Ladies, who doesn’t love the 60’s inspired cat eye? It’s so James Bond Babe, sleek, elegant, and sexy. While the 60’s really brought the spotlight on the cat eye, it actually dates back all the way to ancient Egyptian times. Both males and females of higher class wore eyeliner. It was used to accentuate eyes, much like today, but it was also used to protect the ancient Egyptian’s eyes from dust storms and sand.
Today we love how winged eyeliner looks and how it makes us feel. A crisp even cat eye can bring out so much confidence. But sometimes during the eyeliner application process we just want to give up because it can be such a pain to perfect this look. One wrong move, one smudge, and the entire look is ruined. And let’s be real, the liquid eyeliner can be pretty intimidating to work with sometimes. Well, the days of avoiding the winged liner are over- because we’ve got 5 bullet proof ways to master the cat eye!
1. Use An Eyelid Primer
Primer is the first step to an effortless makeup application on your skin and lips, so why wouldn’t we use it on our eyelids before applying makeup? Eyelid primer is just not talked about nearly enough, but helps so much with how makeup applies on our eyelids. If you think about it, your eyes are always blinking causing your eyelids to crease. This creasing does a number on your makeup. And don’t get me started on the oil that gathers on our eyelids; oil is a makeup killer. That’s why we prime.
So what does primer do exactly? Well it smooths out the area preparing it for a lovely makeup application first of all. And once the makeup is applied, primer helps it stick in place for much longer than it would if no primer was applied. Primer will help your winged liner stay in play and not smudge. And we all know how easy it is to smudge liquid eyeliner!
2. Steady Your Hands
Eyeliner is a challenge on its own, but add shaky hands to the mix and you’re ready to throw in the towel before you even get started. Instead of trying to draw the feline flick with your hand hanging in the air, stabilize it. One makeup artist with arthritis suggested you hold your wrist with your other hand, stabilizing it. Genius! You can apply this method to other tricky makeup applications that require lots of accuracy- like lip liner and lipstick.
3. Use A Stencil Or Tape
Now ladies, if you still need a little outside help with your winged eyeliner application, then thank Helena Rubinstein for creating the first ever makeup stencil. Lip stencils were first created by the makeup manufacturer in 1926. At that time, these stencils ensured women could achieve the perfect cupid’s bow.
Today, we have stencils for just about any makeup application you can think of; lipstick, eyeshadow, eyebrows, and yes you guessed it- the winged eyeliner. These stencils can be purchased on Amazon, and have great reviews.
If you’ve tried the stencils and aren’t a fan, or you don’t want to spend extra money, we have another tip that’s super inexpensive. Use clear Scotch tape! Apply a piece of tape to the top of where you want your eyeliner to end, and from your lower lash line to your eyebrow bone, and simply fill in the empty space with the eyeliner of your choice!
4. Try Different Types Of Eyeliners
There are levels to how good or not-so-good we are at applying winged liner. So for those of us that are just beginning to learn the tricks to a perfect cat eye, there’s a wonder product that we need. It’s called the LA Pure Original Eyeliner Stamp. It sells for $14 on Amazon, and comes with two sizes, 8 mm and 10 mm. Basically this product is exactly what it sounds like- a stamp. You just stamp on your cat eye with the size you desire. The formula is water proof and smudge proof. You’re welcome.
For those of us with shaky hands, or without full mobility in our hands, there’s an amazing eyeliner from NYX called the Professional Makeup Curve Liner. It has an ergonomic handle that’s easier to grip, and sells for $15 on Amazon.
Then you have your basic options- a liquid eyeliner, a liquid pen eyeliner, a regular black pencil, and a teeny tiny brush you use to dip into eyeshadow. You’re bound to love one of these!
5. Wing It! Step By Step.
There’s no reason to rush the winged eyeliner. Rushing it will likely create a disaster, no doubt. So take it easy! Draw on little bits of the line one step at a time. Start with a small flick going from your lower lash line up to your brow bone. Then connect it to your upper lash line. From there, fill in the space with your eyeliner. Extend the eyeliner on your upper lash line however far you want to go, towards your inner eye corner. Doing it step by step instead of all at once removes that room for error, and gets you a spot on perfect cat eye every time!