The History of Winged Eyeliner, Plus 5 Modern Ways to Wear It

Let’s just all agree to the fact that nothing elevates your eye make up game like a crisp winged eyeliner, also known as a “cat eye”. It can instantly make eyes look sultrier and lashes thicker. No wonder it’s been popular for centuries!

History of Winged Eyeliner

The winged eye can be traced all the way back to Ancient Egypt, where the great female ruler Cleopatra would wear dramatic winged eye using ancient kohl which was derived from a natural mineral form of lead sulfide.

In Ancient Egypt, kohl was worn by both men and women. It was originally used for prevention of eye ailments but was also thought to protect from “the evil eye.” Upper eyelids were painted black using kohl and lower ones using malachite (green colored), as depicted in ancient texts that describe the use of both.

It wasn’t until brands like Maybelline’s or Revlon’s invention of cake and liquid eyeliners that the dramatic winged eye became a worldwide phenomenon. Eventually the beauty trend made its way to the movie industry in the ’50s and onto the eyes of Hedy Lamarr, Hema Malini, Brigitte Bardot, and Anna Karina.

Vintage Maybelline Ad

Vintage Revlon Ad

Vintage Max Factor Ad

Retro style icon Dita Von Teese’s signature winged eye helped boost the trend’s popularity in more recent years, and now that celebs like Lana Del Ray, Kylie Jenner, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift are sporting the look.

Today, winged eyeliner is sported in a number of different ways. The look is so versatile, you can wear it casually for the day, or intensify it for a more dramatic evening look. Ahead, we’ve rounded up some of the best wings that we’ve saved lately so that you don’t have to go digging through your IG feed for cat eye inspo.

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