TUTORIAL: the Perfect Cat eye / winged liner

A classic cat eye liner can give any eye look that extra bit of polish and classic glamour that any woman can rock.  Sometimes creating a good cat eye can be difficult due to the eyeliner used, the brush used, your technique or just lack of practice.

Here is a tutorial on a fool proof method for creating the classic winged liner:

You will need:

• a soft black eyeliner pencil OR a gel eyeliner
• an angled brush with bristles that are soft enough to use on the eyelid
• a black shadow

When you pick the eyeliner for your winged cat eye, make sure that it is a soft liner that is smooth to apply.  Pencils that drag or tug on the eye will be too hard to use with a brush.  I recommend Makeup Forevers AquaEyes pencil, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye pencil for high end options, and Milani's Liquif'Eye as a drugstore option.  Most potted gel liners will work great as well,  I prefer waterproof smudge proof formulas and have had a lot of good luck with Smashbox, MAC Blacktrack, and L'Oreal's gel liner.

If you are using a pencil, take the angled brush and rub it along the tip of the pencil to deposit some product onto the brush.

Take the brush and follow along your lashline, making the line thicker from the center of the pupil out to the outer corner of the eye.  Get the product in between your lashes as well, this will make them look darker and thicker.  Pick up more product as necessary, and smooth out the edge of the eyeliner.

Turn the brush so the angle is following the curve of your lower lashline (as if you were going to extend it outwards) and create a wing by pressing the brush down at that angle and pulling downward back towards your eye.  I find that making the wing this way is much easier than trying to do an outward "flick" at the end of your eye.

Take your angled brush and dip it into some black eyeshadow, tapping off the excess,  then press it over the line that you drew with the eyeliner.  This will help set the liner as well as soften any wonky edges.

Voila - the classic winged cat eye!  Now just curl your lashes and add a coat of mascara and your eyes are gorgeous daaaahling.