The ‘siren eye’ vs. ‘doe eye’ debate is all the rage on BeautyTok lately, the fan-dubbed section of TikTok videos that centers around makeup trends and DIY instructions. As a winged eyeliner fan since the days of Alexa Chung’s eyeliner tutorials and other cat-eye tips from 2014 Tumblr, I had to take a stab at both.
After a week of practicing the two very different, ultra-trendy styles, I found both to have redeeming aesthetic qualities, but one was much more suited for everyday wear than the other. Before sharing my results, however, here’s a little refresher on the latest makeup debate that is heating up TikTok and other social media sites.
@sydney_artDoe eye vs siren eye?? Which do you prefer♬ original sound – bernardo
First Off, What Is The Siren Eye vs. Doe Eye Debate?
While older Gen-Z members and millennials may recall a winged eyeliner popularity resurgence in the past decade or so (remember it in twee and soft grunge?), its relevance has now taken two notable forms. The ‘doe eye’ eyeliner, often created with the help of light eyeshadow, a small liquid wing and voluminous lashes, aims to open the eye more (like the OG Tumblr wings once did).
The ‘siren eye’ look, on the other hand, seems to be more inspired by Alexa Demie‘s Euphoria looks— complete with thicker, longer lines (that don’t just jut out from the end of one’s eye, but also include one at the inner corner as well). While this look is also made with sky-high lashes, it also features much darker eyeshadow and a more blended wing overall.
@hayleybuix Do you have Doe or Siren eyes? #makeup #sireneyes #doeeyes #makeuptransformation ♬ original sound – bernardo
As Donya Momenian of Teen Vogue explains, “Siren eyes feature a sharp wing that extends farther out both ways, with the inner corners of the eyes being accentuated with an equally sharp point and oftentimes, a darkly-lined waterline. Doe eyes, on the other hand, are highlighted by a white-lined waterline and a short, upwards wing that stops before reaching the inner corners of the eyes.” With that said, I prepared to do both looks with the help of a TikTok search, as the phrases ‘siren eye’ and ‘doe eye’ currently boast millions of views on the app:
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What I Learned From My 'Doe Eye' Attempt (Big Fan)
Firstly, I gravitated toward the more traditional 'doe eye' look as it resembles my daily, go-to, (more unassuming) eyeliner wing. After priming, I started with a light, nude colored eyeshadow with a touch of sparkle, and blended across my eyelid. Next, I drew out the eyeliner wing with a black, liquid product, following the shape of various tutorials, starting a quarter of the way in from my inner eye corner and ending just about where my natural brow did.
To complete the look, I applied white pencil eyeliner on my waterline, sharpened the wing with the help of a q-tip, and topped it all off with mascara on both the top and bottom lashes. This look, as opposed to the 'siren eye' (which I will break down in one sec) was *just dramatic enough* without any under-eye concealer, and really did open my eyes up without too many necessary steps. Ultimately, it took me about 5 minutes to complete, unlike another TikTok eyeliner trend...
The 'Siren Eye' Steps (Longer Than I Thought)
While I must admit that I did feel pleased with the final outcome of the 'siren eye' tutorials I watched and recreated, this look took substantially longer to complete (almost 30 min), and felt too intense for everyday wear. Somewhere between Cleopatra and a Disney villain, the inner-eye eyeliner placement added perhaps too much drama to my overall look (although I could see this being a 'going out' look?)
To start, (after priming) I drew out a black liquid wing similar to the 'doe eye' one, but made it slightly longer, as many tutorials made clear. Instead of adding black pencil to my waterline rather than the white in the last look, I drew a subtle liquid line on my outer bottom lash line and then focused on the inner corner (the hardest part). After several attempts and a ton of makeup wipes to go through, I finally made an inner corner line that lined up with my natural brow and the end of the wing on the other side of my eye.
Why I Prefer The 'Doe Eye'
Next, I applied smokey black eyeshadow across the liquid eyeliner wings, and blended just enough to emphasize their shapes. After this step, I applied the same volume-boosting mascara on both the top and bottom lash lines, ultimately feeling like the 'doe eye' trend felt more natural-looking with my eye shape and personal style.
While the heavily-blended Maddy Perez-inspired 'siren eye' definitely could serve as a night out look, I found that the 60s Twiggy-derived cat-eye look (without as much bottom-lash action) could be done a lot faster. This style, (not too different from the Tumblr trends of my adolescence), feels more timeless and doable if in a rush, or just in need of a less-intense touch-up.
