How to Get the Perfect Cat Eye, According to Makeup Artists
From monolids to hooded eyes, here’s how makeup pros tailor the cat eye for every shape.
Sometimes, nailing the perfect cat eye can feel like walking a tightrope between two 10-story buildings. Obviously, the consequences aren’t nearly as dire, but the intense pressure to not mess up is real, nonetheless. The slightest bump or twitch can send an eyeliner pen or brush flying in the wrong direction and force you to start over—even for people with super steady hands and tons of eyeliner experience under their belt. And you might have smaller or hooded eyelids that don’t give you a lot of room to work with.
While the art of the cat eye will never be the easiest part of a makeup routine, there are certain methods and products you can use to make the process far less difficult. At the end of the day, it all comes down to choosing smooth formulas, being patient, and getting familiar with your anatomy. Below, makeup artists break down their best tips for how to do a cat eye with eyeliner.
The right eyeliner makes a world of difference.
It’s tougher than usual to draw a smooth line if your eyeliner is tugging at the skin as you go. If that’s the case, your eyeliner could be dried out from age or you might need to invest in a smoother formula.
Makeup artist Janica Cleto. Courtesy of subject.
“I personally find that using smudge-proof gel or kohl eyeliners are best for tightlining,” says Manila-based makeup artist Janica Cleto. “But I [also] like using gel or pen-type eyeliners to make a solid cat-eye wing.”
If you feel confident with using a pen type, Cleto says you can’t go wrong with Browit Pen Eyeliner. “For gel eyeliners, I like the Make Up Forever Aqua Resist Color Pencil Eyeliner,” she shares.
If you are newer to eyeliner or like having extra stability, makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes makes an excellent case for wetting an eye shadow and using a brush. “Use the most malleable formula you can possibly find, like MAC Carbon Eye Shadow,” she explains. “That way you’ll get the easiest glide versus using a gel pencil.”
Your eye shape should determine your eyeliner shape.
“[Filipino] eyes come in a variety of shapes, and can’t be categorized into one,” says Cleto. For her, there’s a cat eye that works for each eye shape.
To get started, makeup artist Lavonne shares a guide on how to determine your eye shape:
Round eyes
If your irises are completely visible when your eyes are open and resting naturally, then you likely have round eyes. “Start from the outside, drawing at a downward angle toward the eye’s outer corner,” she advises for this eye shape. “Apply the liner inwards, stopping at the center of your lid where your pupil is when you’re looking straight ahead.”
Monolids
Monolids are characterized by minimal eye creases or the lack of an eye crease. Creating the thinnest line possible is best for this shape, Lavonne says. “Place the tip of the eyeliner on the lash line at the pupil and draw to the outer corner. Then start from the inner corner and draw it to meet the middle point.”
Almond eyes
If your eyes are more ovular than circular and have sharp outer and inner corners, you’ve got almond-shaped eyes. Lavonne recommends you should take advantage of your extra lid space. “Draw your eyeliner from the inner corner all the way across the lash line, then flick it out, stopping at the point where your crease starts.”
Hooded eyes
Do your creases seem to magically disappear when you open your eyes? That means you’ve got hooded eyes. “To make sure the liner doesn’t disappear under your lid, create the outer wing flick where your eyelid hood starts,” Lavonne advises. “Work your way inward, applying your liner in thin strokes.”
Make yourself an outline.
One of the most common cat-eye mistakes, Lavonne says, is “curly cats,” when the eyeliner wing curls upwards instead of jutting straight out. “It will change the shape of your eye,” she explains.
A great way to avoid those curly cats is to map out your cat eye beforehand, and makeup artists have come up with all sorts of ways to do this.
New York City makeup artist Tommy’s approach takes some of the guesswork out of choosing the right liner shape for your eyes. After curling your lashes, he recommends visualizing an imaginary line that stretches outward from the outer corner of your eye to the outer brow bone; it should follow the same angle as your outermost eyelash.
“Place a dot right behind that outer eyelash. This will be the end of the tail,” he explains. “It should lift the eye shape and, most importantly, widen and elongate.”
You can also create the entire shape of the cat eye with a sharp brush and lighter-color eye shadow, which is what Lavonne likes to do before going back over it with eyeliner. That way, there’s a lot more room for error and you can see how the shape of the liner will pair with your eye shape before committing to a dark, waterproof wing.
After analyzing the eye shape that she’s working with, Cleto starts with an outline as well. “I wing out the liner towards the end of the brows and fill in a triangle shape to create a thicker wing,” she says. “Then I’ll extend the liner at the inner corner of the eyes, to make the overall eye shape [look] more feline.”
Resist the urge to close or stretch your eyes.
A lot of people use their fingers to stretch out their eyelid when applying an eyeliner wing. It might just be a reflex, but it can singlehandedly ruin a cat eye.
“Stretching risks warping the consistency and symmetry of the liner,” Tommy says.
Painting an eyeliner wing when your eye is completely closed can cause similar problems because the shape of the eye can change as it opens and closes. This especially goes for hooded eyes and people with mature skin, which is why Hughes always recommends applying eyeliner while the eye is open.
“Put your head in the most neutral position you possibly can, relax your eyes, and get real comfortable. That way, your eye is in the most relaxed position,” she advises. “Then gently place [the liner], without tugging too much, over that fold or within that area.”
To avoid blinking while doing this, Lavonne recommends grabbing a handheld mirror. “I tell beginners to hold a mirror under their chin, look down into the mirror, rest the liner or brush or pencil on the lash line, and begin to draw short connected strokes,” she says. “You get a perfect line every time and you won’t blink.”
Makeup remover is always there to help you.
Even the professionals keep makeup remover on hand to perfect or correct their cat eyes. “To make it extra crisp I use a super thin cotton swab with some Bioderma micellar water to sharpen the line, then add a dot of concealer and blend it out so it creates a sharp wing,” Lavonne says. “The concealer is like painter’s tape. It makes crisp edges.”
So if you don’t like the shape of your wing or got bumped along the way, don’t feel bad about not getting it perfect on the first try. You can clean up small imperfections with concealer and micellar water like Lavonne. Worst-case scenario, you just try again. Either way, you’ll get better the more you practice.
