TikTok’s “Siren Eyes” Trend Is the Perfect Makeup Look for Your Villain Era

In a matter of months, TikTok went from just another app on my phone, to my favorite pastime. It so clearly captures the zeitgeist (in a way I haven't seen since the height of Tumblr) that it quickly became my go-to for fresh beauty inspiration. The latest example of a trend so perfectly right now is "siren eyes."

The siren eyes trend has gone viral, with video after video featuring a tutorial for a smoked-out, elongated, sultry eyeliner look. But if you scroll back further, the definition changes. Instead of a makeup look, you'll see clips of self-described "female manipulators"—a fascinating trend in and of itself—preaching the art of siren eyes. Essentially, it's "smizing" repackaged as makeup, and named for both the mythical mermaid-like creatures who would lure sailors to their death and the retro sirens of the silver screen.

These videos are all about harnessing your innate femininity and sensuality to seduce and manipulate men. "When you master your siren gaze, and now you can make men obsessed with you by just looking at them the right way. The siren gaze sends subliminal messages to a man that hits s3xl pleasure points,” the account Secrets of a Siren says in a popular video. "He won’t even know why he is so addicted to you. This is the secret behind stars like Alexa Demie and Marilyn Monroe. Now it’s time for you to tap into your feminine power.” 

Whether or not you choose to hypnotize men is your business, but there's no denying the resulting look, emphasized and striking eyes, is stunning. Here's how to get in on the trend.

The trend

Most of the women idolized by wannabe sirens have almond-shaped eyes, like Bella Hadid, Alexa Demie, Rihanna, and Megan Fox. If you don't have this eye shape naturally, the siren eye is all about creating sultrier eyes with makeup.

"The name 'siren eyes' leans towards a sultry, sexy take on the smoky eye," says celebrity makeup artist Lilly Keys. "We’re currently in our villain era of makeup and styling, and these eyes embrace our inner dark femme. It’s a hypnotizing look that inspires obsession. Bella Hadid has been wearing the siren eyes trend for a few years now, as well as Kendall Jenner, Megan Fox, and Angelina Jolie.  The trend is super flattering and sultry, with instant sex appeal. The shape narrows and sharpens your eyes to an eye-catching, mysterious, and darkly feminine look."

To emphasize the seductive nature of the look, TikTok users have been doing side-by-side comparisons of "doe eye" and siren eye makeup. The doe eyes focus on a rounded, bright, doll-like eye, while the siren eyes feature that signature sexy shape. Generally, one style will naturally suit you better based on your eye shape—Keys says siren eyes are a better fit for those with more almond or upturned eyes—but both looks can be cheated with makeup.

How to get siren eyes

"The siren eye trend is basically a smoky eye look that is slightly more dramatic, darker around the rims of the eyes, and flicked upwards at the outer corners for a more narrow, cat eye shape—giving a more mysterious, edgier makeup look," says Keys.

While siren eyes may look like similar to other liner trends, they're a little more involved than just swiping on some liner. "To achieve Siren eyes, you are basically mixing eyeshadow and eyeliner to create a smudgy but sharp smoky cat eye," says Keys. She says always to start working with lighter shades to build your base, and then work up to the darker ones.

She suggests applying a light taupe brown with a fluffy brush, concentrating most of the color on your lash line and blending upwards and outwards. "Using warm brown or grey eyeshadow, smudge along the upper lash line and blend upwards and outwards into a cat eye flick," she says. "Then, take a small, slightly fluffy brush, and blend a pencil liner into the shadow that you have already applied, blending outwards and upwards for your cat eye shape." She likes to use the Catrice 20H Ultra Precision Eye Gel Pencil ($5) for a really precise line. "Take the eye pencil and follow the shape of your upper lash line—this really intensifies the look and sharpens everything up."  Most users on the app keep the liner focused on the inner and outer corners and thinner in the middle to really elongate the eye.

Finish off with plenty of mascara, and unleash your inner femme fatale.