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The cat eye is back in a big way this fall and I couldn't be happier about it! It's a fun and sophisticated look that is easy to master. No, really - if I can do it, you can too! Invest a bit of time experimenting with it, and you'll be ready with a makeup technique that you can make as dramatic or as subtle as you wish. Don't believe me? Read on!
This is what my eye makeup looks like right now. I have on a bit of concealer, some neutral shimmer shadow, mascara and of course, eyeliner. If I want to add a little va-va-boom to my day, all I have to do is wear matte lipstick, preferably in red or another deep shade. If I wanted to channel a doe-eyed sixties flower child I'd wear beige or peach gloss. If I was on my way to preschool pick-up, I'd wear some chapstick and be done with it. I'll leave the rest of my face to your imagination, but I think you get my point: The cat eye is more versatile than you think.
CAT EYE THE EASY WAY
1. Prep the eye area: If you're like me and are blessed with dark undereye circles use a concealer (I like Laura Mercier Secret Concealer) to even out the eye area to your liking. (Who doesn't have undereye circles?) (That's a rhetorical question by the way, please don't tell me if you don't have them. I DON'T WANT TO KNOW.) I also like to use a primer on the lid -- it's not as tricky as you think, and I find that it makes makeup application so much easier, plus your handiwork lasts longer. I'm currently loving MAC Paint Pot in Painterly -- it's really a shadow, but it works incredibly well as a primer. I then swept some beige shadow with a bit of shimmer over the entire lid (all the way to the brow -- there's no science or trickery involved) and I was ready to draw.
2. Draw the line: I recommend using a gel based liner and a brush. I think it's the easiest way to do it, a felt tip eyeliner would be next easiest and liquid liner would be my last choice. I can't do the cat eye with a pencil, so I don't recommend it. I'm wearing MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack in the picture above, which happens to be my favorite right now, but I've loved felt "markers" in the past. The Fluidline is incredibly easy to use - you just pat the brush on and it leaves a beautiful line behind! You look like a pro and it takes no skill at all.
Now, to the drawing. Don't be nervous. You don't have to draw the line in one perfectly executed swoop. I certainly don't. Instead, I start by patting the brush as close to my lashline as possible, doing my best to deposit color between the lashes to create the illusion of fuller lashes. I start the line right where my lashes naturally begin and make the line thicker as I get closer to the outer corner of the eye.
Remember, you don't have to draw the line in one move -- start by patting the brush as closely to your lashes as possible. Take a look in the mirror. Do you want a more dramatic look? Then build on the line little by little, making it thicker as you get to the outer corner of the eye. Once you're happy with the thickness, you can do the little sweep at the end. It will be very thin at first, and you can fill in the difference once you're happy with the angle. Where to do the flick? Wherever you wish! You probably don't want to go past the brow bone, but there are no rules in make-up. Experiment!
3. Finish: Clean up with a Q-Tip and put on some mascara. That's it! Go out into the world you vixen, you. (Just don't forget to do the other eye before you do.)
Roxanna is a BeautyHacks CE. When she's not here she can be found blogging at Miguelina and Everyday Treats.
