Makeup Tutorial - Basic Cat Eye

Every woman should feel sexy and beautiful. The classic cat eye is one look, when done right, that guarantees that feeling. It's very simple, with the right tools and this quick tutorial, you should be able to  achieve this look easily any day of the week!

The focal point of this look is obviously your eyes, but more importantly, your lash line. The thick liner, winged out at the end creates a look of thick lashes and a very pleasing shape to the eye. So to keep the focus on the liner, I'm using fairly neutral shadow colors.

You will need:

A palette of neutral colors (Urban Decay's Naked or Naked II and Tigi's Professional palette are perfect)
Liquid or cake eye liner
Liner brush
Mascara
Urban Decay's Primer Potion
Mac's Set Powder
Shadow brush for blending
Brush to apply set powder

I used Naked and Tigi's palette. Here are my maps for the colors I used:

Start with the wonder twins:

Okay, they're not really twins, but they do wonderful things.

Apply primer to the eyelids and while that's drying pack on some set powder below your eyes.

I didn't use as much as I would for darker colors, because it's not necessary in this case.

Sweep a layer of "Champagne" across the bottom of your brow bone.

I didn't realize the lighting was so horrible until after I took these.

Apply "Sidecar" to your inner corner, across your lid, and below your eye, about a third of the way.

Fill the rest of you lid with "Sidecar" as well.

Now apply a layer of "Buck" into your crease.

Blend with a clean shadow brush.

After blending, you may need to add a bit more "Sidecar" to your inner corner.

Okay, I'll show you the trick to getting your eyeliner to look beautiful and glamorous as opposed to a drag queen (not a like fishy queen, rather, a nube). Pull your eyelid taut, and hold it with your finger as you apply the liner with a brush.

Like so.

I used Laura Mercier's Tightline Cake liner, you can use any good liquid or cake liner. I also found a cheap trick for the water used to apply cake liner. I use a measuring cup that came with my son's Advil, I just marked it "Makeup" so there aren't any future mix-ups. ;)

Genius, I tell you!

Apply a "base line". I start in the middle of my lash line and work my way to each end, so I don't smudge the corner where it should be thinner, or create an uneven line. You have more control using this method.

When you release your lid, it should look something like this:

Start in the middle again, and thicken the ends a bit.

The way I think of it, to simplify the situation, is to pretend I'm drawing an obtuse triangle on the outer corner. Since makeup is essentially about shapes and shades, it really does make sense.

Yes, I'm aware that I'm a nerd who uses math to do makeup. 

Go over the end until you have the desired thickness for your eye. If you get it too thick, just use a Q-Tip to thin it out a bit and try again.

It should look similar to this:

Pulled.

Relaxed.

Open.

I showed all three views because if you don't have a trained eye, it's hard to know when to stop or when you have the correct shape closed. This hopefully helps you to realize what shape it will look like while closed. Use your liner brush to smudge some liner on the bottom outer corner, then use pencil for the water line.

Finish with mascara and you're done! Another great thing about the neutral shadow is that it pairs well with bold lip colors. Here are some examples of the color options and my inability to make a serious face:

Like pink...

...and red.

You could even try this season's hottest color tangerine for a lip that pops! I hope you enjoy bringing out your sexy for the day!