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9 Cool-Girl Graphic Eyeliner Looks You Can Actually Wear

Try these next time you're going for a sexy, statement eye
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Graphic Yellow Pop
Black, brown, charcoal ... or, consider adding yellow to your liner line-up. The unexpected hue is especially flattering on darker skin tones, as seen here.

To create this graphic shape, look straight in the mirror and keep your eyes open. Using a skinny brush and a cream liner, draw a rounded line that sits just above your crease, working from the inside edge of your eye, out. Hughes used Tarte Clay Pot Waterproof Liner in Goldilocks, $21, for this look. Once you reach the outer corner of your eye, wrap the line down and back one-quarter of the way along the top lash line.

Image via Instagram

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Subtle Dots
It may be called liner but that doesn't mean you can't use it to create dots for a statement-making yet subtle effect. All you have to do is draw a small dot just under your lower lashline, in-line with the center of your pupil, says Hughes.

A liquid option, like Mehron Paradise Makeup AQ Detailz, $8.95, works well for this, though you can also use a powder eye shadow if you want the dot to be even more subtle, she adds. Loads of black mascara is a must; we're big fans of Wander Beauty Unlashed Volume & Curl Mascara, $24. You can also do like Hughes did here and add a small triangle at the outer corner of each eye, if you want to go even more graphic, a la graphic-liner queen Zoe Kravitz.

Image via Instagram

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Open Ended Liner
Playing with the width of the lines makes this graphic eyeliner look simple yet sophisticated. Using a felt-tip pen, like Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, $22, line your top lashline, making the line fairly thick. Wing it out -- keeping this line thinner -- then draw it back up, above your crease, stopping at the mid-point of your eye. The key is to take your time: "Etch the color on slowly, rather than trying to draw this entire shape in one fell swoop," advises Hughes.

Image via Fashionmagazine.com

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Wide Wings
Simply bulking up a winged eye can transform the look from standard to special. Start by dipping a thin liner brush into a powder shadow; Hughes used Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Contour Quad in Sage, $22, though any color works. "Using a dry shadow creates the diffuse edge, which contrasts nicely with the more defined overall shape," she says. Apply the shadow starting at the inner corner of your eye, following your lashline, then create the wing, aiming up towards the tail of your brow. Finish by adding more shadow to the wing to make it as thick as you want.

Image via Instagram

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Negative Space Eyeliner
As the saying goes, sometimes less is more, especially in this case, where a little negative space makes your eyes look big and open, explains Hughes. Using a black liquid liner (we like Wet n Wild MegaLiner Liquid Eyeliner, $2.99), draw the top line first, flicking it out ever so slightly. On the bottom, work from the outside in, stopping the line at the outer edge of your iris. Finish by adding a bit of liner at the inner corner of each eye; turning the liner so that you're using the edge, rather than the tip, is the easiest way to do so, says Hughes.

Image via Instagram

BY MELANIE RUD CHADWICK | JUN 13, 2017 | SHARES
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