13 White Eyeliner Looks That Will Make Your Eyes Pop

Winged Waterline

A bold swipe of white eyeliner under the lash line? Genius move. As so many people think to only wear eyeliner on the top of the eye, this creates room for play, allowing creativity to reign in your makeup look. The bolder the line the better, as the key for this look is for the white to really stand out.

For the Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2022 Show, all of the models hit the runway with white-winged waterlines. "I drew a sharp, graphic line of vivid, white eyeliner using the Diorshow On Stage Liner ($34) in 001 Matte White under the eye and extending it towards the inner and outer corners of the eye," Dior's creative and image director Peter Phillips says. "Next, I applied a line of Diorshow Khôl in 009 White Khôl to the waterline to accentuate this spotless white eye look."

Whimsical Icons

Creating cute shapes with white eyeliner is such a fun way to show off your personality. Go freehand with a white eyeliner that has a sturdy felt tip pen, like Urban Decay's 24/7 Inks Easy Ergonomic Liquid Eyeliner Pen ($26). Draw florals as pictured, or go with clouds, stars, diamonds, and butterflies—the sky is really your limit here.

All Over Your Lids

You can easily create a cream eyeshadow look (with incredible staying power) by using a white liquid eyeliner, gel pencil, or eyeliner crayon. To recreate Margot Robbie's look, cover your lid with a generous amount of your white eyeliner formula of choice—we like this Sephora Collection Eye Pencil in Pure White ($6). Alternatively, you can create a thick, wingless line across your top lash line to create the illusion that you've covered your entire lid when your eyes are open, revealing a surprising eyeliner look when you close your eyes.

Above the Crease

Some of our favorite eyeliner looks involve application away from your lash lines (top or bottom). You can play with different shapes and lines on your eyes if what you're craving is a more dimensional feel. The sharpness of the white line placed above the crease of Gigi Hadid's eyelid shows that thinking outside the box can still look tasteful. Carefully draw the line above the crease in one motion, ensuring the liner remains thin in shape. Colourpop's True Liquid Liner in Graceland ($9) is great for a thin line.

Multi Wing

Using classic black eyeliner in tandem with white accentuates the movement of wings and lines. This look incorporates dramatic oversized cat eyes with seductive lower lash line wings, leaning towards a sharper version of the dark siren eye trend.

Awaken Your Waterline

Shading in your waterline with white eyeliner instantly makes your eyes look wider, brighter, and more awake by seemingly extending the whites and covering up any redness. Think of this trick as your best friend after a long night out or a grueling week at work.

Subtle Cross

Who said eyeliner had to be simple? For Tessa Thompson's 2018 Met Gala look, makeup artist Kirin Bhatty subtly referenced the catholicism theme by incorporating a subtle cross into the star's lower liner. Whether you have a specific theme to tend to or not, this look creates a sharp aesthetic and is sure to get the inspiration going for the different ways you can use white eyeliner.

All Around

We love that despite the simplicity of this design seen on Ariana Grande in the "Rain On Me" music video, it still makes a huge impact with its pigment, angles, and use of negative space. Try using a felt-tip pen, like UZ's Eye Opening Liner in White ($16), to craft your own sharp design.

Oversized Cat-Eye

While we've spoken about the traditional winged eyeliner look, expanding on the shape of the wing is a great idea when wanting to create drama. Making the wing as thick as you want with white eyeliner is ideal if you want to make a statement. You can start by making a normal-sized wing and then continue to draw out the lines, or alternatively, start with a big outline and fill it in with a shimmery shadow, as seen here on Janelle Monáe. Using an angled eyeliner brush like this one from Morphe ($6) will greatly help create your shape.

Just the Corners

A tiny wing on the outer corner of each eye is a great way to wear white eyeliner when you need it to be subtle. A flick on each corner adds just enough drama without being too much, and if you want definition, you can line the rest of the eye with black or your color of choice. Dip an angled brush in a cream pot eyeliner, such as MAC's Chromaline in Pure White ($22), and practice making the wing shape.

Inner Corners

One of the most useful ways to wear white eyeliner and white eyeshadow is on your inner corners, helping to effectively brighten the look of your eyes. The great thing about white liner is you can use it with any eyeshadow combination you choose—it's as versatile as can be and looks great with anything. Apply liner to the inner corners of each eye after doing your eyeshadow, then finish with a few coats of your favorite mascara. Try applying the Wet n Wild Color Icon Kohl Liner Pencil ($1) on the inner corners for added brightness.

Touch of Pearl

Spice up a basic white winged liner look for an event by adding decadent details, such as the pearls placed here along Kristen Stewart's lash line. This is a surefire way to be the center of attention, as people will suddenly notice the subtle complexity upon getting a closer look. Draw a smooth line across your top lid with white eyeliner, place your extras of choice, and enjoy your makeup moment to remember.

Half Moon

For a super easy look, take your white eyeliner look above the eyelid crease. Draw a half moon starting at the inner corner and ending at the outer corner, and voila—you have a cute, mod eye that goes with just about every vibe.