My Decade Long Love Affair with the Cat-eye

What is the "cat-eye"?  Well like the above photo suggests, its an eyeliner technique where one would extend the black liner past where your lash line stops, in a sweeping motion to create a winged effect.  I'm not sure why its called a cat-eye, I personally don't think it resemebles a cat's eye, but some may see it that way.  It reminds me more of like a sultry Egyptian goddess, like Cleopatra.  She was a sexy (sexy was a term that was used very loosely during her reign; paleo-osteology has recently revealed that she had a hooked nose and was actually quite hideous) Egyptian royal who slept her way to the top.  A young Madonna would have been a modern day Cleo.

As a forewarning, the following is just my opinion of what works for me.  Of course I'm sure all of you out there have had much success with whatever products, techniques, or styles that you choose, and in no way am I downplaying, or telling you that your way is incorrect.  Your way is very much correct if it works for you.  Everyone is entitled to their own way of doing things, so just relax, and have a fun read.

I'm ashamed to admit that my make up application routine hasn't changed very much since my younger days.  My techniques have gotten cleaner, and more precise.  The way I apply colour, should I choose to, have been perfected.  And the type of coverage I choose to wear on a daily basis, or for an evening look have evolved with time.  What has stayed the same, is my choice to use jet black liquid eyeliner to create a cat-eye look.  Its simple, its timeless, and I've been doing it for so long I'm a total pro.  I guess its true what they say about women who are stuck in the style of the year they graduate high school.  I'd like to think I've come a lot further since then. 

This make up style is clean, crisp, and is always trendy (or so I believe, at least).  It can be made to be built upon from a casual look, to an evening look, to a dramatic over the top look.

The cat-eye will suit almost everyone who attempts it.  For me, I think that it really opens up my eyes, and elongates the edges, creating a big opened wide doe-eyed look.  Without it, I can see that it looks like my eyes are smaller, less defined, and tired looking.  Maybe its because its the way I've done my make up for so long, I can't picture myself without it. 

How my cat-eye has been so successful for me for so long:

Its definitely endured the test of time, and I believe its all because of the product I use.  The only liquid eyeliner I use, and have used for the last decade is CHANEL Liquid Liner in onyx.  Not the one in the stylo pen, I'm talking the one that consists of a little pot filled with liquid coupled with an ultra fine paint brush.  The finest brush I believe that's out there.  I know when you hear CHANEL, you're thinking, "Oh come on, I'm sure I could get an eyeliner just as good for less."  Well, for about $35 a tube, I suppose it is pretty pricey, but if you're an eyeliner perfectionist who expects a lot from their eyeliner, like staying power, along with the blackest of black color, then its not too much.  Over the years, I've strayed a few times, wanting to try out different brands, or different eyeliner products, but none have come even close to the quality you get with this product.  I don't know if its still listed as a product on their online make up site, or if its still displayed at the CHANEL make up counters, but if you ask for it, they certainly still have it. 

What I've tried:
Pencil -- With pencil eyeliners you don't get the sharp edge.  You don't get the easy glide on.  You don't get the staying power, and you certainly don't get the dramatic black color.  You pretty much get a smudged greyish line over your lid.  And it definitely makes a terrible cat-eye, because the edge is dull, you don't achieve that sharp winged effect.

Liquid Pens -- With some pens you do get a very fine tip, allowing a clean sweep for a cat-eye.  But what I found with all pens, no matter what the beauty expert preaches, is that you don't get the black-out black color.  Again, its just a diluted black, which is still black, but when compared to something that is actually black, its not up to par at all. 

Gel -- My experience with gel eyeliners has only been recent.  My understanding is that its pretty new, but that's just because I just found out about it.  It could have easily been around for just as long as all the others.  This gel one by Maybelline was the worst of the bunch.  You get a little paint pot full of gel, and a not fine enough brush.  The idea is that you dip the brush into the gel, clean what extra globules you get off of the sides of the brush, and apply.  Easier said then done.  The liner goes on inconsistently.  You get like a clumpy line that's too thick, or once the clump has completely rubbed off of the brush onto your eye lid, you get no line at all.  I powered through, and managed to do both eyes.  Again, the color wasn't dark enough.  And as an added bonus, because its a gel, it never really sets or dries.  So all day long, its slowly being smudged and rubbed around, creating not a cat-eye, but more of a raccoon eye.

