Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying that over-lined lips has been one of the biggest beauty trends of the past decade. Often attributed to Kylie Jenner, who sparked international debate over whether she had received non-surgical enhancements like dermal fillers, plumped-up lips can also be created by exaggerating the natural lip shape with lip liner.
The makeup trend has has evolved from a matte finish, to a dark nineties liner look, to a hyper-glossy effect in recent months, but the overall shape of the lip hasn’t changed from the original pout, which is voluminous and pillowy all around the outline, with a focus on exaggerating the Cupid’s bow.
Now, however, there seems to be a new trend for over-lining the outer corners of lips, creating an upwards flick to create “lip wings”. A bit like winged eyeliner, the look is meant to create a lifted finish, which many people say looks similar to a doll’s smile.
In one lip wings tutorial on TikTok, creator Wah Meko uses a brown lip pencil to trace the Cupid’s bow as expected, but then as she reaches the edges of her top lip she draws a line up and away from her natural lip line, before rejoining the flick to her natural lip. She finishes the look by blending the brown line with a slightly lighter shade as well as lining her bottom lip, before applying a dab of gloss to tie it all together.
Another makeup influencer to try the trend is Hayley Bui, who used black eyeliner pencil and smokey eyeshadows for a more gothic effect.
Opinion seems to be split among followers, with some referring to the look as “art” and others likening it to those of scary fictional characters. Commenting on Wah Meko’s video, user Jen posted that lip wings reminded her of Mr. Stuffleby from Wizards of Waverly Place, and user Taylor Alexis claimed the makeup technique made her look like The Joker. We’re getting more Bratz Dolls vibes…
