Options for your signature eyeliner look are about as endless as the ways you can wield them. If you know how to apply eyeliner, you may have tried every variation from itty-bitty flicks, to thick, bold wings. Maybe you’ve smudged it onto your lower lashline for a Debbie Harry moment or carefully painted liquid eyeliner on for Rico Nasty-inspired graphic designs.
Whatever your favorite eyeliner look might be, we’re about to make choosing your fighter a little bit harder (but a lot more fun). That’s because we just added another elite eyeliner formula to our lineup: Milk Makeup Infinity Long Wear Eyeliner. The waterproof, waterline-safe pencil joins our beloved KUSH Liquid Eyeliner to limitlessly expand your eyeliner possibilities.
Now that you have two great options, it’s time to study up on how to apply eyeliner correctly. Below, 11 tips to do your eyeliner like a pro.
1. Pick a pencil for soft looks.
Your choice of formula “depends on the precision and finish you want,” says Sara Wren, our Director of Artistry.
Sara recommends going with a pencil eyeliner like Infinity if you want a softer, less severe finish for any look from cat eyes to winged eyeliner. Pencils are also ideal for tightlining and defining your waterline because they won’t bleed and irritate your eyes.
2. Grab a liquid liner for sharp wings.
“For those really perfect wings or graphic shapes, I grab a liquid liner formula,” says Sara. Our KUSH Eyeliner has a thin tip that keeps your lines crisp with every swipe. Its waterproof formula also makes it easy to define the inner corners of your eyes for quick siren eyes.
3. Pay attention to storage.
If you’ve ever had a liquid liner dry out on you, it probably has to do with the way you’re storing it. To keep the pigment fresh and inky, store it cap-side down so that the formula continuously saturates the applicator for always-crisp lines.
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4. Don’t tug.
No matter which formula you choose, Sara has one major warning: Never, ever pull or tug at your eye when applying. “When you pull or tug on our eyelids, the shape changes,” she says. “When you release that skin, the eyeliner won’t look the way you want it to.”
Instead, keep your eyes relaxed and look directly into a mirror when applying your eyeliner for the best possible result.
5. Use a sharpener.
Before even putting pencil to skin, Sara suggests doing some sharpening. Our Infinity Long Wear Eyeliner comes with a built-in sharpener, so you can easily shape the tip on the go. This helps ensure that the twist-up pencil is as pointy as possible for flicks and wings.
6. Lift your eyelid.
For tightlined looks, Sara always recommends gently lifting up your upper eyelid before running your pencil back and forth along your upper waterline. Not only does this make application a lot easier and more precise, it also boosts the look of any mascara like our RISE or KUSH Mascaras. “Tightlining your upper lashline adds a subtle definition that instantly makes your lashes look thicker,” she says.
7. Define your waterline.
The same pull-and-place method works on your lower waterline, too. If you want to add extra definition to your smokey eye look, gently pull down on your lower eyelid to expose more of your waterline. Run your Infinity Eyeliner lightly across it to define—the formula is so creamy and smooth, you never have to press hard to get an intensely pigmented finish.
8. Take advantage of extra tools.
Want to achieve a smudged eyeliner look that Avril Lavigne would be jealous of? Use a densely packed brush to lend a new finish to your eyeliner—or even better, grab the smudging tool attached to your Infinity Eyeliner. “Run it over your eyeliner immediately after applying, before it dries down,” says Sara. Smoking it out before it sets will ensure the sultry sootiness of a Y2K pop punk look for hours.
9. Blend your cat eye.
We’re about to let you in on a major secret: Cat eyes look even better when you soften them up. Instead of drawing a full wing, Sara traces her lashline, then uses Infinity’s smudger tool to pull the color from the outer corner of her eye up toward her temples. The result is a diffused, soft glam cat eye that looks especially amazing with a coat of RISE Mascara. Try recreating it with Infinity in all three shades, depending on your makeup mood.
“It’s very easy to do and looks super cool when I’m in a rush,” says Sara.
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10. Use your nose as a guide.
Everyone has their own tried-and-true technique for applying winged eyeliner, but one of the best we’ve tried is Sara’s nose-angling hack. As your trace your lashline, keep your eyeliner pointed in toward your nose. Then, angle your liner away from your nose as you draw your wing downward to connect it with your lashline.
“You can then go back and thicken up or perfect your lines,” says Sara. Perfect wings every time.
11. Draw small strokes.
While TikTok is an endless source of beauty inspiration, Sara says that the long, sweeping eyeliner strokes your favorite TikTokers do aren’t the most practical for beginners. Instead, connecting a bunch of small strokes will make building your desired shape and symmetry a lot easier.
To test this method out, build on your basic winged eyeliner with artsy variations. For cut crease eyeliner, extend your wing halfway between your lashline and brows, and draw a curved line that stops at your pupil for a fun, mod effect. You can also add floating lines above the inner corners of your eyes in different shades. Just keep your strokes small and short, and don’t worry too much about symmetry. The true coolness of your liner look is in the unique way you choose to draw it.
Meet the Expert
Sara Wren (she/her) is the Director of Artistry at Milk Makeup. In her role, she does all the makeup artistry and direction for our Milk Makeup global campaigns, educates the staff and field team on application methods, stars in the brand’s social media videos, and travels to different markets spreading Milk Makeup’s good vibes. When she’s not on set, Sara loves experimenting with DIY hair colors, eating tacos, watching basketball, and scouring for vintage cosmetics to add to her impressive collection.
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