Tri-Liner Is The Ambitious Eyeliner Trend For Anyone Who Believes More Is More

The 2020s are shaping up to be the next great era of graphic eyeliner. Not since Twiggy in the 1960s has the beauty world seen so many trends based around bold, artistic eyeliner that can stand alone or play nicely with other made-up features. We've seen chrome liner, deconstructed liner, blurred liner, full-lid liner, and dozens more graphic liner looks hit the mainstream since 2020 gifted us all with a whole lot of time to stay home and experiment with makeup.

Graphic eyeliner doesn't have to be complicated or intricate. Love lifting the appearance of your face with a sharp uplifting eyeliner wing? Have you ever thought about trying three? Take a page from makeup artist Ash K Holm's fabulous book and triple up that wing with tri-liner. It's easier than it looks. Just draw two wings from the lower lash line and one from the upper lash line. You can make the middle wing colored and the other two black, stick with black for all three, choose a different color for each, or anything your heart desires. Here are some examples for inspiration. 

Looking for an extra fierce, heavy-lidded punch of dramatic flare? While the above look includes a wing extending from the lower lash line, you can always ditch it and instead, draw one wing from the upper lash line and then two more above that connect to a floating crease slightly above your natural crease. This will create the look of more lid space.

Who says all wings have to be curved? Go big with two triangles highlighted with white flaring out from the outer corner of your top lid. A softer, diffused wing from the bottom lash line provides just a bit of balance to the over-the-top nature of this upper lid tri-liner. 

If you're a fan of the glam rock era of the early 1970s, pull some inspiration from the flamboyancy of frontmen like Gene Simmons and Alice Cooper when crafting your signature tri-liner look. On top of a gold or silver glitter shadow, draw a winged floating crease, a wing from the bottom corner, and a floating, winged swipe of liner below your bottom lash line. 

The original graphic eyeliner looks of the 1960s and 70s were considered part of the mod aesthetic, which was heavily influenced by the pop art of the time. It was thought of as bold, loud, and even brash. To borrow from this style, add a white eyeshadow to your lids and tightline your bottom lash line with white liner. Then, create a wing from your bottom lash line, one from your top lash line, and one from a floating crease. Extend your upper lash line into an inner corner wing for maximum impact. 

While most graphic eyeliner looks are sharp and precise, there is no rule against incorporating softness. Try adding a pop of a glitter shadow to the inner half of your lid, then choose three coordinating shadows or pencil liners. Create a winged line from your bottom lash line, one from your upper lid, and one from where your shadow ends just above your crease. Extend each into an inner corner wing and keep it all soft, slightly smudged, and diffused.