Star Liner Is Here and the Internet Is Freaking Out

When you’re an Instagram-obsessed beauty freak like I am (also known as a beauty editor), you start to see trends to develop in real time: First, you’ll see an iteration of the trend during fashion week, which, after multiple months of silence, will lead to a sudden resurrection by one of your favorite makeup artists, which will then lead to a smattering of copycat photos on Instagram, which will quickly devolve into yet another divisive beauty trend of the year (opens in new tab). And today, I bring to you the latest in Internet-created lewks: star liner.

Not to be confused, of course, with NASA’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft capsule, which is set to launch in 2018 and currently controlling the #starliner game on Instagram. No, the star liner trend is essentially a cat eye made totally out of glitter stars.

The look first popped up a few months ago, some one-off regram that made me go, “oh, huh, pretty,” and since then, it’s been recreated by a bunch of random makeup artists who have also been putting their own spin on it, like artist Ashley Osborne, who layered rows of rainbow stars along both her top and bottom lids.

Of course, I’m not saying that this look is totally wearable on a daily basis, nor is it that practical for literally any situation other than a party or New Year’s Eve (unless your office is super chill with self-expression), but I don’t care, because this trend harkens back to my elementary school days, when I’d stick stars in the outer corners of my eyes and pretend I was Britney Spears. And that's all that matters, right?

If you’re keen on trying star liner at home, which I highly encourage, you can grab some glitter glue, like the Nyx Glitter Primer (opens in new tab), dab it in a thin line over your lids, then place and stick individual glitter stars (opens in new tab) in a line near your lashes. OR, if it’s a bit too naked and bold for you, try layering a few stars over black eyeshadow, or draw a line of stars with liquid liner before layering on the glitter. Either way, stars + eyes = happiness, as far as Instagram is concerned. Just promise me you’ll be smart with your glitter and go for the biodegradable stuff (opens in new tab) whenever possible, since glitter isn’t the nicest to the environment. Keep reading for more star liner inspo, below!