Beauty
Perfect Cat Eyes in 6 Simple Steps!
As one who relies on public transportation, always taking the subway to work, timing is everything. I’ve always lived by the saying, “If you are early, you are on time. If you are on time, you are late. If you are late- you are fired”, but because I always have to account for delayed trains, train traffic, and local crazies causing dramatic scenes, I tend to be quick out the door, not always having time to complete applying my makeup at home. However, I don’t see being in a rush as an excuse to show up anywhere looking sloppy, and have become skilled at the art of doing my makeup, while mobile. Yesterday, as I sat with my purse of portable primpables and tracing my favorite cat-eye look, I was actually complimented on my eyeliner skills, by the lady sitting across from me.
Truth is, the cat eye technique looks more intimidating than it actually is. Though it is a skill that has taken me years to cultivate and perfect, I’ve figured out the best procedure that works for me, through a lot of trial and error. Here are some of the cat-eye tricks I’ve learned over the years, and with enough practice, pretty soon you will be able to effortlessly master it too.
Make sure you have an even, clear canvas to work with, by applying a neutral base. When doing cat-eyes, it is important to have some sort of base, wither a pressed powder, shadow, or primer, to seal in the eyeliner once it is applied. For a natural, every day look, I suggest using Neutrogena’s Healthy Skin Pressed Powder, the Exclusive Antioxidant Blend. Though this pressed powder is designed to act as a facial highlighter, choosing a shade slightly lighter than your natural skin tone, is a natural looking alternative to a traditional eye shadow color, while also making your face brighter, more youthful and concealing dark circles and spots around the eyes.
On your upper lid, take your eyeliner and start drawing your line from the middle, getting as close to the lashes as you possibly can. If you must, hold your lid closed with your index finger on the far corner of your lid, gently stretching the lid outward. Continue with your eyeliner from the middle of the lid, and tracing to the outer corner of the lid. If you can do it in one stroke, give it a try, but for beginners, I suggest doing as many little strokes as you need, connecting it into one solid line. The thicker the line, the more dramatic your final product will appear.
When you reach the end of your eyelid, DO NOT begin to drawing the wing just yet. This is a common mistake that will more often than not, lead to some kind of smudging. Once you reach to the end of the lid, stop, pick up your eyeliner, and start tracing your eye from the inner corner of your eyelid, connecting this new line to the first line you just drew, again staying as close to your lashes as possible. Try and make it as even as you can, but note that it is ok for this part of your line to be slightly thinner than your first line, mirroring the more narrow aspect of the inner corner of your eye. You should now have one solid line across your lid.
To create the wing, extend your line outward from the outer edge of your eyelid, staring roughly around your last, most outer lash. Make sure this line is fairly thin, and that this line should curve upwards towards the tip of your brow, stopping under your eyelid crease.
For a thicker, more dramatic wing, make a tiny V shape. Do this by starting from the most outer tip of your wing, and drawing back in the direction of your inner eye (towards your nose), connecting and meshing it in with the line around the solid line that traces your lashes, you have already completed. I suggest connecting this V, about a quarter of the way into your eyelid, to keep the line looking natural and even.
Fill in the V with your eyeliner. Add some extra thick mascara, to make your eyes really pop, and you’re all done!
