The Modern Wing

The Modern Wing Glow Journal Modern makeup is reliant on fine details, and no detail is finer than the modern wing.

We have abandoned bold, graphic liner, smudged, smoky kohl and the strong, feline flick in favour of the modern wing- fine, stripped back and minimal, never too “done” nor agonised over. The modern wing is as fine a line as possible before becoming imperceptible, created with a steady hand and a carefully curated toolkit.

Keep your winged liner looking modern by paring it back with wet, nude lips, a base sheer enough to leave the texture of your skin and any freckles visible, and further widen and brighten the eye area by applying wispy individual lashes to the upper lash line only. Our undone take on liquid liner is simple and elegant, adding an element of polish to one’s look without appearing as though hours have been spent creating it.

Whether you favour the fine, modern wing, an intense feline flick or bold graphic liner, eyeliner should always work to lift and open the eye area, never dragging it down.

Fine winged liner To ensure that your eyes appear wide and your brow lifted, create a winged liner look in which the “tip” of the wing is as high as the highest point of the curve of your upper eyelid. We recommend applying your eyeliner while looking directly ahead into a mirror, never down, to avoid warping your perception and creating uneven lines.

While the experienced makeup artist can create this look freehand, those new to eyeliner (or those, like myself, lacking a steady hand thanks in large part to excessive caffeine consumption) can shape the perfect wing by looking straight ahead and placing a small dot where they intend to end their line. From there, simply connect the dots by slowly working from the lash line to the tip. Create the illusion of slightly bigger, wider set eyes by beginning the line a few millimetres from the inner corner of the eye.

To recreate the Glow Journal modern wing, use a gel or liquid eyeliner to create the finest line possible (pencils and kohls are best reserved for sultry, smoky eye looks). For this editorial, makeup artist Sophia Pafitis used a combination of gel eyeliner applied with a fine brush, and liquid eyeliner applied directly from the felt tipped pen in which it lives.