By Sejla Selimovic
June 6, 2023
6 minutes
Makeup is incomplete without eyeliner. You might want to keep it simple and natural on your routine days and go all in at times. Eyeliners are known to enhance and even completely change the shape of the eyes which adds to the makeup look. There are so many ways you can play with eyeliner resulting in many popular eyeliner styles like puppy, cat, fox, and siren eyeliner.
But you might be confused about which of these would suit your eyes the best if you are a beginner while pros can move from one style to another easily. So, if you are here to find out the right eyeliner style for your eyes to compliment your looks, I got you. Below are the most common yet trendy eyeliner styles.
Different Types of Eyeliners
1. Natural Eyeliner
A natural eyeliner look is for everyday makeup where you want to have more of a no-makeup makeup eye appearance that adds dimensions to the natural shape of your eyes while making them look effortlessly flattering.
Draw small lines along your lash line and connect them in a way that reaches just the level of your lid. Then smudge the liner a little and get the perfect look.
2. Puppy Eyeliner
Do you see how adorable, innocent, and shining the eyes of puppies look? This is exactly the secret of puppy eyeliner. It is to make eyes look rounder and softer. Puppy eyeliner focuses more on the lateral sides of the lids and moves under the water lines.
In this style of eyeliner, there can be a thin or thick line on the upper eyelid and a wider and thicker wing on the edge.
3. Fishtail Eyeliner
Fishtail eyeliner might not be for every day. But it can grab attention at parties and make you look like a fashionista. In this style, there are two lines, one on the upper lid and the second on the lower one.
Both lines end in a straight or curved wing. This makes the eyes look like a fishtail. Moreover, it symbolizes ancient Egyptian art.
4. Fox Eyeliner
If you want your eyes to look deeper, more attractive, and seductive, fox eyeliner is the way to go. It makes eyes look lifted and elongated because it makes them appear almond-shaped, the most wanted eye shape.
In fox eyeliner, a straight long wing is drawn from the outer edge of the eye and it can also extend to the inner edge of the eye.
5. Cat Eyeliner
Some cats like tabby cats have a natural wing on their lids. Cat eyeliner is to give eyes a feline shape with upturned effects. It is a thick winged eyeliner that is drawn on the upper eyelid and it moves towards the temple.
Additionally, the top wing is connected to the lower lid giving the corner of the eye a triangular shape.
6. Siren Eyeliner
As fox eyeliner is thicker, you might not find it suitable. So, there is Siren eyeliner for you. Another eyeliner style that makes eyes look elongated and bigger.
Siren eyeliner involves a thin wing at the outer corner of the eyes that is lifted upwards from its edge. Then there is a wing on the inner corners of the eye that points downwards.
7. Thick Winged Eyeliner
Thick winged eyeliner might not be the most flattering eyeliner style but it is definitely for women who want their eyes to look more bold and fierce. It is just a basic winged liner with a 0.5 to 1 cm thick wing.
Gel eyeliners are best to create a thick winged look. Also, this liner is perfect for the days when your regular wing is not getting right and you have no time to reapply the liner.
8. All-Rounder Eyeliner
An all-rounder eyeliner makes the eyes look like they have so much depth and they have a heart wrecking story to tell. So, if you are looking for an eyeliner style that makes your eyes carry all the emotions in the world, all-rounder eyeliner is the one for you.
It involves applying eyeliner to both the upper and lower lids with a small wing in the outer and inner corners. It enhances the natural shape of the eyes.
9. Reverse Cat Eyeliner
If you want to experiment with your eyeliner and create a fun look that people won’t often wear, try out reverse cat eyeliner.
Just like a car eyeliner, it has a wide winger on the outer corner of the eye. The only difference is that eyeliner is applied on the lower lid instead of the upper. And to finish the look, smudge it a little and create a smoky appearance.
10. Smokey Eyeliner
If you are aiming for a graceful, glamorous, and classy look, no style can work better than smokey eyeliner. A smokey eyeliner is simply the smudged version of your favorite eyeliner style. You can add in some dark or neutral eyeshadow to further intensify this eyeliner style.
11. Graphic Eyeliner
Graphic eyeliners are for artists who want to illustrate their inner free spirit and the expertise they have. It can be in different shapes, different colors, and different styles.
Moreover, this eyeliner style can match the summer theme and bold yet stylish vibes.
12. Colored Eyeliner
Although most eyeliner looks are tried with dark-colored liners like black or brown, colored eyeliner can look equally admirable. A blend of black and white, blue, yellow, or even red eyeliners is popular among people who love to try out new looks and do something rebellious.
Right Eyeliner for Different Types of Eyes
Not all eyeliner styles look the same on different eye shapes. So, the trick is to find out your eye shapes and try eyeliner looks according to them.
1. Almond Eyes
Although it’s rather the look in the eyes than the shape of the eyes itself that makes them look beautiful, almond eyes look the prettiest. These are the elongated eyes with outer margins turned upward giving eyes a natural fox-like appearance.
Eyeliner styles like cat, siren, or simple winged ones look the best on almond eyes. You can start with a thin line on the inner angle of the eye and make it gradually thicker as you move toward the outer lid.
2. Small Eyes
It is best to use a thin eyeliner to make the small eyes look bigger with eyeliner than having the liner mask the eyes and make them smaller. Additionally, adding white eyeliner to the lower waterline and applying a thin winged eyeliner to the upper lid can make the eyes pop and look bright.
3. Big Eyes
Big eyes do not need much effort to look good as they already have all you need. So, keep it basic and apply eyeliner along with the lid, and end it right at the outer corner of the upper lid. There is no need to go extra with wings or other styles of eyeliner.
4. Monolid Eyes
As monolid eyes have no crease, you can go all in with the eyeliner style. Eyeliner styles with extended wings like fox style and siren eyeliners work best for monolid eyes. Additionally, you can try cat or winged eyeliners with elongated outer lines that almost reach eyebrows.
5. Hooded Eyes
Hooded eyes have a layer of skin covering the upper eyelid making it difficult for your eyeliner to be seen. It is recommended to use thick eyeliner to draw a cat or a thick winged style on the eyes so that no matter how hooded your eyes are, your liner won’t be concealed by them.
6. Round Eyes
Rounded eyes are big or small eyes in the shape of a ball. So, you can enhance the shape of round eyes by applying eyeliner all around them or go for a winged look, smokey eyeliner, and fox style to make them appear elongated and deep. Here, you need to focus on the outer edge of the lids.
7. Downturned Eyes
Downturned eyes have the outer angle of the eyes a little down as compared to the inner angle. Here, the trick is to make the outer edge of the upper eyelids look lifted. So, create a sharp, straight, and exaggerated wing on the upper lid.
8. Asymmetrical Eyes
Although every pair of eyes is somewhat asymmetrical, some people have more asymmetry in the eyes which is normal. But if you are interested in making your eyes look completely alike, eyeliner can help you. Simply add a thinner eyeliner to the larger eye and thicker to the smaller eye to create a symmetrical appearance.
Final Verdict: Which Style Do you Prefer
There are a variety of eyeliner styles and the right one for you might depend on the shape of your eyes. However, it is more of your personal preference. It is up to you whether you want to have a bright puppy-like look, a sharp cat-like appearance, or an attractive foxy style.
Also, here are the best eye makeup removers to take the eyeliner off at the end of a long day.
