Mary Phillips:
“You can adapt and tailor liner shapes to suit your taste and mood.”
That quote perfectly captures one of Mary Phillips’s key principles when it comes to eyeliner: there is no single perfect shape that works for every eye.
And this is where many of us make the same mistake. We open Pinterest, find a beautiful eyeliner look, try to copy it exactly — and then wonder why it looks completely different on our own eyes.
Because eyeliner shouldn’t be based on a picture.
It should be based on the anatomy of your individual eye.
Mary Phillips has spent years demonstrating how to adapt classic eyeliner shapes to different eye types. She has also specifically addressed hooded, uneven, and asymmetrical eyelids. For her, the shape of your eye isn’t a problem that needs to be “fixed” — it’s simply something you need to work with.
Mary Phillips:
“Even if you’re low on lid space or have a hooded eye, there’s an eyeliner look for you!”
That’s why the best way to create a flattering wing isn’t to start by drawing a line along the lashes.
Start with your eye open.
Look at the natural direction of your outer corner. Imagine extending that line outward — this can become your guide for the wing.
Why is the open eye so important?
Because when you close your eye and draw what looks like a perfectly straight, geometric line, you’re working on a flat surface. But as soon as you open your eye, the skin of the eyelid changes position — especially if you have hooded or asymmetrical eyes.
The result? A beautiful wing when your eye is closed can disappear into the crease, get interrupted by the fold, or visually pull the outer corner downward.
That’s why a professional approach is to build the shape around how your eye naturally looks when it’s open.
For her signature Kitten Flick, Mary Phillips recommends starting around three-quarters of the way across the eyelid, keeping the line very close to the lash roots, and then extending the outer flick. The length of the wing depends on your individual eye shape; for hooded eyes, she suggests considering a slightly longer extension.
And what if your eyes are asymmetrical?
Don’t try to make both wings perfectly identical.
Your goal is to make them look balanced when your eyes are open, rather than mathematically identical when your eyelids are closed.
And that, perhaps, is the real secret to professional-looking eyeliner.
Don’t start with the lashes.
First, find the direction of the wing. Look at yourself with your eyes open. Take the crease, lid space, and natural direction of the outer corner into account.
Only then connect the wing back into the lash line.
Because the perfect eyeliner isn’t the one you copied perfectly from Pinterest.
It’s the one that was designed perfectly for your eyes.
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