This tutorial is designed to show you step-by-step how to line your upper lash line and wing out the liner subtly, which is typically called a cat-eye. This is a perfect look to wear for the holidays and New Year’s Eve parties that are happening frequently. It is also a great match when you want to go for retro-matte red lips or even an ultra glossy lip. Bold lips are always amazing when paired with such a neutral, natural eye.
You will need: Liquid black liner of your choice (Prescriptives), wash of a neutral, low-shimmer color of your choice (Ricepaper), semi-matte darker brown for the crease (Soft Brown), and highlight color of your choice (Casablanca).
Brushes: 239, 219, 266/209
Learn how I do my liquid liner…
1. Start with a clean eye-space; if you fill-in your brows, you’re welcome to do them now [or later].
2. Apply your wash of neutral eyeshadow onto your lid using a fluffy eyeshadow brush (like the 239).
3. Pull it outwards to be able to cover your entire lid area.
4. This is what it should look like. The color is only slightly lighter than my natural lid color.
5. Apply your highlight color starting below the inner portion of the brow.
6. Pull the brow outwards along the underside of the brow, following its natural arch.
7. Using the 239, apply your semi-matte deeper brown into the outer crease.
8. Pull your brush outwards towards the outermost portion of the crease.
9. This is how it should look at this point.
10. Go back and gently brush out the crease color to blend it a bit.
11. Now, with your liquid liner, use the applicator it came with if that suits you (this is what I did), and apply a fairly thin line along your upper lashes. If you do not like the applicator that comes with your liquid liner, you may want to try a fine-pointed liner brush like the 209 or an angled brush like the 266. I find that if you tilt your head up and look down at the mirror, your lid will close enough to allow you to get close to your upper lash line while still being able to see. If there’s too much liquid liner on your brush, don’t fret, just wipe a bit of the excess on the back of your hand - remember, less is more. You can always build the liner’s intensity and thickness up, but it’s harder to correct it once it’s already there!
Here are some additional tips for working with liquid liner:
- If you are completely new to liquid lining, don’t bother doing it when you’ve already created a hot eyeshadow look. Work on your liquid lining skills with just a bare eye - when you’ve gotten the hang of it, that’s when you incorporate it into your looks. It is really hard to correct big mistakes (small ones you can usually cover!), so why ruin a look you have already created?
- Try to rest your elbow onto the countertop so it can help steady your hands.
- Keep cotton swabs and eye makeup remover handy. Dip the cotton swab into the remover, and use it to erase any mistakes and make that line look even.
- Sometimes you may feel better lining in sections (think of three sections - inner upper lash line, middle upper lash line, and outer upper lash line), because you can slowly go through the process.
- Cheat your way through liquid liner by applying it first, and then putting eyeshadows on top. When you use black liquid liner, it is often quite apparent despite shadows falling on top of it. This way, you can just go back lightly to intensify the color afterwards, but you will have already gotten your perfect shape.
12. Taking your liquid liner brush and using the bottom lash line as a guide, act as if you are extending your lower lash line upwards by making a small flick.
13. Where you have made the flick, use your liquid liner applicator to “connect” the flick back to the upper lash line. You almost create a kind of triangle this way.
14. This is how it should look.
15. Using the 219, apply your highlighter color to your inner tearduct. Also, apply black liner to your lower lashes if you wish.
16. Pull the 219 outwards a bit so the highlighter color isn’t so stark.
17. This is how it should look right now.
18. Add your favorite mascara, and voila, you are finished.
wow another cool tutorial!!! i just bought a brand new eyeliner for christmas i cant resist from tryin it now!! and as i know myself ill do right eye perfect and mess up the left one
Thanks, Camilla! Aww, I’m just like that, it’s hard to get both perfect!
I love the cat eye look! i always seem to mess up on the ends though…they never match on each eye! you made a little mistake on step 18-you used the bare eye picture instead of the mascara one. just thought id let you know
lol, it’s tough. Lots of practice before it becomes part of the everyday routine! Thanks for letting me know!
Wow - that looks great on you :) And fabulous lipstick too!
My favorite eyeliner brushes are Smashbox #8 and Stila #4. Before I discovered the wonders of long handled brushes, I used the eyeliner applicators that were attached to the lid of the product and hated them because I would get liquid liner smeared on my lashes - UGH!
