Who Knew Red Eyeliner Could Look This Good?

Black or brown eyeliner — even navy — are a given. But red? It may sound like something you’d wear to a Halloween party or to convince your boss you’re too sick to come into work. Granted, with the rise of tired-girl makeup, a little eye redness doesn’t seem quite as eccentric as it used to — but thankfully, red eyeliner has more range than you might think.

In fact, according to Hollywood lore, Marilyn Monroe’s makeup artist would use a tiny dot of red at the inner corners of her eyes to make the whites appear brighter. Today, celebrities from Zendaya to Rihanna are experimenting with the color again — albeit in a more fashion-forward way, with smudged burgundy eyes and cherry red cat-eye flicks.

“I think red liner is part of a bigger interest in wearing bright colors in small doses,” says makeup artist Christian Briceno. It’s moody, vampy, and perfectly in step with the soft goth makeup that’s having a moment this time of year. Keep scrolling for everything to know about the red eyeliner trend, plus how to wear it without looking sleep-deprived.

How To Wear Red Eyeliner

“You don’t necessarily need a dramatic red wing to make an impact,” says Tim Quinn, celebrity makeup artist and co-founder of Halo42 Skincare. In fact, some of the best celebrity looks lately have involved little more than a thin swipe.

At Paris Fashion Week, Rihanna wore cherry-red along her lower waterline. A similar look appeared on the runway at Petra Fagerstrom’s September show in London, where models sported a swipe of red against otherwise bare faces.

“What I liked about Rihanna’s makeup was how little red you actually saw,” says Briceno. “Her lids were neutral, her lashes were black, and my eye went first to that thin line of red.”

Another way to make the color pop without doing too much is to smudge it out. At a Spider-Man photocall in July, Zendaya wore bright red liner blended all around her eyes. Meanwhile, Maisie Williams went for a softer wash of a wine-colored shade at the Practical Magic 2 premiere in August.

“A red that looks intense in a big swatch can be quite subtle along the lashes,” says Briceno. To recreate the effect, he recommends pressing a burgundy liner close to the upper lash line, focusing on the outer corners. Then, use a small brush to soften the edges “until it almost looks like a shadow,” Quinn adds.

Of course, red eyeliner in any form is something of a statement — so why not commit to the bit? “You can draw the same wing you’d normally wear in black, and in red, it feels more playful,” says Briceno.

Case in point: Sophie Thatcher’s brick-red cat-eye at the Louis Vuitton SS27 show added an unexpected pop of color to her romantic glam. At Standing Ground’s couture show in Paris, models wore sharp cherry-red wings with lilac eyeshadow — a surprisingly romantic pairing, TBH. Or, for a more cyber goth take, look to Dove Cameron, who paired graphic black-and-red floating liner with sharp inner corners in her recent “Do The Math” music video.

If you’re worried about looking tired, simply avoid any areas where you already have redness around your eyes. “I prefer keeping the color on the upper lash line and making sure the skin around the eyes looks fresh,” says Quinn. “A little concealer at the inner corners makes an enormous difference.”

Another pro tip? Briceno recommends pressing a brown pencil into the roots of your upper lashes, then adding red just above it. “The brown adds definition and makes the red feel more intentional as eyeliner,” he says. A coat of black mascara helps your lashes stand out, too.

Finding Your Perfect Shade

Convinced to try red liner? Now, it’s time to figure out which shade of red — and there are quite a few to choose from.

If you usually wear a brown pencil, burgundy won’t feel too far off from your fave. “It’s much easier to work into your regular makeup routine,” says Quinn, calling it unexpected but sophisticated. “I would start there, especially if you’ve never worked with red liner before.” (Bonus points if you have green or hazel eyes: burgundy makes them pop even more, according to the experts.)

Cherry red, on the other hand, makes a statement. “If you want the red to show even in a fine line, I’d go with cherry,” says Briceno. It’s graphic, intense, and a little emo (think My Chemical Romance circa 2005). Brown eyes, in particular, can hold their own against such a bold color, according to Quinn.

Not quite ready for cherry, but want something brighter than burgundy? Try brick red, which Quinn says looks particularly pretty on blue eyes. It has a little more warmth and earthiness than a true cherry red, but still delivers plenty of color payoff.

For something more romantic, there are also berry shades to consider. With muted, purplish undertones, they sit closer to plum than cherry on the color wheel — and are especially worth a try if you have a naturally rosy complexion, since a bright red eyeliner can draw more attention to the redness in your skin, says Quinn.

Still, don’t get too hung up on finding the best shade on paper. “Sometimes the combination you least expect turns out to be the most flattering,” says Quinn. After all, who would have guessed that red eyeliner — of all things — could look this good?