Like many who grew up in the early 2000s, black eyeliner was a defining element of my look. Back then, a thick line of kohl pencil ringing the eyes, paired with side-swept bangs, was practically a uniform. Avril Lavigne and shows like Laguna Beach set the beauty standards, and Kristin Cavallari’s iconic eye makeup was as aspirational then as Peter Kavinsky is now.
My makeup tastes have evolved since those days (thank goodness for brands like Glossier!). However, my eyeliner skills? Not so much.
This has become somewhat ironic, considering that as a beauty editor, the most frequent makeup question I get from friends is about how to achieve the perfect cat eye. I’ve interviewed countless makeup artists and absorbed their expert advice over the years. I can even mentally recite their tips. But when it comes to applying Cat Eye Eyeliner on myself, it often ends in frustration. This is especially true because I have deep-set eyes and hooded lids – common features, yet rarely addressed in typical winged eyeliner tutorials. Either the eyeliner line becomes too thick and overpowering, or my hooded eyelid simply swallows the liner I painstakingly apply.
Determined to finally conquer the cat eye once and for all, I explored the internet for genuinely helpful tips and user-friendly products that promise to simplify liquid eyeliner application for the less skilled. To ensure a consistent test, I primarily used Kat Von D’s Dagger Tattoo Liner for most of these hacks. (One exception was a cat-eye stamp, which included its own liner.) This Dagger liner is a new take on Kat Von D’s popular Tattoo Liner, praised by makeup professionals and beauty bloggers for its formula and now featuring an angled brush designed for easier control.
Keep reading to discover which cat eye eyeliner hacks actually worked.
