Puppy eyeliner is the latest Korean beauty trend sweeping TikTok. Here’s how to perfect the look
The Korean beauty patrons are at it again. Ever since the global adaptation of Beauty Balm (BB) cream in 2011, K-beauty (shorthand for ‘Korean beauty’) has been gripping makeup pouches across the world with innovative products and unconventional techniques. Following TikTok’s obsession with Jamsu and slugging is an eye makeup technique—guaranteed to march you into battle without looking like a raccoon caught in headlights.
What is puppy eyeliner?
Puppy eyeliner is a makeup technique that accentuates the natural roundness of your eyes—making them look bigger, rounder and irresistible like that of a puppy. Labelled as the “simpler and cleaner take on eyeliners,” the technique essentially helps the wearer pull together a youthful appearance.
In stark contrast to the popular cat eyes, puppy liners involve changing the direction of your flick altogether. Instead of directing the eyeliner upwards, the look requires wearers to drag their liners down and around the lower halves of their eyes. Channeling an innocent look rather than a sultry one achieved with cat eyes, puppy eyeliner is especially recommended for those who have upper eyelids that naturally slope downwards. In this regard, going with—rather than against—their natural shape makes their eyes appear larger and rounder.
Adorable, right? So what are you waiting for? Whip your weapons out and charge into battle because I’ve concocted a step-by-step tutorial just for you on how to nail the technique:
Step 1: Assemble your weapons
The makeup products needed for the technique depends on the complexity of the look you want to commit yourself to. If you want to stick to a simple and minimalistic look, whip out your pencil and liquid liner besties and get to work. If you want to give your eyes more dimension, then grab matching eyeshadows and brushes before charging ahead. And if you are a newbie to eyeliners altogether, I suggest grabbing a Q-tip and some makeup remover. Mistakes might be made but lessons will be learnt.
Step 2: Define the eyelid crease
This step is for those who have eyeshadows in their makeup basket for today’s look. Start by prepping your crease with an eye primer. This would give you a clean base to start with. Now add warmth and dimension to your eyes with a neutral shade. Make sure to chase it up with a darker tone towards the lower end of your lash line. Blend it out and brace yourself for more action.
Step 3: Define the lash line
This is the stop where all of you minimalistic beauties jump on. Grab your pencil liners and start by lining your upper lash line from the inner corner all the way down to the outer corner of your eyelid. Make sure to stick as close to your waterline as possible. This would help keep the liner precise and consistent while ensuring a smooth glide to your final destination.
Step 4: Double-define using a liquid liner
Now, you can always proceed to the next step without double-defining your lash line with a liquid liner. You can alternatively choose to line with a liquid one instead of a pencil in the previous step too. But double-defining your lash line will essentially give it more dimension—especially if you’ve opted out for the eyeshadow. Simply grab your liquid liner and retrace your way down to the outer corner of your eyelid and proceed.
Step 5: Thicken the outer end of the line
It’s time to give the outer corner of your eyelids some due love and attention. Start by thickening the end of the line you’ve drawn towards the bottom of your eyes. Recall the countless years you’ve spent perfecting the outer wings of your cat eyes. Now channel a quarter of the same energy into winging it the opposite direction. Thicken and exaggerate the bottom line to create a point sharp enough to cut out the haters from your life. Then proceed to fill in the gaps with your liquid liner.
Step 6: Connect to your lower lash line
Now that the outer end of the line is prepped, let’s give it some support by connecting it to the lower lash line. Using the pencil liner, line the outer half of your lower lash line and draw it out to connect with the top. Make sure to keep the inner half of the lower lash line bare. This helps shed the limelight on the outer corners of your eyelid—they’re the main character in this story, remember? You can additionally take an eyeshadow brush and smoke out the lower line to achieve a soft and even finish.
Step 7: Finishing touches to the masterpiece
Step 6 can easily mark the end of this process but it is also necessary to add finishing touches to pull the whole look together. I’m talking waterline, shimmer and mascara. After the puppy liner is in place, you can upgrade your look by waterlining the outer half of your lower lash line. Use the wildest colours to curate different looks depending on the occasion. You can also add shimmer to the inner corners of your eyes to make them pop. And, mascara? Coat your lashes like your life depends on them before heading out.
Now, if you’re done with both sides then open your third eye and listen: Cat eyes strolled so that puppy eyeliners could sprint. With 3.9 million views on TikTok, the platform’s obsession with the technique is apparent. So if you need more advice, head right over. I’ll be here perfecting the puppy liner to be its poster child.
@killsokerr Reply to @g3org1a.s i love big droopy puppy dog eyes! lemme know if u have Qs! #puppydogeyes #puppydogeyeliner #puppyeyeliner #hoodedeyes
♬ Frog - Wurli
