The "Underliner" Makeup Trend Is a Red Carpet Staple For a Reason

A graphic eyeliner look can take on many forms — it can be bold and commanding or soft and smudgy, or even floating and encrusted with crystals — but one thing is for sure: it commands attention. Still, if you prefer your makeup trends subtle and simple, "underliner" might be more your speed.

As seen on celebrities like Zendaya at the Dune premiere (and pretty much every red carpet in between), Kristen Stewart at the Oscars, and Kris Jenner at the 2023 Business of Fashion Gala, the underliner trend is an easy way to pump up your eye makeup. It is when eyeliner is placed at the bottom outer corner of the eye, but it can also start at the bottom inner corner, similar to the reverse eyeliner trend, depending on your desired results.

Unlike other graphic eye trends, this look is less in-your-face but still a little edgy. "Recent makeup trends have been all about bold and dramatic eyes with a natural face," Jillian Dempsey, celebrity makeup artist, founder of Jillian Dempsey Beauty, and the artist behind Stewart's Oscars underliner, tells POPSUGAR. "This look is another fun way to wear a cat eye or smoky-eye look, depending on the shades used or how heavy the eyeliner is applied."

You can go as dramatic or low-key with the look as you want. Once you decide on your starting point, "pull the eyeliner along the water line and then outward at the outer corner of the eye to create that upside-down cat-eye look," says Dempsey. You can use black eyeliner for this as seen on Stewart, opt for a fun color, or really get creative and use crystals or pearls à la King.

If color is more up your alley, we love the , MAC Colour Excess Gel Eyeliner Pen ($23), which comes in 17 shades, the Jillian Dempsey The Brights Eyeliner in Chimpy Blue ($20), or the Maybelline Color Tattoo Longwear Multi-Use Eyeshadow Liner Stix ($8), which is available in 10 creamy colors.

No matter what route you choose, there are endless possibilities with the underliner makeup trend. See more celebrity examples of the look ahead.