Thanks, Tonee! Yeah, sometimes the applicator is awful!
Love the natural look but could u please give me the name of a substitute in the permanent collection for casablanca. Thank u
Daisychain, which just came out, is very close. Otherwise there really isn’t anything!
I love this look!
I have a question …since your forhead is a different shade then the inner part of your face…do you still put nc30 fondation all over your entire face?…or you use too different fondation??…or is that bronzer?lol sorry
This guy at the counter match me to nc45 (studio stick– dont ask me why I picked it…it look very easy to bring along)and its wrong…I should of went w/ out bronzer on for one…but I know it doen’t match, because it made me look like a oompa-loompa! I look too orange!!!
I know I have yellow & golden under tone and green veins…so I’m nc…but maybe I’m a 42/43/44 or could be in the “c” section?…I notice alot of people say there nc/45/c6 or something like that.
Hey Lala! My forehead is pretty much the same color as the rest of my face - it just might be the way the flash went off as it took the photo, lol.
You’re definitely a NC tone, and if it’s significant darker than you, I’d try NC40. Next time, ask for a sample of foundation so you can try it on at home first. :)
Oh I love the cat eye look :) so coveted but never able to perfect myself. I am nearly blind in one eye so its nearly impossible to do the liner on my “good” eye cause I just can’t see anything :( so sad for me!! LOL
Oh, goodness! My mom is practically blind in one eye as well. They need to make stencils for liquid liner ;)
Looks great!! But–girl don’t your eyes swell when you put eyeliner on your top lid? Be careful, we don’t want anything bad to happen to those gorgeous eyes!
Hey Nicole! Yep, they do. Actually, the last time I put on upper lash liner, I did the tutorial do. I was like, well, we’re trying a new liquid liner, so let’s get the best bang for our buck… a tutorial AND a look :)
thats very nice! can you tell us which eyeliner you used for lining the inner lids? thanks!
Thanks! Inner lids? I used Graphblack technakohl on lower lashes and Prescriptives liner on the upper ones.
cute look!
i wanted to know if you have ever done a review for the smashbox halo foundation
I’d love it if you would do one if you haven’t
it’s only available on QVC until the end of 2008
Thanks, Monica! I’ll try if I happen to see it in stores, I don’t shop QVC!
Thanks for the tutorial Christine! This will make a lovely Christmas FOTD. I would love to try this look, but I cannot find a red lipstick that suits me :( Most reds turn fuschia (even Viva Glam I).
Hey Cristina!
Wow, I can’t believe Viva Glam turns fuchsia on you! Have you tried using a lip base or applying foundation to your lips before lipstick?
I tried using concealer/stick foundation on my lips before applying, and it still looked fuschia :( But it looks red on my sister (we have different skin tones). I gave it to my grandmother, so it won’t be wasted.
But I was able to do a different look for Christmas instead :) Maybe I’ll don the red lips for New Year’s Eve ;)
How odd! :(
Hopefully one day you can find a red that stays RED on you!
What did you end up doing for Christmas?
My skintone is medium golden/very yellow, which probably why Viva Glam I looked fuschia. I did a smokey silver-green look with nude lips instead, then golden brown on another day :)
That sounds gorgeous, Cristina :D
Try putting on MAC Lip Erase first, and then applying your red lips, Cristina :)
I would love to know which shade of lipstick you are wearing! Thanks!
Viva Glam I!
Are you wearing plushlash mascara or something different?
I think this might have been Zoomlash, I’m not sure. I took the photos for this tutorial months ago so I don’t remember!
Oh and thanks for the tutorial! They’re always so helpful :D
No problem, Bec!
i love this tutorial! i have to try it because i never get my eyeliner straight!! you are great and i love your blog <3<3
Thanks Nunu! Good luck :D Liner can be tricky!
Fantastic tutorial! I’ve always used black eyeliner successfully, but was afraid to go beyond the lashline. But this…
act as if you are extending your lower lash line upwards by making a small flick.
… has helped a lot. Thanks! :)
Thanks, Lina! I’m happy to help out if I can :D
It was a trick I always did, and then when I had a MAC artist tell me it, too, I was like then it must be true! lol
Beautiful! I am going to have to try that for New Years Eve! But since I don’t have liquid liner, will it work with my Fluidline and a fine tipped brush? Like a point conceler brush maybe? Thanks!:)
Thanks Niqui! Let me know if you do, and how it turns out :)
Yes, it’ll definitely work with fluidline. You can use a brush like the 266.
