Polka Dot Cut Creases Are Here for Your Eye Makeup Rut
By Rachel Nussbaum. Photos: Courtesy of Instagram.
We're definitely at a saturation point with some of the more questionable "hacks" on social media, but there's nothing like a fresh, cool Instagram makeup trend to restore our faith in the Internet (truly, these takes feel like shaking the void upside down until something fun falls out). Today, that's polka dot cut creases—the new eyeshadow look that doesn't actually use eyeshadow, but something probably already in your bag.
But first, a refresher: "cut crease" makeup refers to defining your eyelid crease with contrasting eyeshadow colors, leaving them unblended for a sharp lewk. This new spin sees that and raises it by a million small dots. OK, that might be a slight exaggeration, but really—people are sprinkling tons of multicolored dots above their eyelid crease in a wave formation. It's mesmerizing.
Unlike those Instagram makeup trends you see, enjoy, and assume you could never in a million years re-create, this one's actually pretty doable. Scouting through the posts, most of the looks rely on liquid lipstick for those ultra long-lasting, clear-cut dots.
Makeup artist Molly Bee, who was behind one of the first polka dot cut crease posts as @beautsoup, says that she uses liquid lipsticks from Kat Von D, Jeffree Star, and Limecrime because the formulas stick (also an excellent tip, if your liner's always gone by midday and/or you're into the monochromatic look).
According to Bee, she doesn't even use a primer beforehand—the liquid lipstick dries down quickly and keeps the dots from bleeding or transferring throughout the day. Technique varies, though: Swedish makeup artist Johanna Storme says she uses Urban Decay's De-Slick Complexion Primer to make her skin as smooth as possible, because "the smoother the surface, the sharper the edges on the dots."
Other users, like Polish-based makeup artist Ilona G, work with crowd favorite Anastasia Beverly Hills' liquid lipstick. The only requirement is that it's safe for use around the eyes, Storme says.
So how do these artists get that super-precise dot shape? You don't need an MFA in pointillism—just access to a nail art dotting tool tool, says Bee. Meanwhile, Storme recommends using the end of a brush or even a toothpick to make the dots, and Instagrammer @stillbrittneyk_ goes even more high wire in the name of beauty: she uses the two points on a pair of closed scissors to make her dots. (You probably shouldn't copy that one.)
The look's definitely different, and bonus points that you can vary it by intensity. At the lower end, it's a "this is my rut-breaker" experiment; at the upper, some serious Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century vibes. You can go for whatever you're comfortable with—even if that's just staring at these.
This story originally appeared on Glamour.
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