If you shy away from eyeliner because it feels like a recipe for smudged disaster, your luck might have changed thanks to a genius tip being circulated on the internet. Shared by creator @bexcxmpbell, the only things you need are a soft (this is crucial) eyeliner and your fingertip. And, perhaps, a few spare minutes to perfect the technique. 

“If you struggle with eyeliner, I’ve got the best hack,” she says. “Grab your pencil – black, brown, whatever colour you want – and you’re going to put your finger right in the corner of your eye. Where you can feel the pressure (on your finger), that’s where you’re going to put your pencil liner.”

Then, drawing a sizeable dot on her fingertip, Bex places it above where the upper eyelid begins. “I’m drawing mine here and we’re going to put it in the corner of the eye and we’re just going to pull out.” The result: uniform, softly smudged eyeliner. But is it as easy as TikTok is making us believe?

Well, yes and no. One user trying the technique found that a stubborn dot of eyeliner was left near her eyelid but resembled nothing like the sleek flick she was going for. However, this could be due to the type of eyeliner she was using rather than the technique. A soft eyeliner is better as it allows the pigment to move once it’s on your skin. If you don’t have one, try to let the pencil warm up on your finger before applying it – the heat will make it more malleable and able to work with. 

If you’re really struggling, Bex has a brilliant workaround. Draw the dot of eyeliner straight onto your eyelid, then use your finger tips to pull it up. The benefit of this method is that you can do both simultaneously and still have time for a cup of tea before work. Glorious.

Main image: Getty