‘Cat eyes’ is one retro look that has its origins from the ancient Egyptian times. Elizabeth Taylor donned this look in the blockbuster ‘Cleopatra, ’ and it was one of the staple looks for pin-up girls. Since then, it has been on the fashion scene. It is an eye-catching, bold and daring look. It exudes confidence and independence. But like any other thing, there are a few situations where it is not entirely appropriate to wear this look. Going to the office, to a funeral or even a casual beach picnic does not call for a dramatic eye. As much as you love your retro look, you can’t pull it off all the time. So, there is a solution for you, a subtle take on this dramatic look.
Let’s start with the basics and then move to the subtle cat eye variations you want!
The Everyday Eye Makeup Look
This is one flirty makeup trick every girl should know. Always start with an eyelid primer to ensure your makeup lasts for a long time and does not smudge. Take your eyeliner and start from the outer corner of your eye. Go up at a sharp angle and join the tip of your flick to your lash line. Fill in the gap and move towards the inner corner of your eye. Keep your liner close to the lash line and follow the natural curve of your eye. Use a Q-tip to wipe out any rough edges. Since it is an everyday look, you can go with a black eyeliner, but make sure you make a thin line and as close as possible to the lash line.
The Office Eye Makeup Look
For your office, you don’t need a fierce look to your eyes. You need a liner that defines your eyes but, at the same time, does not go over the top.
For a not-so-fierce look, use a neutral eye shadow on your upper lid. Line the upper lid with your liner and extend it just a bit past your outer corner. Make a minuscule line from the outer corner of the lower lash line to join the upper line. Top it off with a brush of mascara.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8aQbzQ8MfYk
The Smoky, Subtle Look
A combination of smoky and cat eyes is not as overwhelming as it sounds. The best thing is that it is a timeless and classic look and does not take long to perfect. All you need is a good eye pencil in soft black and a pencil brush. Line, your eyes with the soft pencil, to create the cat eye. With the brush, blend the liner onto your eyelid creating the smoky effect.
Since you are using a soft black pencil, the smoky effect will be subtle. If you want a dramatic eye look, line your lower rims with kohl pencil in black and add black eyeshadow to your lids. To complete this look, use a highlighter on the bottom and outer corner of your eye. Pair this look with nude lips and let your eyes do the talking.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vFLp2B-hwOg
The ‘Glam it Up’ Look
Yup, we have all been invited to a party where we don’t know a lot of people. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to get dolled up! Add glitter, and you are the life of the party! The trick is to start your liner from the middle of your upper lash line and go outwards to create a gentle flick.
Once the liner has dried, trace it with a glitter liner. To keep it subtle, go for silver or dull gold. But if you desire to stand out, go for colored, shimmery glitter. A lip gloss in a darker shade will complete your glammed-up look.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=rAleB0jE-aY
The ‘Breakfast-meeting’ Eye Look
Getting up early in the day for a breakfast meet-up can be truly daunting and getting ready for it, even more so. A plus point for a lunch meet-up is that you don’t need to have a complete makeup look.
For this type of scenario, we have a particular take on your favorite cat eyes.
Instead of going for an all-black, line your eyes with a soft brown pencil or liner. Bobbi Brown eye pencil in Mahogany is a good option. Though it may seem a bit drab to use brown, it opens up your eyes and does not seem overwhelming for an early morning meeting. You can use apply taupe eye shadow on your upper eyelid and add a bright-colored lipstick to go with it.