Create a Guide
Sometimes even the best makeup artists need a little bit of help when it comes to winged liner, which is where this fail-safe tip comes in. If you find wings intimidating, Tanno says to create a guide using a brow pencil. Look straight in the mirror, and with your eyes open, dot the brow pencil where you want the very tip of your wing. The placement depends on your eye shape, so play around with what you think looks best. Then take your black pencil liner and, starting at the dot, draw a line connecting to your lash line. Then start at the inner corner and connect to the wing, and fill in any blank spaces.
“I would tell you to do both dots at the same time,” says Tanno. “And then when you’re done, you don’t even have to erase the guide. That’s also very helpful for a makeup artist, because if Gaga’s moving a lot and I don’t have a lot of time to keep cleaning it, she can go back to talking or doing whatever, and I know where it needs to be.”
Layer Up
Another classic makeup artist tip Tanno swears by is using both a pencil and liquid liner to create a perfect cat eye. Start with your pencil to create your shape and your guide, since it’s much easier to get your basic shape with that tool. “My guide is there, and you’re able to sharpen and define it without going over it a million times,” says Tanno. Then go in with your liquid liner, such as Haus Laboratories Eye-Lie-Ner, to add definition and depth. “I would always say to define using your liquid eyeliner, especially if you’re just starting out and are scared to jump in,” she says. “Most makeup artists never jump into a liquid liner without using a pencil first.”
Clean It Up
The one tip Tanno kept repeating no matter what look she was demonstrating? Clean up your work with a cotton swab. If you’re creating an everyday wing, a dramatic graphic look, or an undereye smudge, don’t worry about it being perfect on the first try. “It’s not about perfecting your application nor so about the technique; it’s more about cleaning it up after,” she says. Especially when working with a gel or pencil, get your basic shape down, and then use a cotton swab and some micellar water to perfect it.
If you want something to look really “perfect and snatched,” Tanno recommends taking a bit of concealer on an angled brush, like a brow brush, and using that to perfect and clean the edge of your wing.
Try a Metallic
You heard it here first, folks: Tanno predicts that metallic eye make up will be having a huge moment going forward. But while you can absolutely go all-out with a Gaga-approved silver or green wing, there are subtler ways to incorporate shimmer into your everyday look. Tanno says she likes to highlight only certain areas with the metallic liners, like a dash of the silver pencil Blade on her inner corners.