I use liquid liner everyday and when I use pencil liner on my lower lid to make a more dramatic look, I always get black builduo in the corner of my eye. It also happens if I put the line too close to my tear duct and then the whole thing runs and I look like a raccoon. Is there anyway to prevent this?
Hey Cindy! You could try setting your liner with translucent (invisible set powder works great) powder.
Great job as usual! I always mess up at the wing tip too because I tend to be a bit heavy handed, but this step-by-step really helps me alot. Thanks Christine! You do a beautiful job as always :)
Hey! Thank you so much :) Just remember to go slowly, take your time, and it’s NOT a race - that’s what I always tell myself. If I rush it (since I do not wear it often - I think this was the third time ever), I mess up so badly!
thanks so much for this. The idea of using the bottom lash as a guide for the flick is a new one for me. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for all of your hard work putting this out there and being open to comments as well!
It’s something I’ve always done, and when I had a few artists suggest it, too, I knew it must be a good one to share!
Thanks, Stacy!
HI,
TIP WAS VERY AWESOME!!! CAN U GIVE TIPS FOR BASE AND CAMOUFLAGE.
THANKS
Hi Rachana!
A great base is Urban Decay’s primer potion. I’m not sure what you mean by camouflage!
your entire site is sooo helpful. you seem like such a sweet person as well- always replying to comments and putting so much effort into helping everyone on here with makeup!
Thanks so much Kirsten! :) I am glad you are liking the site!
HiI’m a fan of yours.I just wanna thank u for all the tutorials you did, they’re very helpful. As for this I try to do it but I mess up a little bit,let’s see.These are my attempts,do you have any suggestions?My attempt
Thanks for your attention in reading this :)
Hey Claudia! Your picture link worked, but the picture itself is hard to see! From what I can see, I think it looks okay… Practice will make it perfect :) You’ll mess up less once you get used to it!
Hi Christine,thanks for you answer,yep unfortunately the picture is hard to see,don’t know why,thanks for your suggestion,I’ll try to get used to it,but it’s difficult to do both eyes in the same way :) ,anyway congratulations again for all you do,and keep it up ;)
It’s my pleasure, hun! Just keep practicing and you’ll have it perfect for sure. Thanks!
Awesome tutorial! And I love the new layout of the site, looks great :)
Thanks, Lisa!
do you use liquid liner for your bottom water line to?!
I don’t, personally. Fluidline is often used, though, but I prefer kohl liners! :)
[…] are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them”. Temptalia shares a tutorial to get cat eyes using liquid liner, plus the easy neutral eye. Petite Fashionista tells us how to […]
[…] are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them”. Temptalia shares a tutorial to get cat eyes using liquid liner, plus the easy neutral eye. Petite Fashionista tells us how to […]
[…] shares a tutorial to get cat eyes using liquid liner, plus the easy neutral […]
[…] are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them”.Temptalia shares a tutorial to get cat eyes using liquid liner, plus the easy neutral eye.Petite Fashionista tells us how to […]
[…] are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them”. Temptalia shares a tutorial to get cat eyes using liquid liner, plus the easy neutral eye. Petite Fashionista tells us how to […]
Also, if you don’t wish to put the eyeliner into the inter tear duct (Because that is how an infection is caused in the eye, from makeup getting into the eye. It’s not recommended to do by most doctors.) then you can just put it over your bottom eyelash, as she had said, using the eyelashes as a guide.
This tutorial is well done, I love it. I tried it out and have the perfect cat eye.
Thank you! This tutorial is great. ^_^
Hey Sarah! Thanks for sharing your tip!
I’m glad it helped you out!
Hey! I’m so glad you posted this with a lot of pics and details. I’m so horrible at getting it to look right… and, as many others, my eyes never seem to match up. Hopefully this will help a little bit. Thanks =)
Hey Paula! I really hope it helps you out, even in the tiniest bit :) Just keep practicing and be patient, those are absolutely vital!
i liked how you showed me step by step
but for me its harder
since im asian, my crease isnt so big
and sometimes when my eye is watery the eyeliner
and liquid eyeliner comes out right away
can you suggest any good liquid eyeliners and regular eyeliner
thats water proof
Hi Janet!
