Spread Your Wings

If you're a makeup novice like me, every new experiment and addition to your beauty toolbox is a major accomplishment. For me, my newest skill is winged eyeliner. Winged eyeliner has been around for a long time - think about those cat-eyes from the '20s - and it's not going anywhere. If you're thinking about adding a little extra challenge to your makeup routine, here are some tips for getting the most out of your wings.

Start small Once you get a big wing going, it's hard to turn back. I like to start out with a little flick from the outer corner of my eye and growing from there if I feel I want to. If you make a mistake while your wing is still small, it's easy to cover it up and get a little bigger.

Be gentle I made the mistake of using a tissue to rub my wings off when I didn't get them right. All day the delicate skin in that area was dry, itchy and irritated. Use a makeup wipe if you need to restart, and know which types of eyeliners won't bother your skin.

Experiment! You'll never find your groove if you don't try some different things: liquid versus pencil liner (I prefer pencil for easier application); cat-eye versus kitten flick; dark dramatic wing versus a smokier approach; tape for a straight edge versus freehand. Yeah, it might look bad sometimes- don't worry! You'll get the hang of it and if you don't like it in the end, there's no pressure to wear it all the time.