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Liner 101: How To Master The Perfect Feline Flick

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Rita Ora 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party (Image via Getty)

That infamous cat eyeliner that causes morning make up melt downs and late night panda eyes.

Think it’s impossible to achieve perfect liner? Well think again, with a few simple tips and tricks even those of us with the hand and eye co-ordination of a drunk baby raccoon can conquer this sultry eye look.

Written by Charlotte Goodayle, The Goodowl

Choose Your Weapon

Gel

Gel liners usually come in a small round pot. Sometimes, a small brush is included in the box. They can look intimidating and messy but after a bit of practice they are easy to get to grips with.

Pro Tip:

A small bent eyeliner brush is best for applying a gel liner as the angled brush allows you to get closer to your lash line.

Pros:

  • They have the longest staying power.

  • Perfect for people with oily lids as they’re hard to smudge.

  • Quick drying time.

  • Highly pigmented.

Cons:

  • Applying them perfectly takes a bit of practice, it takes a while to find a brush that works best for you.

Liquid

Liquid liners come in various different shapes and sizes, from chunky felt tip shaped applicators to more precise thin liners. It’s worth trying a few different kinds to see which one is easiest for you.

Pros:

  • The most user friendly

  • A little goes a long way.

Cons:

  • Can take awhile to dry, up to 20 seconds.

  • Can be fiddly at first.

Kohl

There’s three types of pencils, the regular, the retractable and the chubby kind. They come in all sorts of colours from the bold to the everyday shades, wear them on your lower lash line or on your lids to create a winged cat eye.

Pro Tip:

Set your liner with either a shadow which is the same colour as the liner or a translucent powder for the best staying power.

Pros:

  • Can be smudged to create a smokey liner

  • Can be used along the waterline

Cons:

  • Can get messy if it isn’t set with shadow

  • Difficult to create a clean line

Recommended Products

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From L - R: Rimmel GlamEyes Liquid Liner (£5.29), Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Eyeliner (£7.99), Makeup Revolution Smudge Proof Eyeliner (£1.99), Soap and Glory Supercat Jumbo Eyeliner (£7.00), Benefit BADgal Waterproof Eyeliner (£15.50)

The Technique

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Step 1: Draw a line across your top lash line starting from your inner eye, stop the line just at the end of your lid. You want the section at the inner corner to be slightly thinner then at the outer corner.

Step 2: Using your lower lash line as a guide extend the line directly towards to the tip of your brow, this line can be as long or as short as you like.

Step 3: Create a triangle with the line you have just drawn.

Step 4: Fill it in and add your mascara, any wobbly lines can easily be corrected with q tips or a angled brush and a touch of concealer.