MAC’s Blacktrack fluidline isn’t 100% waterproof, but it’s very much budge-proof. MAC makes liquidlast liners that are waterproof, though, and really those do NOT budge whatsoever! Lancome makes a good waterproof eyeliner as well.
Hello. :) I’m one of those BellaSugar readers who was led to your site and I’m really enjoying it. You make each look yours, which is impressive! While almost all of your make-up seems flawless, it seems as though your mascara might be letting you down. I’ve spent a while searching for a good mascara and I thought I might suggest a few. I usually aim to define as many lashes as possible without clumping and these seem to do that pretty well:
Clinique - High Impact mascara (traditional liquid and brush)
Estee Lauder - More than Mascara (traditional liquid and brush)
Mirenesse (An Australian brand, but shipping costs aren’t terrible; unique lash-coating tubes from liquid formula)
I know everyone has different tastes in mascara, but I like that we can all share our wealth of experience on your site. Thanks!
Hi Jackie! Thanks for stopping by! I couldn’t tell you what mascara I used in this, as I’ve been testing different ones. I’ve actually tried both the Clinique and Estee Lauder ones you recommended and neither gave me great results, unfortunately!
My eyelids are slightly different shapes so its hard to make the “flick” match. But I’m still working on it. I have a question though, I always where very dramatic eye makeup and I wear liquid eyeliner quite often. Is this bad for my eyes? and I also where liquid eyeliner on the bottom. Most people complain that liquid on the bottom bothers their eyes. It doesnt bother mine, but idk if its healthy or not to where it that way. I hope not, liquid eyeliner on the bottom looks SO much better than pencil in my opinion!!
Hey Brandi! It can be hard to make them match no matter what, so no worries, I’m glad you’re working on it. I don’t think liquid liner is bad for your eyes, as it is meant to be used around the eye area - if it wasn’t safe, it wouldn’t be marketed as for the eye area!
Thanks, yea that makes sense, i just thought i should ask. Better safe then sorry!! =DD
damn you are gorgeous!
Thank you, Chris!
[…] are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough too mend them�. Temptalia shares a tutorial to get cat eyes using liquid liner, plus the easy neutral eye. Petite Fashionista tells us how to […]
I SOOOO LUV THE CATEYE. WITH EVERY SHADOW COMBO I DO I ALWAYS HAVE TO HAVE MY CATEYE. IT BRINGS OUT MY EYE SHAPE ALOT. SO YA . LUV IT HUN!
Thanks, MAC Girl! :)
Cool tutorial ! Found you via stumble upon.. I’m going to link you on my blog.
Thanks Jamiee! I appreciate the linking, too!
Meooowww!! I’m going to try that sexy cat look tomorrow!
Thanks again for a great tutorial
Thanks, Fiona! :)
Well .. I tried out my first cat eye make up this morning and it’s looking purrrrfect!
Thanks from the UK!
YAY! Congrats :D
I feel like Cleopatra now that I have started to get this look down pat! Thanks again .. Fiona
Christine, I was wondering if you could substitute the liquid liner with a liquid liner pencil?
Definitely, Sash!
I loved this tutorial..
I’ve found a new favorite liquid liner and thought i would share.. It’s Covergirl’s Line Exact.. the applicator is really really easy to use.. and i love to add their new Lash Blast mascara.. great look!
Thanks, Rue! Thank you for sharing that product recommendation with us!
wow, this is so cool my boyfriend tells me even more that i look very nice….it raizd my self-eastem alot, i have to thank you for this. THANKS!!
That’s so great to hear, Vanessa! I’m so happy for you!
This look is great on you, but I am much darker than you. A MAC NC50, NC45 on a good day, to be exact, so these colors will look a bit chalky on me. What colors do you suggest I use? This is what I look like: http://www.blogger.com/profile/03950408739988952240
Thanks in advance….:)
Hi Danyelle!
You could try a color like Grain or Soft Brown for a less chalky look :) You could even do Soft Brown on the lid instead of Ricepaper, and then use something like Espresso in the crease since it’ll suit your skintone better!
is the prescriptives eyeliner/waterproof/smudgeproof/sweatproof? may i have the name of the actual liner?