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For the past three years, conversations about trends have been dominated by the online opinions of Gen Z TikTok users – and millennials are freaking out.
First it was the humble side parting, then skinny jeans were denounced as cheugy. Whatever next?
Most recently, millennials are tearing out their hair at the suggestion that Gen Z is totally over the classic winged eyeliner. Yes, you read that right. Three deep breaths.
But while the internet is full of takes from millennials swearing to take their daily cat eye look to the grave, there’s a distinct lack of videos of youngsters claiming that the look is out completely.
On the contrary, winged eyeliner is still in – you’re just doing it wrong.
As explained by dancer and TikToker Megan Bowen, ‘the old way’ consists of dragging a thick line across the lid and taking a sharp upwards turn for the wing.
Instead, she says, you want to trace the wing starting from the lower lash line, moving out and away rather than up and keeping the wing thin by starting the connecting line slightly in from the tip of the wing.
‘Sleek, sexy, long – not 2016, [but] 2023,’ she says of the final look.
The Gen Z liner look is less indie sleaze and more clean girl, and isn’t the first to deviate from the classic cat eye: in the past two years we’ve seen tons of colourful graphic liner trends, from cut crease liner to wiggly liner.
If you want to stick to your 2016 wing, feel free – realistically no one cares, and being yourself will always be better than following a trend.
But winged eyeliner looks have been around for centuries, so it’s not malicious to suggest the trend is ready for a refresh.
How to upgrade your winged liner for 2023
Brooke Simmons, celebrity make-up artist, shares her tips:
‘Always do your eyeliner with your eyes open looking into the mirror so you can see where the lines will sit. If you close your eyes, the lines can disappear into the natural creases at the corners of your eyes when you open them. Using small strokes, trace a line from the outer corner of your eye up using the direction of your bottom waterline. This will give you the perfect shape to extend your eye in its natural direction.
‘Once you have the initial line, trace back in towards your eye (a touch lower than where it stops for a sharp point) to about a 2/3 of the way in to your top lash line.
‘When you’re happy with the shape, fill in your wing. You can either stop there for a half winged liner look, or extend the line to the inner corner of your eye all the way along the lash line.’
Craft your new winged eyeliner with the right products:
Prime the base with a lash serum: GrandeLASH-MD (currently on sale at Sephora, you lucky duck) includes nourishing peptides, amino acids and vitamins to infuse your lashes with the essentials to fortify, condition, protect and enhance your natural beauties – replacing your need for falsies or extensions to go with that gorgeous winged flick.
Buy for £62 here.
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