Everything You Need to Know About The Waterline Eyeliner Resurgence (2024)

Call us set in our ways, but our daily makeup routine rarely strays from a practiced sequence: foundation, blush and bronzer, brows, and a healthy application of mascara. Lately, however, our regimented steps have defaulted to an earlier setting, naturally reaching for the eyeliner and deftly skimming the curves of our waterlines. This may seem like a progression if this is your first time around, but don't be fooled: This isn't our first rodeo with waterline eyeliner. It's more of a regression to “going out” days in the early 2010s, back when we’d pile on layer after layer of the black shade from the OG Naked palette and smoke up our lower lashlines right along with it. While we're not exactly indie sleaze-ing it up these days, we're finding a nostalgic realignment with the subtle edge and definition the waterline eyeliner provides.

And it seems, we're not alone in the waterliner renaissance. While the technique has been around forever, it cycles in popularity according to eye makeup trends—hence our revolution back to the mainstay of our bar-hopping looks in the 2010s, but forgetting it existed until now. Ahead, everything you need to know about the trend along with expert intel on how to achieve the look.

The Waterline Eyeliner Trend

Waterliner is exactly what it sounds like: applying pencil eyeliner or powder eyeshadow to your lower lashline waterlines, AKA inside your actual eye and not just under it. (That’s why pros recommend sticking to pencils and powders; liquid liner isn’t gonna cut it here, but you can experiment with gel if it’s an eye-safe formula.) It adds definition and depth to your eyes as part of a tightlining technique, not to mention a smudgy, lived-in sexiness. "Using a dark eyeliner on your water line really makes your eyes pop," says esthetician and makeup artist, Brielle Pollara. "If you want a sexy sultry look apply black or dark brown eyeliner to your lower and upper water line to really snatch and elongate them."

It’s been a makeup-artist-must for photoshoots and red carpets, not just teenagers experimenting with their drugstore pencils before the homecoming dance.For most of us, the look is probably tied to the mid-2000s through mid-2010s, when everyone from Lauren Conrad to Taylor Momsen were rimming their eyes with liner, no matter their personal style. However, as we moved into the late 2010s, waterliner went to the wayside in favor of barely-there makeup or crisp wings.

In news that will surprise absolutely no one, we have TikTok to thank for the resurgence of this beloved liner look. Some users are revisiting the trend after several years (and a steadier hand), while others are experimenting with it for the first time.

Waterliner vs. Other Eyeliner Techniques

Waterliner shares DNA with the popular “shower eyeliner" trend, where users messily line their upper and lower lashes and then wash their face or shower for just a touch of modelesque liner, as well as the smoky and sexy “siren eyes” trend, but it’s also worth recognizing that the waterliner look has been popular for a very long time, starting in ancient Egypt, where people used dark liner to protect their eyes from the sun. People in the Middle East and South Asia have also been smoking out their lower lashlines with kohl and kajal liner for centuries.

TikTok It Girl, Alix Earle, is also a fan of waterliner, though she skips the dark colors in favor of a bright white pencil to brighten up her eyes. Because waterlining is a pretty simple technique that takes just seconds to apply, you should feel free to experiment and have a little fun with it. (Just be careful not to poke your eye!)

How to Get the Look

Lining your waterline isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. "Lining your bottom water line is the quickest and easiest way to create a sultry look," celebrity makeup artist, Alexx Mayo, assures us. "This look works on anyone who wants to add a sexy twist to their everyday makeup."Make sure you’re using a gentle, eye-safe formula since the liner will be in direct contact with your actual eyeball, not just your lid. If you want a smoky look, opt for black or deep brown, but you can also use a white or flesh-toned shade to open up your eyes, a la Alix Earle and her white liner. Metallic shades look cool, especially as an accent against a smoky eye or a statement pop in a more minimal eye makeup look. Waterliner can be customized in infinite ways depending on your desired end result. "Try using a color that compliments your eye color," says Mayo. "Blue, purple, green can all add a very subtle pop."

A soft, smudgy pencil formula is a great starting point; Victoria Beckham’s splurgy Satin Kajal Liner works perfectly. Mayo is also a devotee of Charlotte Tilbury's Rock n Khol pencil in hues Bedroom Black and Barbarella Brown. "These pencils have such a smooth glide, highly pigmented and last," he explains. We even rounded up some of our go-to formulas for the waterline to get you started.

To apply the liner, gently pull down your lower lid with one or two fingers and let the area dry a bit so the liner sticks; some makeup artists recommend using a cotton swab or carefully dabbing away moisture with a clean tissue. You don’t want to be weeping, but a little moisture is okay. "If you have sensitive eyes that tend to flicker or water when you try to put on eyeliner, I always recommend using a bit of pressure so it doesn’t tickle," adds Pollara. Once the waterline is adequately dry, delicately draw the liner in your waterline using soft, short strokes. If you’re using a powder or gel formula, a flat or angled brush is best.

But wait, won’t it wash away? Waterliner is a bit more finicky than other eyeliner techniques, due to the placement, so if you want a super long-lasting look, opt for a waterproof formula versus a kohl-style pencil or powder. "Choosing the right pencil that is water resistant is best to avoid smudging or running," says Mayo.