TikTok’s ‘Finger Eyeliner’ Hack Makes A Perfect Wing & Here’s Proof

Whether you wear winged eyeliner or not, you've probably come across countless TikTok videos of makeup artists and beauty enthusiasts sharing their tips for nailing the look.

Some use liquid liner on the tip of a bobby pin to fashion a feline flick, while others enlist sticky tape and even cutlery (yes, you read that right). But you can also count on your hands.

TikToker @bexcampbell's 'finger eyeliner' hack recently went viral, amassing a huge 5.3 million views and thousands of comments. Using a soft eyeliner pencil, Bex drew a dot onto the side of their forefinger, placed the finger at the outer corner of their eye and swiped upwards to create a smoky flick.

The result was impressive to say the least, and R29 UK beauty editor Megan Decker is sold. But trying Bex's liner trick proved to be such a messy fail that I lost my eyeliner pencil to the sink U-bend when I slammed it down in defeat. (Note to self: buy a stopper.)

I couldn't understand why it didn't work for me and that's when I came across another 'finger liner' hack posted by TikToker @roni4444ka, whose video has a similarly admirable 7.6 million views and counting.

It's the same but different. In the video, Roni takes a creamy brown eyeliner pencil and wedges it into their top lashes at the outer corner of their eye, then just below that, above the bottom lashes. Initially, it looks like a blob of liner, but here's the clever part: Roni uses their forefinger nail to pull the liner seamlessly outwards, creating a subtle, smoky winged effect in moments.

Roni, who is a makeup artist, makes it look easy. But it wasn't long before their followers took to the comments section to prove that there might actually be method to this winged eyeliner trend. "It's simple and easy I love itttt so muchhh," wrote one. Another said: "This is what I've been doing! It's so much easier!"

I've been doing winged eyeliner for as long as I can remember wearing makeup and it's something of a signature look for me. Though I'm a near expert, I can only ever nail liquid liner. Using a pencil is an entirely different story and I just can't get the hang of fashioning that cute, smoky wing that's everywhere right now. It either smudges immediately or I can't make it look symmetrical. Eyeliner pencils also go blunt really quickly, so could the finger liner hack change the game? I had to try it.

Creamy and pigmented, I've been using Trish McEvoy Intense Gel Eye Liner in Deep Aubergine - Deep Burgundy, to tightline my upper waterline and make my lashes appear thicker (a technique I recently learned from a pro makeup artist). Despite the name, it's not purple but rather a chocolate brown that looks a little more natural than jet black. Seeing as it stays put for hours on end, even on my waterline, this had to be my first choice. If you have less to spend or for an option available in Australia, try Rimmel London Soft Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Pencil in Sable Brown, $5.39, or Inglot Kohl Eyeliner Pencil in 03, $33, which are just as soft and packed with pigment, or the Morphe M2 Always Online Gel Liner & Sharpener in Chocolate Cravin', $10.

Taking care not to go overboard, I scribbled a little liner just above my top lash line at the very outer corner. With my eye still closed, I then etched a dot just beneath that (where the two lash lines meet). My nails are quite short currently so I used the edge of my little finger to swipe the liner outwards. To my surprise, it worked to lend a smoky flick that looked perfectly tapered, not smudged or messy.

For more of a flawless eye look, I resharpened the pencil and ever so carefully glided it along the top of my lash line to the centre of my lid to join it up. This ensures the final result doesn't just look like a floating wing at the outer edge.

I'm right-handed so producing the exact same result on the other eye took a very steady wrist and some concentration. Still, it was so much easier than painstakingly drawing a wing from scratch. I would do something different next time, though, and concentrate the liner to the outer corner of my top lashes only. This is because I noticed a very slight smudge underneath my lower lashes throughout the day.

One gripe I have when it comes to pencil eyeliner is that it never sticks around for long so I'd suggest one extra step: patting a light layer of translucent powder over the top to boost the staying power. If you go overboard, this can dull the colour intensity of the liner. But as you've already created a flawless wing, it's so much easier to trace over it and make it pop.

I have to say that this hack is genius and pretty perfect ahead of party season, especially if you consider yourself a liner novice. I'll be teaming it with a bronze eyeshadow look and heaps of mascara, though it lends such subtle definition, you could simply wear it on its own.