Everyone needs a great eyeliner flick in their beauty locker. A dramatic sweep of eye-opening black liner makes your eyes look brighter and more open, and gives your whole face more polish and definition. And it’s one of those helpful makeup tricks that looks great on-screen and IRL, making it a perfect choice for your modern working beauty wardrobe.
But if your go-to cat eye is more ‘downtrodden’ than ‘uptick,’ more ‘sliding’ than ‘gliding’ - it could be time to learn a few new moves. The first step is to get hold of a great liquid liner. Next is to decide on the kind of ‘flick’ you’re feeling. If you’re still perfecting the art, keep it short and sweet to begin with (and resting the elbow of your ‘writing arm’ on a steady surface also helps). Makeup artists will always tell you to start with the eye that you’re less confident with (normally the opposite side to the one you write with) as you’ll be more focused - and feel happy to have it out of the way.
Gently pulling the outer corner of your eye can also help, so all you have to do is concentrate on drawing a straight line along your upper lashes - when you let go, the line will naturally curve upwards into a ‘tick.’
Ready to go? We’ve put together our five favourite black eyeliner looks that range in impact from subtle to sensational. Line up!
Our Five Favourite Flicks
1. Did you flick?
So subtle it’s an is-that-liner-or-is-it-just-your-fluttery-lashes kind of look. Perfect for beginners as it doesn’t matter whether the line is thick or thin - just hug the lash line and everything will be fine.
Rookie rating: beginner.
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2. What's your point?
This is another easy one to get to grips with, because it only starts halfway along your lashes so you don’t have to worry about creating a perfect line all the way along. When you get to the end, freestyle the flick by aiming towards the outer edge of your brow.
Rookie rating: beginner.
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3. Feline Good
The ultimate Sixties flick. Suits everyone, works for any occasion. The trick here is that the line gets broader as you sweep outwards, so don’t be afraid to keep going back and filling in a little more of your lid each time. For that Sixties vibe, the flick stops in line with your brows.
Rookie rating: Requires practise (but not as much as you think).
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4. The Queen has arrived
Once you’ve got that Sixties feline flick down, going the full Cleopatra is a walk in the park. All you have to do is add a ‘mirror image’ line beneath the lower lashes and ensure they meet at a perfect point at the inner corners. Bold and modern, it’s not a runway go-to for nothing.
Rookie rating: Patience required.
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5. The Demi-Flick
Makeup artists like to call this look ‘negative space eyeliner’ - it’s a huge trend and gives a classic liner look a modern spin. It sounds complicated but actually it’s easy because you only have to draw half the line. Draw the line into the crease of your eye socket to give yourself a ready-made guide.
Rookie rating: Steady hands only.
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