first if you are new to wings
- A mirror at eye level in daylight, with your elbow resting on a table
- Cotton buds and micellar water, or a flat concealer brush and a little concealer, for corrections
- A small piece of tape or a business card if you want a ruler for symmetry
Runway artist Kasey Spickard sketches the shape with a workable pencil, refines it with a fine brush and a long-wear liquid or gel, then cleans the edges (Yahoo). The pencil step is optional once the hand knows the angle.
How do you draw a wing in seven steps?
- Look straight ahead into the mirror with the eye open and relaxed. Tilt the chin up a little so the lash line is visible. Do not pull the lid.
- Find the angle. Imagine the lower lash line continuing past the outer corner toward the tail of the brow. That line is the direction of the flick.
- Place a small dot on that line, 3 to 6 mm past the outer corner. Closer for a daytime wing, further for evening.
- Draw a thin stroke from the dot back to the outer corner of the upper lash line. This is the top edge of the wing.
- Draw a thin line along the upper lashes from the inner or middle of the lid to the outer corner, pressed into the lash base so no skin shows between line and lashes.
- Join the two lines. Draw from the end of the lash line up to the dot, so a small triangle is enclosed, then fill the triangle.
- Check with both eyes open. Thicken the outer third if the wing looks thin, keeping the inner part of the line hair-thin. Then draw the second eye, matching the dot position first.
The dot-and-connect order matters. Marking the tip first fixes the length and angle before any long stroke is drawn, and long strokes are where a hand shakes.
How thick and how long should the wing be?
The eye shape sets the length and the angle. The guidance comes from the celebrity make-up artists compiled by AOL and from Charlotte Tilbury's hooded-eye method.
| Eye shape | Angle | Length | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Almond | Follows the lower lash line | Any | The reference shape for the classic wing |
| Round | Flatter, more outward than upward | Medium to long | A long flick lengthens; a steep one widens |
| Hooded | Off the lower lash line, drawn with the eye open | Short | Batwing shape so the wing shows when open |
| Monolid | Straight or slightly down (puppy liner) | Short to medium | Thicker line than feels natural |
| Downturned | Steeper than the lower lash line | Short | Cheat the outer edge upward, no lower liner at the corner |
| Upturned | Follows the lower lash line | Any | Depth at the outer lid balances the lift |
How do you get both wings symmetrical?
Faces are not symmetrical, so wings match by eye, not by measurement. Place both dots first, step back from the mirror, and compare them with both eyes open before drawing a line on either side. Adjust the dots until they look level, then draw.
A piece of tape or the edge of a business card placed from the outer corner toward the brow tail gives a straight edge for the top of the wing. Use it on both sides at the same angle. Draw the eye that is harder for your hand first, then match the easier one to it.
Look straight ahead when comparing. Tilting the head or looking to one side changes the apparent angle of each wing.
How do you fix a wobbly wing?
Small wobbles on the outer edge are cut away, not redrawn. Dip a cotton bud in micellar water, squeeze it, and draw it along the outside of the wing in one stroke. Charlotte Tilbury's artists suggest a cotton bud with a little eye cream for the same job (Charlotte Tilbury).
For a sharper edge, load a flat concealer brush with a little concealer and carve along the top edge of the wing from the corner to the tip. The concealer line becomes the edge. If the wing is wrong in angle, remove it fully and place the dot again. Redrawing over a wrong angle only thickens the error.
Which formula gives the cleanest wing?
Liquid gives the cleanest edge. A felt-tip pen draws a consistent width and is the easier of the two liquid formats. A brush tip draws the finest line and the sharpest point, and takes more practice to control. Gel from a pot with an angled brush gives a sharp wing that can be softened for 30 to 60 seconds before it sets.
For daily wear, a wing drawn in brown or plum reads softer than the same wing in black. Who What Wear's 2025 round-up of eyeliner looks placed chocolate and burgundy liners under the name alt-black (Who What Wear). India Anaïs Midnight Muse, a brush-tip liquid in blue-black, is one example of the sharper choice; the first edition is sold out, and the next edition is planned for spring 2027.
- The flick follows the lower lash line up toward the tail of the brow.
- Dot the tip first, connect it to the lash line, then thicken from thin at the inner corner to full at the outer.
- Draw with the eye open and relaxed, and finish one eye before starting the other.
- Match wings by placing both dots first and comparing them from a step back.
- Fix a wobble by cutting the outer edge with a cotton bud or a concealer brush, not by redrawing.
Questions people ask
How do you make winged eyeliner symmetrical?
Place the dot for each wing tip first, compare both dots with your eyes open from a step back, and adjust before drawing. A piece of tape or a card from the outer corner toward the brow tail gives the same edge on both sides.
Should the wing go up or straight out?
It follows the lower lash line, which points up and out on most eyes. Downturned eyes take a steeper wing, round eyes a flatter one, and monolids and hooded eyes a shorter, straighter one.
Which eyeliner is easiest for a wing?
A felt-tip liquid pen. It draws a consistent line, dries fast, and does not need a separate brush. Sketch the shape with a pencil first if your hand is unsteady.
How do you do a wing on hooded eyes?
Draw with the eye open, keep the line thin, and angle the flick off the lower lash line. A batwing, where the wing is joined into the crease with a backward C shape, reads correctly when the eye is open.