Beauty trend report: Unleash your inner femme fatale with siren eyes

Let your feminine power shine with alluring retro beauty tricks and graphic liner placements.

TREND: SIREN EYES

THE INSPIRATION

Sleepy, bedroom eyes of 1950s film stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Euphoria’s Maddy Perez.

As seen at: Dior, Chanel, Sportmax

The world has felt like a movie for the past few years, so it’s no wonder there’s increasing interest in channelling lead-character energy, romancing your life or entering the villain era.

If you’re craving a little escapism, you’re in good company — we’re in this together! There are many characters we’re happy to escape into with the help of makeup, but it seems the inner siren has taken social media feeds by storm. As seen on the runways of Dior and Chanel, underliner has been employed to herald the trend.

Siren eyes take all the best parts of the graphic black-eyeliner revival, smoky eye and underliner to give us the ultimate shape for a sultry mood — an elongated eye with extended, graphic lines. For the past couple of months, our TikTok feeds have been overrun with the “doe eyes” vs “siren eyes” debate, which has seen the internet divided between makeup techniques that make you look innocent and doll-like, with the swipe of white eyeliner worked into the waterline and eye-opening lashes, and those that give you the seductive gaze of a siren.

It seems we are all tapping into the most captivating version of ourselves.

HOW TO CREATE A SIREN EYE

1. Start with a wash of neutral eyeshadow in light brown or taupe tones to lightly contour the eyelid and create a natural base.  
2. Create a smoky foundation for liner by dipping a pencil or angled brush into a dark-brown or black eyeshadow and smudge tightly along the upper lash line, with an outward flick past the corners to create a thin winged line.
3. With a black liquid eyeliner, layer a winged line on top of the smoky liner base, but go for a straighter shape rather than an upward flicked wing, to prevent shortening or rounding the eye shape.  
4. Extend the line slightly past the inner corner of the eye to enhance the lengthening effect. 
5. Rim the lower lash line and waterline with a black kohl liner and use the same pencil brush to achieve a more smudged, smoky line.

Finish off with lashings of mascara and a half lash applied to the outer half of the upper lash line to further elongate the eye and give it a fluttery, wispy finish

THREE ICONS, THREE WAYS:

1. EARTHA’S FELINE FANTASY

Known for her strong, cat-like features and purring voice, Eartha Kitt had the siren aesthetic down to an art. With a strong jaw and a smaller almond shape to her eyes, she would elongate her eyes with makeup. Framed by full brows, Kitt’s eyes were usually only lined along the top lash line with a black eyeliner, while the bottom lash line would be left clean. For extra definition, draw a tight line at the waterline with a waterproof black eyeliner pencil to create the illusion of smaller, smizing eyes.

2. THE MARILYN ILLUSION

We can’t talk about sirens without mentioning Marilyn Monroe’s iconic aesthetic — a classic red lip and sleepy, bedroom eyes.

The key to her eyes is the illusion created by a faux lash shadow, which makes lashes look fuller and eyes more seductive.

Use a brown eyeliner for a softer finish to form a thin winged line that sits tightly along the top lash line.

Along the lower lash line, create a second liner wing that extends just past the outer eye corner.

Make sure that the bottom wing almost mirrors the top lash line as an inverted wing to create the lash shadow illusion.

Finish off by lining the waterline with a white eyeliner pencil for the illusion of brighter, open eyes. 

3. SOPHIA’S 1960S SEDUCTION

Sophia Loren must be the epitome of retro Italian siren energy with her unique, Mod eyes. An elongated black winged line hugs the upper lash line with an upward-flicked winged liner going along the lower lash line; the two are connected at the ends to create a triangular negative space at the outer corners. 

The waterline is rimmed with a white eyeliner pencil, which is extended into the outer corner to fill in the triangular space and create the illusion of a more almond-shaped eye. 

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