TikTok's 'Canthal Tilt' Filter Is The Easiest Eyeliner Hack We've Ever Seen

We're always eager to check out all the new beauty-related TikTok filters, such as TikTok's "dot makeup" filter. Of course, the filters have their downsides, as they look somewhat strange and can lead to users comparing their looks to others and feeling insecure about aspects of their faces that the filters draw attention to. We're seeing this happen more frequently with the canthal tilt filter, with the TikTok filter placing a line through users' eyes to help them determine their tilt. But just what is a canthal tilt? According to The London Transgender Clinic, "the canthal tilt may be described as the angle between the medial canthus (inner corner of the eye) and the lateral canthus (outer corner of the eye)."

What's more, these tilts are typically "read" as being positive, negative, or neutral, though we shouldn't judge our bodies based on this. "Positive denotes a slanting upwards of the eye, and negative denotes a slanting downwards... Traditionally the upward tilt is considered an attractive feature," Dr. Anthony Youn, a board-certified plastic surgeon at YOUN Plastic Surgery, told HuffPost. But the filter isn't all bad: Rather than using the canthal tilt filter to "determine" their attractiveness, many makeup-loving TikTokers use it to help them with their eyeliner application by following the line as a guide for where to place the product.

If you plan to explore TikTok's canthal tilt filter, we recommend using it the fun way — as a guideline for applying your eyeliner instead of as a way to analyze and criticize your appearance. Plus, we're already seeing many videos of TikTokers using the filter to improve their eyeliner application strategies. For example, TikToker @jessso999 posted a video tracing the filter's red line with eyeliner, and their results were perfect-looking winged eyeliner. The TikToker noted how they wished they knew this hack sooner, writing, "Y'all telling me it was this easy this whole time... used to spend hours." Acknowledging how helpful the filter is for eyeliner application, one viewer even commented, "Use the line for the inner [corner of the eye] too."

The filter can help you with more elaborate looks, too. Another TikTok user — this one a model and actor — posted a video in which they tested the intriguing eyeliner filter hack. The actor traced the filter's red line with black eyeliner and used those slim, elegant eyeliner lines as baselines for more dramatic wings. After filling in the intense wings, the eyeliner looked striking enough to appear professionally done. The TikToker was pleased with the results, saying, "This flatters my eyes so much better, consider me converted!"

The hack to use the canthal filter for precise eyeliner application is one of the few TikTok filter-related makeup trends that we recommend everyone try, as numerous people are finding success with it, and it can help you better understand how to apply the makeup to your unique eye area. For instance, TikToker @marsunderthestars posted a video in which they displayed immediate skepticism and nervousness about the idea. However, they were pleasantly surprised with their results, saying, "It's so even... wow... they were right... it looks perfect, I've never had my eyeliner this good before... I am gonna have to use this filter every time I do my eyeliner now."

Furthermore, we all know how hard it is to nail eyeliner on hooded eyes, but the filter seems to work for this eye shape, too. For example, TikTok user @toooweird — who focuses on makeup for hooded eyes — shared a video in which they tried the filter. The makeup enthusiast followed the red line to put eyeliner on the hooded eyes and ended up with sleek lines that beautifully complemented their eye shape and face, making their eyes pop.