Invisible eye-liner, doe-eyed or sleepy eyes? Makeup trends to watch out for in 2023

Shimmering shades, the perfect ‘I-woke-up-like-this’ look, smoky lashes, glam grunge looks are ready to take over the summer of 2023. This year, be prepared to see a variety of makeup looks, with some continuing their reign from 2022.

Let your eyes steal the limelight. Here are the most fun eye-makeup trends to watch out for this year.

Invisible eyeliner trend

We can thank TikTok for discovering this back in 2022. It sounds subtle, but it gives the much-desired fox look. It’s a great way to achieve a winged-eyeliner without drawing the physical black wing. Dubai-based Hayley Bingley, a bridal hair and makeup artist gives the details. “To achieve this look you only require two products, which you most likely have in your makeup kit already – a neutral beige, brown eye shadow, under eye concealer and a slanted brush, which is similar to an eyebrow brush,” she says. You apply a small amount of concealer with the slanted brush as you would apply eyeliner in a winged shape angled upwards. Then, blend around the edges with a neutral beige and brown eyeshadow. It’s as easy as it gets.

For invisible eyeliner, you apply a small amount of concealer with the slanted brush as you would apply eyeliner in a winged shape angled upwards. Then blend around the edges with a neutral beige...

- Hayley Bingley, bridal hair and makeup artist

Neutral and sometimes darker concealers are applied with a precise eyeliner brush to create a winged look in a sideways ‘V’ shape, adds Deepika Rajani, a UAE-based makeup artist, owner of GG Makeup By Deepika. “The effect is that of a softer and more wearable winged eyeliner,” she says.

Doe-eyed trend

If the fox look isn’t your cup of tea, then perhaps the doe-eyed beauty appearance is.

The doe-eyed look, also worn by pop sensation Ariana Grande, gives you the ‘wide-eyed’ appearance and innocent look. “It’s about creating a more round and wide-eyed look, having a more innocent and youthful effect, “ says Rajani. For this look, you need to use a prominent dark eyeliner on the top lid with a slight wing at the end. Line the inside of the lower waterline with a nude eye pencil and finish off with lashings of mascara, especially in the middle section of the lid, she says. “With or without eyeshadow and extra lashes, you end up with bigger, wider and more open-looking eyes,” she adds.

Don’t worry about your actual eye-shape, just have fun and play around with your makeup.

This look requires a little more time and effort. Bingley breaks down the routine:

The doe-eyed trend is about creating a more round and wide-eyed look and having a more innocent and youthful effect. With or without eyeshadow and extra lashes, you end up with bigger, wider and more open-looking eyes...

- Deepika Rajani, UAE-based makeup artist

Step 1: Prime the entire eyelid. Add a neutral, brown shade to the eye crease paying particular attention to the blending motion. You want to blend towards your eyebrows to create a rounded eye look, in contrast to the ‘outwards’ look, which gives you a fox look.

Step 2: Add a shimmering shade to the center of your eyelid to create a focal point and add dimension.

Step 3: This is the most important step for this look as you are applying the liquid eyeliner. You want to line the eye, paying particular attention to ends of your eyes. Round off the corners and continue the line onto your bottom lash line. Do not wing the eyeliner out.

Step 4: Finish the look at a brightening white or nude pencil to the waterline. You could also use a highlighter, under your eyebrow followed by a thick coat of volumising mascara.

The sleepy-eyed look

Don’t actually compromise on your sleep; just get creative.

We can thank Billie Eelish, Zoe Kravitz and the TikTok community for this. This look is a combination of punk, rock chic and messy, explains Bingley. Starting with eyeliner from the middle of your eyelids, it’s done in a parallel straight line from both top and bottom lash lines that meet to create a slim long triangle, explains Rajani. “This is then filled in and often smudged to get a sultry look,” she says.

Here’s the routine you can follow:

Step 1: Draw your eyeliner in an outwards wing direction. Not in an upwards direction, but in an almost straight downwards direction to give the illusion of the tired eye. Then you can smudge the line slightly. Remember, we don’t need to be neat here.

Step 2: Smoke out the lash line with a black eyeshadow. You can use a big blending brush in circle motions to blend the dark shadow.

Step 3: Don’t add much mascara because we don’t want to lift the eyes with lashes. we want to look as sleepy as possible.

The sleepy-eyed look gives the idea of mystery, owing to the sideways ‘V’ on either side of your eyes, says Rajani. “This works on most eye shapes, but be warned it can tend to make eyes look more closely set,” she says. It does work on hooded eyes; you just need to create a stronger outer corner. “It’s not the most flattering of the three, but it’s worth a try just for fun,” she adds.