Winged liner

Winged liner is an eyeliner look in which a line along the upper lashes thickens toward the outer corner and ends in a flick that follows the angle of the lower lash line up toward the tail of the brow.

Also known as: cat eye liner, winged eyeliner, flick, wing, cat-eye flick

A wing is the classic cat-eye flick. The line starts thin near the inner corner, thickens along the upper lash line and leaves the eye at the outer corner in a short, sharp tail that points toward the end of the brow. The angle is the whole trick: the wing continues the line of the lower lashes, so it lifts the eye instead of dragging it down.

Charlotte Tilbury's method is to draw a thin line from the outer corner diagonally upward and outward, using the lower lash line and the brow tail as guides, with the eye relaxed and the lid never stretched. Finish one eye before starting the other, and correct the edge with a cotton bud and a little eye cream¹. Marking the tip of the wing with a dot first, then connecting the dot to the lash line, is the easiest route to two matching sides.

Felt-tip liquid liners are the usual tool because they give a crisp, consistent line; brush-tip liquids give the thinnest tails. A pencil sketched first and refined with liquid is the runway method, since the pencil can be moved and the liquid locks it².

Eye shape changes the wing. Hooded eyes need it drawn with the eye open, or a batwing that connects into the crease so the shape survives the fold. Monolids need a thicker line than feels natural. Round eyes suit a thin, straight outward wing; downturned eyes suit a wing that cheats upward from the outer corner. Brown, plum or navy soften the look for daytime and for mature eyes.

Written and fact-checked by the India Anaïs editorial team. Every number and rule is linked to its source. How the guides are made.