It’s hard to hear Adele’s Hello without envisioning the winged eyeliner that featured so prominently in the song’s film clip.
I mean… look at it. It’s so classic and neat and entirely devoid of wiggly lines:
Although the pop icon's trademark makeup is fairly uncomplicated to look at, anyone who's gone to battle with a liquid liner pen knows it belies a terrifying truth:
Eyeliner can sense your fear. Even the most fleeting moment of hesitation can spell disaster.
Don't let that scare you away from your dream of emulating Adele's cat eyes, though. Her longtime hair and makeup artist has explained exactly how he achieves those razor sharp flicks, and it all comes down to a fairly simple trick.
Michael Ashton uses two products with different consistencies — a technique he refers to as "cocktailing" — to nail the final result.
Listen: Zoe Foster Blake shares her best makeup tips for busy women. (Post continues after audio.)
"I'll use a really fine pencil liner first and I use that super fine tip to etch the shape out initially, and then go back in with the liquid liner on top," he explained to Huffington Post Australia.
In other words, you don't have to launch straight in with the scary liquid stuff. It's totally fine to give yourself an outline to work with first.
"I start in the middle of the eye at the lash line and work in small strokes toward the outer corner where the lash line finishes, then I do the inner corner of the eye and bring it in a little toward the bridge of the nose," Ashton added.
Those famous flicked wings are the final touch, with a 45 degree angle recommended.
If you're really committed to channelling Adele, Ashton named-dropped the two products he uses to Marie Claire: the Fineliner Ultra Skinny Gel Eye Crayon and Precision Pen Liquid Liner, both from Marc Jacobs' beauty line.
Good luck out there.
