The trend has taken root across high-profile red carpets and fashion weeks, spearheaded by some of the industry’s most influential trendsetters. Rihanna’s take on red eyeliner at the Matières Fécales spring show in Paris was simultaneously simple and striking. She wore a precise stripe of vivid ruby along her lower waterlines, wrapping gracefully around the inner corners and extending outward to the outer edges and just a bit beyond. There was no smoky red halo, no matching red shadow—just one saturated slash of crimson peeking out from contoured lids and feathered lashes. It carried the casual cool appearance of someone who reached for a standard black liquid liner, accidentally picked up a red one, and simply decided to go with it.
Other prominent celebrities have similarly experimented with the shade, adapting it to their individual styles. At a major European film premiere, Maisie Williams went for a softer yet still-anything-but-inconspicuous interpretation of the trend. Rather than opting for a hard, graphic line, her makeup artist expertly smudged rich burgundy tones softly underneath her lower lashes. Then there is Zendaya, who has embraced the look on multiple occasions. In addition to dabbling in a gateway rust shade at a high-profile international premiere, she wore a true-red pencil all around her eyes at a bustling photo call for her latest cinematic outing, proving the versatility of the pigment.
Even though all three stars wore red eyeliner in vastly different ways, their looks share one undeniable reality: it is unapologetically red eyeliner. For the everyday, beauty-loving citizenry holding down non-celebrity jobs and lifestyles, a lingering question remains. Can people truly make this bold aesthetic work on any other day of the year besides Halloween, or is it destined to remain a novelty?
Professional makeup artists argue that the look is entirely adaptable for daily life. Makeup artist Karol Rodriguez notes a longstanding affinity for the shade, describing it as a fundamental power color. Rodriguez views red eyeliner as a clever way of taking the undeniable impact of a classic red lip and relocating it to a much less expected part of the face. Depending on the specific technique and application, Rodriguez explains that the look can easily pivot from bold and grungy to deeply editorial or softly feminine.
For those who want to try red eyeliner in a way that avoids sparking concern among colleagues over a burgeoning health issue, Rodriguez offers a very practical foundational rule: keep the color restricted to the top lid. Most individuals already experience natural redness or pinkness along their lower waterlines, and as devastatingly cool as Rihanna looks under professional spotlights, adding bright red there in fluorescent office lighting can make someone look less like they are sitting front row at Paris Fashion Week and more like they have been staring at a laptop screen for fourteen consecutive hours. For those seeking reliable product options to test the waters, pencil formulations like the Sephora Collection 12 Hour Colorful Contour Pencil Eyeliner in Aloha offer a softer approach, while felt-tip liquid liners like the Colourpop BFF Liquid Liner in Try Me provide sharper, more defined lines for the upper lash line.
Balance is another essential factor to keep in mind, regardless of whether a wearer decides to confine the red pigment to the top lid or experiment more broadly with the waterline. According to beauty experts, if someone commits to a vivid red liner, it is wise to play down the accompanying blush. Keeping blush in a muted, harmonious pinky-berry-red family while dialing back the intensity ensures the face does not look overloaded, allowing the eyes to remain the focal point. Pairing this approach with neutral, skin-toned lips creates a grounded harmony. For individuals who are truly ready to commit fully to the monochrome aesthetic, beauty professionals suggest pairing red liner with burgundy or red mascara, such as applying burgundy mascara specifically to the lower lashes while wearing red liner above.
Ultimately, red eyeliner is undeniably dramatic, and it certainly threatens to drift into costume territory when applied without clear aesthetic intention. Yet, the consensus among professional stylists and celebrities alike is that anyone can wear red eyeliner without looking like a Disney villain or a gothic vampire. And even if the worst-case scenario occurs and someone does end up resembling a glamorous vampire, that outcome is difficult to argue against.
