Nothing wrong with the classic and glamorous cat eye, but we have to say: There are so many other cool and amazing looks (that don’t involve the cat eye!) your eyeliner can accomplish. Add some of these ideas to your arsenal of beauty skills, and you’ll never have a boring liner day ever again. Bonus: Some of these are even easier than a cat eye…
White out
This look is just so stunning and makes your lips pop out even more than usual, while still giving you that brightening factor associated with white eyeliner. To get this look, apply white eyeliner to the inner V and smudge outwards to your lids. We are loving the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Feathered ($16). Make sure to keep the rest of your eye very simple. If you want, tightline your eyes to give your lashes some volume. This is such an easy way to awaken the eye and still make a statement.
Cut it out
The possibilities here are endless, but the end product is extremely cool. To create these precise lines, use Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner ($24) and her Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush ($27). Here, you can let your inner artist shine, but if you have no idea where or how to start, check out this video on the Corner Cut Crease, above!
Queen Cleopatra
Feeling daring? Try this one out for fun! You’ll be needing the Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner and Brush set (from the above tip) for this look. Or if you want some ease, try out Kat Von D Tattoo Liner ($18). For this look, you will need to start in the inner corner and extend the line out. Then you will need to connect the inner wing to the outer wing by lining the bottom of your eyes. This look generally works better the thicker your eyeliner is. The inner wing can be as long or short as you want. Don’t forget to throw some gold glitter on your eyes to really make the look dazzle. We are loving Urban Decay Eyeshadow ($18) in Half Baked.
Lash it up
Here we are going to channel the iconic Twiggy eyes and draw ourselves some lashes. Use your eyeliner to mimic thicker lashes on your bottom lashes. Any eyeliner with a sharp tip will work, but we love Kat Von D Tattoo Liner ($18). This look is fairly simple but a bit difficult to master because it is all dependent on your eye shape and how comfortable you feel with bottom lashes. To start things off, make sure to prime underneath your eyes. Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer ($29) is a great product to prime, nourish, and keep your drawn-on lashes in place. Next you’ll take your eyeliner and create dashes that stem out from your bottom lash line. It’s truly that simple.
Seeing double
Layering is not just a technique for the cold months, but for some eye catching eyeliner too. The easiest way to do this is to apply a bright eyeliner, like Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil ($20), then line your eyes with a thin application of black eyeliner. With practice, this look can be recreated over the course of a few quick minutes, and it will be a new favorite go-to look.
Punk-inspired
Raccoon eyes weren’t totally bad, right? Well, try this one out for size: Smudged out eyeliner, but only on the bottom. Need to brighten it up? Use a colored liner instead. The grunge factor is 100 percent here with only 50 percent of the effort. To recreate this look, use Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil ($20) and apply only to the bottom lash line, making sure to smudge as you go. For a truly rocker-chic look, use your fingers and embrace the messiness of it all. To make sure people don’t mistake you as a collegiette who just never removed last night’s makeup, be sure every thing else is made up: Face, hair, outfit.
Floating eyeliner
This look was seen on Rag & Bone’s runway show, and while not every runway look can be debuted on the streets, let alone on campus, this minimalist-yet-edgy look deserves a try. Using Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner ($24) and her Ultra Fine Eye Liner Brush ($27), apply the liner to your crease in the inner corner and then follow it out so that it ends right on the bottom part of your brow bone and runs parallel to your eyebrows. Make sure to apply your mascara and keep your face fresh and simple!
Color me colored
Obviously black is not the only eyeliner color out there. Any of the eyeliner looks above can be easily recreated with your favorite colored eyeliner. If all that boldness feels like too much but you still want to experiment, you can start with just a touch, like tightlining your eyes in a color and using that same shade on your waterline, before you graduate to full-on color. For lasting color that still makes your eyes pop, try out Urban Decay’s 24/7 Eyeliner collection ($20).
Which of these looks would you dare to wear on campus?