Diana Ross, 1968
By Kiekie Stanners
Eyeliner may perhaps be the most famous of makeup frustrations, that one skill that most complain about trying to master, the technique that never goes the way you want it when you are in a rush and creates online memes such as ‘can’t believe drawing a black line across my eyelids makes be feel 10x prettier!'
I can do my own makeup in an extremely short amount of time, in whatever setting, on the move, in a hand mirror but one simple pleasure that I still draw peace from is doing my eyeliner. It requires me to block out the noise and distractions, be still for that short amount of time and focus on the calmness it needs for me to do it correctly. It’s almost an excuse for when you have pressing deadlines or places to be at a certain time, that you are allowed to savour your own moment of quiet just for that pause of a couple of minutes. A reason to say ‘excuse me, can I have 5 minutes, I’m doing my eyeliner’ and all of a sudden everyone understands!
It can feel a little like a beauty ritual - liner and perfect lipstick application are those beauty statements that get you in the right frame of mind for whatever you are taking on board. Give you the armour to feel like Wonder Woman (or Superman) for the tasks ahead. I can’t tell you the number of times that I have been told to ‘not worry’ about my makeup, or overheard in the background ‘Oh I bet she’s just fluffing with her makeup’ and I think to myself, yes I am and this is for me to set myself up for the challenge and hold my space.
Throughout history, eyeliner has made bold statements. It has been used in rebellion, it can suggest a subculture/movement and also show a community. It can be a form of self-expression and quietly articulate where you think you belong. Maybe it’s just a makeup artist's eye, but the subtlest of nuances to the shape of a liner can mean so many different things.
A delicate flick on the outer corners - feminine, graceful, you may want to belong in a historical world associated with the 50’s pinup.
A heavier, stronger, more aggressive wing - can be associated with a latin/South American street movement - feminine but tough.
A circling of kohl all around the eyes - the original rebellion, an introduction to eye makeup that has a long lasting connotation to alternative culture.
A winged eyeliner that wraps around the top and bottom of the eyes - an empowering statement, with the eyes absolutely in focus and suggesting that you are 100% owning that beauty statement. The confidence that comes with this look - not amiss to Bollywood or East Asian superstars who know that with this, comes a seductive power of using the eyes to get what you want.
The choice of product used to define the eyes can also be part of this narrative. A shiny black liquid liner has a connotation of perfection to that of a matte black - which melts into the skin more and in turn, has a softer edge. The use of a smudgy black kohl, worn in and with a life of its own suggests a bit of an IDGAF attitude. Then the addition of colour - whether it is an inky blue or petrol purple perhaps is your way of saying I’m happy to go against the norm, I don’t need to stick to the classics.
Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra
The mystery surrounding Cleopatra and the iconography with what Cleopatra’s original eyeliner may have been is still fascinating (I mean do we even know that her eyeliner was winged?!) However, it has been suggested Liz did her own makeup for this role and created a whole movement for what Cleopatra's eye makeup meant. We saw an interpretation of this liner again, with Alexander McQueen using this reference for his 2007 Paris show. Charlotte Tilbury (lead makeup artist) recreated this look but opened up the outer corners of the liner to bring it into the 21st century.
Sofia Loren
The queen of Italian eyeliner. Her technique of the perfect top lash-line flick, sweeping underneath the eyes but leaving a negative space underneath spurned the ultimate trend. Thanks to TikTok this trend swept off again in 2023 to a whole new generation of beauty lovers - who most doubt had to look up who Sophia Loren even was (or didn’t bother!).
The Monroe eye
Marilyn’s specific style of liner, where her makeup artist created a ‘fake’ shadow underneath her eyes (with an eyeliner trick) to open up the eyes and make them bigger on screen. Teamed with a focus on the outer corner of the eyes, to reshape Marilyn’s eyes to divert your attention from her natural downturned shape.
The ‘Bad Girl’ eyeliner of Ronnie Spector
"The louder the [audiences] applauded, the more eyeliner we'd put on the next time," Ronnie Spector wrote in her memoir.
Twiggy, the look of the 60’s
Fashioned by herself, Twiggy transformed herself into a real-life doll with her statement painted-on lashes. Instead of creating a muse that was sexy, elegant or feminine, she created a nymph with wide eyes and an innocence not seen in a star before.
Lady Gaga and that Judas liner
It's 2011 and Gaga is on fire in pop culture. Not exactly a standard beauty look, however, the impact Gaga and her makeup had on pop culture is undeniable. As makeup artists we were horrified: Video clip makeup - In HD - For a huge star - and it’s uneven and looks like she’s done it herself... Gasp! But it worked and cemented her image as a beauty chameleon.
Amy Winehouse
Looking back at this era and the backlash she was receiving via the tabloids, it’s no wonder her eyeliner stretched out to her brows. It has been stated that eyeliner is a defence move on behalf of a female - when she doesn’t feel safe, her eyeliner helps her feel tougher! When she has to defend herself, her eyeliner speaks before she does. And if there’s one thing that never crumbled during Amy’s career it was her liner. I hope she knows she created a historical beauty moment just by being herself.
Kat Von D and Billie Joe Armstrong
What do you call this era of 2010's punk-rock/gothic/LA tattoo scene that had a choke-hold over the alternative kids then?! Whatever it was, it inspired the M.A.C girls of that era to be allowed to wear this much makeup on the Newmarket counter in little old Auckland too. Kat Von D was never seen without her jet black liquid liner, kohl waterline and intense smokey eyes at every time of day. I guess it was also the gateway for ‘guyliner’ to become a commercial thing too. We had seen boys in bands rocking onstage liner before, but now they had the opportunity to suggest to their fans what brand it was. (Kat Von D Beauty no doubt).
Carine Roitfeld
She makes smudgy kohl liner that wraps all the way around the eyes - creased, distressed and looking like she’s slept in it for days absolutely chic.
Jason Momoa and the Khal Drago effect
Taking guy-liner and Jason Momoa’s career to the next level.
