Cat Eyes 101

Is there anything more seductive than a smokey cat eye? There is just something about them that instantly makes me think of a James Bond girl fighting crime and looking fabulous.

 

It took me many years to master the elusive perfect cat eye but I’m proud to say that I’ve done it. Here is my no fail guide to creating a cat eye that would even make Cat Woman do a double take.

Step 1.

Curl your lashes, then dotting on a light layer of eye-shadow primer or oil-free foundation from lids to brows. Both grip onto makeup, preventing color from migrating

 

Step 2.

 

Gently pull your lid upward so you can see its inner rim. Line the rim with a few coats of jet-black waterproof pencil. Then line the inner rim of your lower lash line.

 

Step 3:

Next, use the same pencil to line the skin directly above your upper lash line. Blend color into lashes with an angled brush.

 

Step 4:

Layering liquid liner over pencil is the key to a stay-put look—the liquid dries and locks down the first layer of color. With a black liquid-liner pen, make four evenly spaced dashes over the pencil line, then connect them.

 

 

Step 5:

Now it’s time to create the winged-out edge. Close your eye, and trace a finger along your upper lid’s crease, moving outward. When it meets the bony part of your eye, mark the spot with a dot of liquid liner.

 

Step 6:

 

Place the tip of the liquid-liner pen on the dot, and drag it to the outer corner of your eye, thickening the line as you go.

 

Step 7:

Once the liner has dried, dab your lid with a cream colored liquid shadow, then place a metallic version (like Chanel Fluid Iridescent Eyeshadow in Sand, Source, and Delta, $32 each) on the area just above your crease line and inner corner. Like creams, liquids catch light but stand up better to the heat. Finish with two coats of black mascara.
Thanks to cosmopolitan.com for the how-to.