Quick answer: The easiest winged liner for mature eyes is Nikol Johnson's Lazy Girl finger-stamp method. Instead of drawing a wing freehand on your lid, you swipe a creamy waterproof pencil onto the side of your finger near the nail, then press that finger at the outer corner of your eye and sweep upward. It stamps a soft, lifted baby wing in seconds, and because you do this before foundation, any stray marks wipe right off.
Key takeaways
- Draw the liner on your finger, not your lid — then stamp and sweep it up at the outer corner.
- Aim higher than you think: lifting the wing upward is what flatters mature and aging eyes.
- Do your eyes first, before any foundation or concealer, so mistakes clean up instantly.
- Prime the lid first — Nikol calls Eye Primer non-negotiable for color that lasts and stays put.
- Use a creamy waterproof pencil so you can smudge, adjust, and perfect the shape before it sets.
Hey ladies. In this tutorial Nikol shares what she calls the Lazy Girl guide to a winged liner — a trick she spotted on TikTok and loved because it takes seconds and is almost impossible to overthink. It is playful on purpose: if the first attempt looks a little off, you laugh, wipe, and try again. Here is exactly how she does it, plus the rest of her easy Friday look.
What is the Lazy Girl winged eyeliner trick?
The whole idea is to stop fighting your lid. Rather than taking the pencil to the outer corner and trying to draw a perfect line, you paint the eyeliner onto the side of your finger — closer to the nail than the pad — then place your finger on an angle at the end of your eye and sweep up. It is the same lifted, flick-up direction Nikol teaches in her other liner hacks, just stamped on instead of drawn. Because you always sweep the visual upward, it lifts the eye as it ages instead of dragging it down.
How do you do the finger-stamp wing step by step?
- Prime the lid. Sweep Eye Primer from the lash line up to the brow bone to neutralize any darkness. Nikol says she can't do makeup without it — it keeps eyeshadow true and stops liner from creasing.
- Add an optional wash of shadow. Nikol swept on a soft pinky cashmere shade just for a hint of color. This step is optional — the liner is the star.
- Curl your lashes. A quick curl opens the eye before you place the wing.
- Paint the liner on your finger. Swipe the creamy Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in Dark Chocolate onto the side of your finger near the nail, not the flat pad.
- Stamp and sweep up. Press that finger at the outer corner of your eye on an angle toward the tail of your brow, then flick upward. Aim higher than you think — too low is the mistake to avoid.
- Clean up and connect. Tidy the edge with a cotton swab and a little eye-makeup remover, take the wing down slightly, then use the pencil to fill in and connect the wing to your lash line, using the stamped shape as your template.
- Mascara. Finish with Volume Up Mascara at the base of the lashes. If the mascara softens the wing, add a touch more liner — you already know where it belongs.
- Repeat on the other eye and don't stress if they aren't identical; everyone has slightly different eye shapes.
A quick note: work fairly quickly. Nikol's waterproof pencils give you a short window to smudge and adjust before they set, which is exactly why they hold the wing in place afterward.
How does Nikol finish the Friday look?
Once the eyes are done, she perfects the skin. She presses Just Peachy color corrector under the eyes to cancel dark circles — it has shea butter, so let it set before mascara can transfer onto it. She neutralizes any flush with No Redness before foundation, then buffs on a soft fluid foundation (she reaches for her Lumiere shade Shell, mixed with a liquid highlighter for a bronzy glow). To warm everything up she swirls on her new marbled cream-bronzer Creme Brulee, made in Italy and formulated to be forgiving on fair or mature skin. For the lip she lines with Cameo, adds Actually, I Can lipstick, and tops it with Manifest & Glow gloss. A quick pop of Palm Beach cream blush on the cheeks finishes the fresh, simple look. Any skincare or third-party items she mentions are linked in her YouTube video description.
The bottom line
The Lazy Girl wing proves you don't need a steady hand to get a lifted, put-together eye — you just need a finger, a creamy waterproof pencil, and permission to keep it imperfect. Practice the finger placement a few times and it becomes a 30-second weekend go-to. Ready to try it? Shop Nikol's eyeliners, explore everything for the eyes, or browse the full makeup collection to build your own easy look.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Lazy Girl winged eyeliner trick?
The Lazy Girl trick means you draw the eyeliner on the side of your finger near the nail, then press and sweep it upward at the outer corner of your eye instead of drawing directly on the lid. It stamps a soft baby wing in seconds, and because you have not laid down foundation yet, any stray marks wipe away easily.
Why draw the eyeliner on your finger instead of your lid?
Drawing a precise wing freehand is hard, especially on mature or aging lids. Painting the liner onto your finger and stamping it lets you place the wing on an angle and sweep upward for a lifted look. You then clean up and connect it to the lash line using the stamped shape as a ready-made template.
What kind of eyeliner works best for this trick?
A creamy, waterproof pencil. Nikol uses her Waterproof Eyeliner in Dark Chocolate because it is easy to manipulate, smudges and adjusts before it sets, then locks into place. You get a short working window, so shape the wing quickly before the waterproof formula sets up and holds.
Do I really need eye primer for this?
Nikol treats primer as non-negotiable. She applies Eye Primer from the lash line to the brow bone to neutralize any darkness so eyeshadow reads true and liner stays put all day. On mature lids especially, skipping primer often means color creasing or transferring within a few hours.
Why use brown eyeliner instead of black?
Nikol reaches for Dark Chocolate brown because it defines mature eyes more softly than black. Against gray or silver hair and fair skin, brown gives lift and definition that reads natural rather than harsh or drawn-on. You can always build it up gradually if you want a little more intensity.
Is this wing good for hooded or aging eyes?
Yes. The whole point is to sweep the wing upward and aim higher than you think, which lifts the eye as it ages. Because you stamp a soft baby wing and can adjust it before it sets, it flatters lids that fold rather than fighting them. Add a touch more liner after mascara if the wing disappears.