Other Liquids -- The problem with other liquid liners have been the brush size.  If its not fine enough, its not good enough.  And of course again, the inability to create a long lasting jet black.

The solid routine:
My cat-eye wouldn't be a success without all the other products I use as a part of my make up routine.  It is truly the sum of its parts. 

1. Never too much mascara. 

If anything is just as important as the eyeliner, its the mascara.  I can cake this bad boy on, because I need to.  Being of asian decent, I suffer from what is known as being eyelash challenged.  They are short, and scarce.  I've been on a long search for the perfect mascara.  A mascara that can build and build and build if needed, adds length, adds volume and thickess, keeps the lashes separated and doesn't clump, and doesn't form a hard crust and fall onto my face during the day.  I know that's a lot to ask of for a mascara, and up until now, I've always gotten so close.  Today, and for the past year I finally found the perfect mascara.  Its by Benefit and its called "Bad Gal Mascara".  This mascara has everything that I just listed.  Its even soft when it drys, so when you run your fingers across your lashes its not hard and crumbles.  I glob on what I can to achieve my desired look, and then clean the mess around my eyes off with a q-tip that I dip in eye make up remover.

2.  The eyeliner:

I dip my brush into the pot, and just apply the liner as close as I can to the lash line.  Once I get to the edge I continue on, until its as far and thick as I'd like it.  I'm not worried if its not perfect and kind of sloppy, because afterwards I just run a q-tip under a very small amount of water, and clean off the excess and shape the cat-eye into the look I'm trying to achieve.  Now, I know this convention may not work if you're someone who prefers to put their eyeshadow on before the liner, so unfortunately this technique will only work if you put your shadow on afterwards, or like me, you don't usually wear shadow at all.  I've got what they call a "monolid", another unfortunate asian attribute I inherited, where you don't have the double fold on the eyelid where eyeshadow can be placed.  I just don't bother most of the time.

3.  The rest of my face:

As I mentioned, the rest of my make up regiment has changed a lot over the years, and even recently it has.  Up until last year, I was wearing full coverage everyday.  Sounds crazy for me now when I look back, but it was actually a part of my daily make up routine.  I didn't realize how much it attributed to my face breaking out until I made the switch to transculent powder.  Full coverage is heavy, and although it covers up your entire face creating a smooth consistent canvas, it also creates a very unnatural look.  For me at least.  It looks great on everyone who wears it of course, and that's the whole point.  If you have mild blemishes, or skin imperfections, I find that transculent powder and concealer does the trick.  I use Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage (to the right).  Its an award winning concealer, that consists of two concealer colors that you blend together with a brush right before application.  This dual color system allows for a more precise color match, and also an easy transition from your winter complexion color to your summer one, all in the same compact.  Its creamy and smooth, and if you've got the right color match, it will conceal the shit of your imperfections.  No lie.  Its a work in progress though, so if you decide to try it out, be willing to work at it.  As for the transculent powder, I use Laura Mercier Transculent Powder (to the left).  Its the finishing step to her "Flawless Face" routine (the Secret Camouflage is a part of that routine too), and its the finishing step to mine as well.  I do the full Flawless face, with full coverage and all, if I'm going out for the evening and need a solid-stay-all-night-and-never-smudge-or-crease look.  I just take the Laura Merceir powder puff to apply the powder and I'm done.  I little Palmers Cocoa Butter for the lips, I'm ready for the day.  Light, fast, and simple.  Oh yes, I'm that person applying what appears to be a gluestick to their lips.

A decade is certainly a long time, and its crazy when I look back and think that I've been using one product everyday of my life for so long.  Man, I feel old.