There's a new liner shape crawling across TikTok and Instagram this week, and it has wings. Batwing liner is the graphic, lifted eyeliner technique built specifically for hooded eyes, and it's exactly the kind of dramatic, doll sharp look our coven lives for. 🦇
Unlike a classic cat eye, which can vanish under a hooded lid the second you open your eyes, batwing liner is designed to stay visible no matter your eye shape. It works with the crease instead of against it, creating two little peaks (the "wings") that lift the outer corner and open up the whole eye. It's graphic, it's a bit rebellious, and it photographs beautifully under stage lights or candlelight alike.
Here's our full step by step, using real Jolie Beauty products (all vegan and cruelty free, always) so you can build this look from priming to final coat of mascara.
Step 1: Prep the lid so nothing budges
Hooded eyes need a base that won't crease or transfer onto the brow bone by hour three. Smooth a thin layer of our Vitamin Rich Miracle Moisturiser & Primer over clean lids before any colour goes on. It sinks in fast, grips product, and gives your liner a smooth, long lasting canvas to sit on.
Step 2: Build a smoky base to hide the join
Batwing liner looks its sharpest with a soft smudge of shadow behind it, so the graphic line reads as intentional rather than harsh. Pat a charcoal or deep grey shade from our Smokeshow Palette through the crease and along the lower lash line. This blurred base is what makes the crisp wing on top look so striking.
If you fancy something moodier for evening, our Til Death Palette is a gorgeous alternative, all deep plums and inky blacks for a more romantic, candlelit version of the same technique.
Step 3: Draw the wings, not just one wing
This is the step that makes batwing liner distinct from a standard flick. Instead of one continuous wing, you're drawing two: a smaller peak that follows your natural crease, and a second, longer peak that extends from the outer corner. Between the two peaks sits a small dip, like the notch between a bat's wings, hence the name.
Precision is everything here, so reach for our Infinity Eyeliner Pen. Its ultra fine, waterproof tip lets you map out both peaks with total control before connecting them into one clean shape. Start with light, feathered strokes to find your placement, then go over it once you're happy to lock in the line.
Step 4: Soften and sharpen with a pencil
Once your wings are drawn, go back in with our Smoulder Eyeliner Pencil in Black along the upper lash line to fill any gaps between lashes and thicken the base of the wing slightly. A pencil is easier to smudge than a pen, so use a small brush to soften just the inner edge where it meets your shadow, keeping the outer edge of the wing crisp and graphic.
Step 5: Open the eye back up
Because the whole point of batwing liner is combating hooded lids, don't skip this step. Dab a cool toned shimmer from our Moonchild Highlighter Palette into the inner corner and just under the arch of your brow. It catches the light and pulls focus away from the lid crease, making the wings look even more lifted.
Step 6: Finish with volume, not length
Skip anything too long or fluttery, as it can compete with the sharp lines you've just spent ten minutes perfecting. Instead, coat lashes with our AMPLIFIED Mascara, built to hold volume through sweat, spilled drinks, and questionable weather alike, so your wings stay the star of the look all night.
And that's batwing liner, sharp enough for the front row of a gig, soft enough underneath to actually be wearable on a Tuesday. It's forgiving of hooded lids, endlessly customisable in colour, and honestly just fun to draw once you've got the shape memorised. Give it a go this week and tag us, we'd love to see your version take flight.
All products used are vegan and cruelty free, as always. 🖤