How to Get Perfectly Even Winged Liner For Hooded Eyes

Eyeliner is one of those small details that can make a huge impact. Whether you're going for a classic cat eye or a more modern neon look, a little color on your lash line can enhance your eye color, shape, and entire look. But with that being said, it's one of those things that can be a bit tricky to master (unless you have a surgeon's steady hand), especially when you have a hooded eye shape. One flinch or blink at the wrong time can force you into a frustrating cycle of removing and re-doing, or even lead you to swear off eyeliner all together. But never fear, with a few simple adjustments to your application strategy, you can be an eyeliner pro in no time. Ahead, watch celebrity makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes share her easy eyeliner tutorial (using her iconic "bat wing" application method) that's perfect for hooded eye shapes.

How to Perfect Winged Liner

Ahead, discover the exact steps that Katie Jane Hughes follows in the above video tutorial to create the ultimate winged eyeliner (using the bat wing technique) for hooded eye shapes.

Step One: Sketch Out Your Shape

To get started, Hughes recommends starting slow by sketching out the eyeliner shape you're going for. "I'm going to take a pencil and I'm going to etch out my shape," she says. "The general trick is, hold the pencil in line with your nose and the corner of your eye, and then angle it toward the eyebrow. So [from] the tail of your brow, to the corner of your eye, to the corner of your nose, that is the direction in which your eyeliner should go." When you're sketching out your shape, Hughes recommends keeping your eyes and brows as relaxed as possible. When you apply eyeliner with more widened eyes or raised brows, the shape you draw can be skewed once your face is relaxed. Try to keep your facial expression as neutral as possible, whatever you consider to be your baseline.

Step Two: Clean Up Your Shape With Concealer

Once you have a rough outline of the eyeliner shape you're going for, you can create more precise edges by going in with a little bit of concealer or by dipping a small brush in makeup remover. Repeat steps one and two on your other eye, using your first eye as a guide for where placement should be (to get a more even, symmetrical look).

Step Three: Go Over Your Pencilled Wing With a Liquid Formula

Now that you have a nice, clean, precise shape applied in pencil, go over that shape with something a big longer-lasting: Liquid eyeliner. In place of your standard formula, Hughes prefers to DIY her own liquid liner using black eyeshadow and setting spray. "Now I'm going to take a black eyeshadow and a little bit of M.A.C. [setting spray], and spray some of that setting spray directly onto the eyeshadow," she says. "Then with a skinny eyeliner brush, I'm going to mix to make a paste. I love this kind of formula to paint liner with because it glides, as you can see it's just inky, flowy, opaqueness." Layer this paste (or your favorite liquid eyeliner formula) directly over the shape you drew in pencil during step one, starting at the base of the wing. Be sure to fill in any areas where the pencil missed, or as drawn on more sheer.

Step Four: Extend the Liquid Liner Across Your Lash Line

Once you feel good about your wing shape, connect the wing to your lash line, extending all the way across your lash line until you've reached the inner corner of your eye. Opt for a feathering motion to create smaller dashes (that you can connect) rather than trying to sweep across the full lash line in one full motion. If you make any mistakes (as Hughes reminds us in this tutorial, even makeup artists get a shaky hand and make mistakes), just clean things up with a small detailing brush dipped in makeup remover or concealer.

More Eyeliner Tips For Hooded Eyes

Can't get enough? No worries. Ahead, discover some additional eyeliner tips for hooded eyes to keep in mind.

1. Elongate the Wing

Hooded eye shapes can sometimes appear weighed-down or turned-down, making you look sleepy. By directing your eyeliner wing upward and outward, you can balance out your hooded shape and create the appearance of a more awake-looking eye shape.

2. Try the Credit Card Trick

If you have trouble creating sharp lines with your eyeliner, try the credit card trick. Simply line up a credit card or business card where you want your liner to be and paint directly against the straight edge.

3. Keep Pointed Cotton Swabs on Hand

For easy clean-up, you can sharpen up your eyeliner shape with a pointed cotton swab. When dipped in a little micellar water, the precision tip makes it easy to to sharpen those fine details (like the very tip of the wing).

4. Sketch Out Your Shape First

Before you go in with a longwear, waterproof gel liner that's nearly impossible to remove, sketch out your shape with an eyeliner crayon or pencil first. When sketching out your shape, go a little thinner than you actually want your final look to be, then go over it with a longer-lasting formula. It's much easier to build up your eyeliner to your desired thickness than it is to take away product that's already been applied.

5. Keep Your Eyes Open

When applying eyeliner to the lash lines, it's usually our first instinct to close our eye and start drawing. But in actuality, you can get a better shape when you keep your eye open. With your eye closed, it's hard to tell exactly how far out your wing is as you're drawing it. Keeping your eye open gives you a better idea of what kind of look you're creating (as you're creating it).