How to Create Cat Eyes with Only Eyeshadow
Prime your eyes., Create a border with tape., Brush a light neutral shade over your inner corner., Apply a dark gray shadow to your outer corner., Blend the gray shadow out with a light brown color., Use a matte black shadow in the outer corner...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Prime your eyes.
Makeup primer creates a perfect base for makeup, and it is particularly important to prevent creasing and smudging in eyeshadow.
Put a bit on your fingertip and dab it along your lids.
Rather than stopping there, though, bring it far out along the outer corner and below your eye.
You will be sticking a piece of tape to your skin, so it’s good to create a barrier between the tape and your skin with a bit of primer.
This will also make the tape easier to remove. -
Step 2: Create a border with tape.
The trick to a perfect cat eye is having a crisp, sharp border where the cat eye extends from your outer corner.
When you’re creating a cat eye with eyeshadow, tape is your best friend.
Get a piece of tape about the length of your pinky.
Stick it on the back of your hand first, so that it loses some of its adhesive and will be more gentle on your facial skin.
Then, place it at an angle on the outer corner of your eye, so that it extends at the same angle as your bottom lash line does.
If you’re having trouble with this, just picture normal cat eyeliner.
The side of the tape should line where that eyeliner typically runs. , You can use any light shade that you love, but stay away from shadows with any sort of shimmer.
A very light tan color is perfect for this step.
Use a fluffy brush, and apply this shade all over your inner corner.
You will be blending your shadows out later, so it doesn’t have to be perfect. , You will see why the tape is so important.
Grab a small shadow brush and load it with a dark gray shadow.
Begin running this gray shadow along the tape, beginning as far out as you want your cat eye to extend.
Sweep it inwards, stopping about halfway along your lid. , Grab a fluffy brush and load it with a medium brown shade.
Brush it over the gray and softly blend the two together over your lid.
The goal with this is to eliminate any harsh lines from the gray shadow, and seamlessly blend it into the brown shade, which will become the lid color. , Follow the base you created with the gray shadow.
Extend the black shadow along the tape, just as you did with the gray.
Then, in only the outer corner, extend it up to your crease as well.
This will create the really bold cat eye effect on the outer eye. , After you’ve put the black shadow in the corner, start blending it out over the crease and upwards onto the lid.
Don’t add anymore product to your brush – simply smoke, or blend or spread, out the product that you’ve already put on your eye.
The tape gives you the sharp edge that you need for the cat eye shape, so blend away without worrying about ruining the precision you need for this look. , After you’ve blended all of the shadows together, emphasize that cat eye shape one more time by adding a bit more black to the tape line.
Because you’ve already blended the black shadow out once, you don’t need to blend it again.
You want the shadow to be darkest along the border of the tape, because that will create the boldest cat eye effect. , Carefully peel away the tape that you placed to reveal the sharp lines that you want.
The tape allows you to create that sharp cat eye angle without needing to meticulously apply your eyeshadow.
Double check that everything is fully blended and your eyes are symmetrical. , The cherry on top of your cat eyeshadow are bold lashes.
Grab your favorite mascara and start applying it as usual.
Put the wand at the base of your lashes, gently wiggling the wand to prevent clumping as you sweep it up the lashes.
Once your first coat has dried, however, apply another coat only to your outer lashes.
This will make the outer lashes a bit more bold and curled than the rest of your lashes, emphasizing the cat eye shape you created with the shadow.
Set your makeup with a makeup setting spray.
This will help ensure everything stays in place all day or night! -
Step 3: Brush a light neutral shade over your inner corner.
-
Step 4: Apply a dark gray shadow to your outer corner.
-
Step 5: Blend the gray shadow out with a light brown color.
-
Step 6: Use a matte black shadow in the outer corner.
-
Step 7: Blend the black upwards.
-
Step 8: Add more matte black along the tape line.
-
Step 9: Remove the tape.
-
Step 10: Apply mascara.
Detailed Guide
Makeup primer creates a perfect base for makeup, and it is particularly important to prevent creasing and smudging in eyeshadow.
Put a bit on your fingertip and dab it along your lids.
Rather than stopping there, though, bring it far out along the outer corner and below your eye.
You will be sticking a piece of tape to your skin, so it’s good to create a barrier between the tape and your skin with a bit of primer.
This will also make the tape easier to remove.
The trick to a perfect cat eye is having a crisp, sharp border where the cat eye extends from your outer corner.
When you’re creating a cat eye with eyeshadow, tape is your best friend.
Get a piece of tape about the length of your pinky.
Stick it on the back of your hand first, so that it loses some of its adhesive and will be more gentle on your facial skin.
Then, place it at an angle on the outer corner of your eye, so that it extends at the same angle as your bottom lash line does.
If you’re having trouble with this, just picture normal cat eyeliner.
The side of the tape should line where that eyeliner typically runs. , You can use any light shade that you love, but stay away from shadows with any sort of shimmer.
A very light tan color is perfect for this step.
Use a fluffy brush, and apply this shade all over your inner corner.
You will be blending your shadows out later, so it doesn’t have to be perfect. , You will see why the tape is so important.
Grab a small shadow brush and load it with a dark gray shadow.
Begin running this gray shadow along the tape, beginning as far out as you want your cat eye to extend.
Sweep it inwards, stopping about halfway along your lid. , Grab a fluffy brush and load it with a medium brown shade.
Brush it over the gray and softly blend the two together over your lid.
The goal with this is to eliminate any harsh lines from the gray shadow, and seamlessly blend it into the brown shade, which will become the lid color. , Follow the base you created with the gray shadow.
Extend the black shadow along the tape, just as you did with the gray.
Then, in only the outer corner, extend it up to your crease as well.
This will create the really bold cat eye effect on the outer eye. , After you’ve put the black shadow in the corner, start blending it out over the crease and upwards onto the lid.
Don’t add anymore product to your brush – simply smoke, or blend or spread, out the product that you’ve already put on your eye.
The tape gives you the sharp edge that you need for the cat eye shape, so blend away without worrying about ruining the precision you need for this look. , After you’ve blended all of the shadows together, emphasize that cat eye shape one more time by adding a bit more black to the tape line.
Because you’ve already blended the black shadow out once, you don’t need to blend it again.
You want the shadow to be darkest along the border of the tape, because that will create the boldest cat eye effect. , Carefully peel away the tape that you placed to reveal the sharp lines that you want.
The tape allows you to create that sharp cat eye angle without needing to meticulously apply your eyeshadow.
Double check that everything is fully blended and your eyes are symmetrical. , The cherry on top of your cat eyeshadow are bold lashes.
Grab your favorite mascara and start applying it as usual.
Put the wand at the base of your lashes, gently wiggling the wand to prevent clumping as you sweep it up the lashes.
Once your first coat has dried, however, apply another coat only to your outer lashes.
This will make the outer lashes a bit more bold and curled than the rest of your lashes, emphasizing the cat eye shape you created with the shadow.
Set your makeup with a makeup setting spray.
This will help ensure everything stays in place all day or night!
About the Author
Victoria Mitchell
Brings years of experience writing about lifestyle and related subjects.
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