Butterfly liner is the pretty technique that gives eyes extra dimension

Unless you live under a rock, you’ll know that the butterfly motif is a defining symbol of ’90s and Y2K fashion and beauty. The latest? Butterfly liner. It’s joining the likes of butterfly lashes (the ultra-fanned-out, winged lash look favoured by Dua Lipa) and butterfly clips (the throwback nineties and noughties hair accessory that we’re fully obsessed with once again) as yet another way to nod back to the trend.

Made popular by Mariah (who named her 1997 album, Butterfly) alongside the butterfly-print T-shirts and bags we wore with our tinted gem-encrusted sunglasses and tiny shoulder bags, the butterfly emblem is back and like the insect itself, has undergone a colourful transformation since its origins. The trend has metamorphosed into increasingly creative outlets that nod to the OG butterfly shape or colours, without recreating it completely (like the butterfly lashes we mentioned earlier).

We spotted Hailey Bieber introduce the trend this week when she posted a picture to her Instagram that showcased her makeup look. Wearing a winged-out black liner along her top lash line, with a flash of butterfly blue along her waterline and ultra fluttery lashes, Hailey captioned the post “????????????????????????”. It looks as though she took inspiration from the vivid blue butterfly colour that was popular in the ’90s as well as the delicate winged shape when putting together the look.

We love that is offers a more subtle and grown-up way of jumping onto the trend, if you like to keep things more minimal. And the kaleidoscopic colours that butterflies come in means you can play around with a whole spectrum of shades to introduce in as a colour pop along the water line.

Elsewhere, we’ve seen more blatant takes on the trend with pretty, playful, bright and intricate interpretations of butterfly liner – from floating and deconstructed renditions, to some extra fluttery winged action around lashes. Whichever your vibe, there’s a pretty way in to the trend.