As a society, have we decided which of Julia Fox’s new Uncut Gems pronunciations we’re going with? Is it Uncuh Jams? Or, perhaps, Unncuht Jahms? (If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, watch the video below immediately.) Whatever it is, it requires gently unhooking your jaw as you reach the end of each word. Put simply: difficult. 

What I didn’t think would be difficult was attempting the thumbprint eyeliner she’s recently become associated with. Characterised by a large, undulating swathe of inky black eyeliner, the style has somewhat evolved over the past few weeks, becoming darker, neater and more defined.

Over on TikTok, people are divided. Some hail it as bold and confident, “a moment for the editorial make-up girlies.” Others have relegated it to the heap of clout-chasing celebrity behaviour. I like to think of it being worn in real life – could I realistically sit with a pint and chat with my friends wearing it? Ever the hard learner, I decided to try. Spoiler, it was much more difficult than I thought.

Now, thumbprint eyeliner is not a new invention. Countless designers and editorial make-up artists have used the look on runways, on billboards, in photoshoots and in magazines. But, when I began research into how to do it, the advice was fairly confusing. Some suggested using your thumb to smear the black along the eyelid – makes sense, right? Others say to use your middle or ring finger to more accurately apply the shadow.

The range of possible mediums was huge, too: gel eyeliner, liquid eyeliner, gel eyeshadow and powder eyeshadow. I came away feeling like thumbprint eyeliner was open to personal interpretation and set about my business.

First off, it’s harder than seems possible to accurately match up both eyes. My right hand is stronger and produced a stronger wash of colour, while my left hand created a smudged blob that extended below my lower lash line – not great. 

Secondly, no matter how much I rubbed my ring finger in the powder eyeshadow, I couldn’t seem to make it deep and uniform. (On reflection, a liquid eyeliner would have been a safer, quicker and more effective option.) I buffed more shadow in using a small eyeshadow brush, resigned myself to the cloudy, blur of greyish black surrounding my eyes and set off to meet my friends at the pub. 

I will now share a handful of the responses: “Ooh, very Black Swan.” “It’s not doing much for your face.” “It looks quite a lot like a soot.” “Why is it all the way into the corner of your eye and also on your nose?”

My hypothesis proved correct, that this make-up look is not for the faint-hearted, I surreptitiously tried to rub what was left on the sides of my nose as my friend dealt me a terrible Monopoly Deal hand. Thanks for the lols, JF. You’re a braver person than I.

Main image: Getty / Morgan Fargo