Make Those Cat Eyes Purr

By Lucia Rossi

Let’s be honest, the struggle is real when it comes to doing the perfect winged eyeliner and cat eye.

Lately, I’ve been complimented on my winged eyeliner skills and told that it can’t be done because it’s too difficult. But if only they knew the truth, I cheat, and you can too.

Here is my confession.

If you see someone with a perfect black wing, don’t think that they got it in one try, and don’t think they just did it free hand. Sure, it’s possible that they actually because they’re probably makeup prodigies, but we all can’t be that lucky. However, we can be smart.

As I said, there are ways to cheat the system and make it look like we spent an obscene amount of time achieving the perfect symmetry and sharp shape that an on-fleek wing requires. You need the right tools, a bit of time, some practice, a maybe a smidge of luck.

Let’s start with perhaps the most commonly known trick for winged eyeliner as well as eye shadow application, Scotch tape. So simple, yet so useful. It will get you that clean cut shape without breaking the bank.

Seriously though, I but the 99 cent brand of tape because it is less sticky and easy to work with. If you use the actual Scotch brand, then place the piece of tape on and off your hand to lessen its stickiness so it doesn’t hurt your face when you take it off. Cut a piece about 1-2 inches in length and place it from the bottom corner of the end of your eye to the end of your eyebrow. This method is really helpful when using loose eyeshadow pigments because it makes for an easy fall-out clean up.

If you want room to play with your eye look, get in the habit of doing your eye makeup first and your face makeup second. You don’t want to waste precious product by continuously wiping it away when you’re cleaning up. So, save yourself the trouble.

This is also especially helpful because you can sharpen your winged eyeliner with a small angled brush, some makeup remover and concealer. If you’re not happy with your wing shape, or you just want it to be sharper and cleaner looking, dip the small angled brush or a Q-Tip in makeup remover and gently swipe what you would like to erase. Then polish it up with the angled brush dipped into some concealer and use it to sharpen the line as well as conceal any possible redness from cleaning.

Much like the Scotch tape, there are other tools you have in your house that you can use to get the perfect wing.  You could use a credit card or business card along the edge of your eye to give you that straight-lined barrier. Just hold the card against the corner of your eye upward toward your eyebrow and draw along the line. Slowly build upon that until you get your desired shape.

You can also achieve the same effect with a spoon. That’s right, you heard me, a spoon. You can use the handle of the spoon along the side of your eye to create the wing shape and then flip it over to the rounded side to help draw the connecting line along your lid to give you that perfect triangle shape. Refer to the picture to help you if you’re willing to give this trick a try.

If you don’t want to use any of those things, there are tricks you can practice doing free hand. You can connect the dots for instance. First draw thin dashes along your lid to get your desired shape. When you get to the wing, draw 3 or 4 tiny dots outward outlining where you want it, and then connect them. Check both your eyes to see how symmetrical they are, it’s okay if they’re not completely perfect. Another way to check how different they are, is place your two fingers on the top points of where the line ends and see in the mirror how far apart they are.

At the top dot, drag your eyeliner downward in a slope to connect it to your lid. I know drawing the triangle is the hardest part, but at least it is easy to fill it in. Remember, your wing shouldn’t go past your eyebrows unless you purposely wanted to go for that dramatic look.

You may be confused as to what type of eyeliner to use and what the best is for beginners. There is generally, eye pencil, gel, and liquid. You can also use eyeshadows too far a more subtle, softer look as well. The eyeliner pencil is good for smudged out looks because even if you mess up, you can just smudge it out with a blending brush until you’re happy with it.

If you’re seeking that clean cut look, your best bet is liquid liner. Gel is much harder to get off so save that for a day when you’re really feeling confident. There are any different kinds of liquid eyeliner out there. There’s pens, liners in bottles, some with brush tips, some with felt tips, some with a waterproof formula, and some without, you see my point. You just need to find what works best for you.

Personally, I like the liquid liner in a small bottle with the tiny brush tip. Don’t go for the waterproof formula when practicing, use the formula that will wipe off easily with makeup remover. I recommend the Sephora brand Long Lasting 12HR Wear Eye Liner ($12, Sephora.com) or the NYX Collection Noir Liquid Black Liner ($5.99, Ulta.com).

I find the easiest way to draw the wing is to draw the thin lie along your lid first in small strokes and then at the corner, press down and lift the brush up to get that nice pointed line. Do this especially when resting your arm on the mirror or a table. Then start drawing the line backward toward your lid and fill it in.

If that’s too complicated, you can just say “screw it” and wear eye liner decals. You could also use already made eyeliner stencils on your lid or make them yourself using a business card.

Don’t be afraid of trying the cat eye, sure you’re going to mess up, but that’s okay because you can just go back and fix it. The wings don’t have to be perfectly shaped, pointed, symmetrical, and cut, just make it work the best you can. This is an eye look that is flattering on anyone, goes well with any kind of look, and can be changed to fit many different styles.

With that said, go take that eyeliner and make it your bitch.