Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying that overlined lips have been one of the biggest beauty trends of the past decade. Now, however, “lip wings” are taking center stage for creating a lifted finish, which many people say looks similar to a doll’s smile, by overlining the outer corners of lips, creating an upwards flick to create lip wings (think of it as a bit like winged eyeliner).
Lip wings are all over TikTok, which so often serves as the source of bizarre new beauty trends as well as legitimately genius makeup hacks, but overlining the lips isn't a new technique by any stretch of the imagination. Overlining has been called upon by makeup artists for decades to create the illusion of plumper lips, albeit in a more natural way than is custom today.
While the most popular overlined look a few years ago involved a heavily matte finish, more recently we’ve seen overlining looks adopt a dark ’90s liner, as well as a hyper-glossy effect in recent months. 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. Lip wings, however, focus the overlining on the outer corners of lips, drawing an upwards flick towards the edge of the mouth to create the illusion of a permanent natural 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, then applies 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.
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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...
This story originally appeared in Glamour U.K.
