"Invisible" Eyeliner Is All Over TikTok

In an era when minimalist beauty reigns supreme, makeup trends can sometimes feel predictable: glowy skin, flushed cheeks, glossy lips. Lately, though, there's been a surge in cool eye-makeup looks — like crystal embellishments, neon colors, and "underliner," to name a few — that have been flooding our TikTok feeds. Our favorite to emerge in recent weeks is an eyeliner trend that's taking its cue from Harry Houdini, David Blaine, and the like: "invisible" eyeliner.

The so-called invisible- or floating-eyeliner trend utilizes negative space to create the illusion of a sharp eyeliner flick. It typically involves drawing the wing with concealer (or foundation with a detail liner brush) two or three shades lighter than your base color, extending the flick outward and along the upper eyelid. That's the most minimal take on the trend, but should you choose to try a more colorful version of floating eyeliner with various eyeshadows, UK-based makeup artist Stacey McDonald has some tips using the classic tape hack. Simply apply a small piece of tape diagonally to line up with the corner of your eyebrow, apply your eye makeup above the tape, and remove it to reveal that negative-space illusion.

While you might have first spotted the look on your For You Page, floating eyeliner has also been all over the red carpet and on celebrities this year, from Addison Rae to Lori Harvey to Maya Jama. Keep scrolling to see some of our favorite examples of the invisible-eyeliner trend.