Pulling Off The Blurred Eyeliner Trend Just Got Easier

According to Sheseido, versions of the popular feline flick we know and love today have been around since over 12,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. Since then, liner has popped up throughout history, as a status symbol in Japan and China to a way to bolden the eyes of '20s starlets on camera. The winged look finally took off in Western cultures around the 1950s, and now, it's become a staple in modern makeup looks as a way to enhance and elongate your eyes.

Despite its long history, winged eyeliner is still one of those notoriously difficult-to-nail makeup looks. Luckily, this new trend offers an easier way to pull it off, with the added bonus of a cool girl twist. Gone are the days of struggling with smeary liquid liners and shaky hands — instead, this simple style is a cool, diffused look that will still make your eyes pop, whether you're a beginner or a professional makeup artist.

The first step to creating the blurred eyeliner look is still, unfortunately, drawing on your wing, but with this method you don't have to be anywhere near as precise. Instead of picking up a liquid liner, reach for something with a gel formula and map out where you want your liner to sit. The next few steps are just blending, so go in tighter to your lashline unless you want a super smokey look.

From there, all it takes is a bit of black eyeshadow. Grab a pencil brush dipped in the shadow — tap off the excess on your brush for more control — and gently pat over the gel liner you applied to smoke out the top. After you're done, clean up with concealer or a cotton swab under your wing. If you really want to keep it clean, you can even apply a piece of tape before putting down the liner and remove after you're done blending for a satisfying reveal (via The Veiled Artist).

Blurred liner is just as versatile as a regular wing, so the possibilities are endless when it comes to styling. Pair it with a dark, blown out shadow to up the smoke factor, add some glitter for a party look, or keep it classic with a transition color in the crease and red lips. You can also switch up the color of the liner — brown can bring the same drama but is less jarring on light skin tones, or a bold color like red or blue can instantly create an editorial vibe with minimal effort.

Blurred liner can even be created with just eyeshadow for a more subtle, everyday look. TikTok user Chloe and Cosmetics demonstrated how to pull it off in a recent video, using only a sharp liner brush and a black shadow. For this, you might have to go a bit more heavy handed if you're looking for the true, smoked out look, but it bypasses the stress of eyeliner application entirely. Either way, this fresh take on the classic cat eye is cool, low-effort, and oh so simple.