How To Get The Perfect Cat Eye, According To Ariana Grande
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Of the numerous celebrities whose makeup we love, singing sensation, makeup-lover, and entrepreneur with her own line of makeup called r.e.m. Beauty, Ariana Grande definitely counts as one of our favorites. Just as Taylor Swift is known for rocking her red lipsticks, Ariana Grande is known for the perfectly flipped-out pony her hairstylist does for her, as well as her on-point winged eyeliner, which she does herself. Both of these elements contribute to making her look stunning. So, when we had a chance to learn how to recreate the perfect cat eye from Ariana Grande herself, we jumped at the chance!
In a recent video shared on Vogue's YouTube channel titled "Ariana Grande's Skin Care Routine & Guide to a '60s Cat Eye," Grande shared her method for achieving her signature look step by step. She starts with the eyeshadow powder and pencil she uses as a base for the cat eye. Then she moves on to the actual wing, which she creates with an eyeliner pencil and draws out with her fingernail.
What tools you'll need for the perfect cat eye
Before we attempt to recreate Ariana Grande's look on ourselves, we need to get set up with the right tools. For the eyeshadows used on the lid, Grande turns to one of her most-used eyeshadow palettes. This is the Bobbi Brown All Nudes Eye Shadow Palette which includes a number of neutral shades that can be used to create many wearable yet versatile makeup looks. To apply, use a fluffy brush for the lid and crease and a thin pencil brush for the shadow-as-liner trick.
Next up, Grande relies on her trusty r.e.m. beauty Multi-Use Eye Stick with which she artfully creates the base to build her cat eye upon. To add some drama, she also uses the r.e.m. beauty Flourishing Volumizing Mascara. The final most important step, the actual wing of the eyeliner look, is achieved with the Charlotte Tilbury Rock 'N' Kohl Bedroom Black Eyeliner.
Create a base with eyeshadow
As any makeup-lover will have you know, the base is the most important step when creating an impactful makeup look, and the same principle applies to an eye makeup look as well. In her makeup tutorial video, after applying the pale pink Bobbi Brown eyeshadow broadly all over the eyelid and crease, Ariana Grande employs a unique step that ensures her cat eye look is in keeping with the makeup looks that were trending back in the 1960s.
Using the r.e.m Beauty Midnight Shadows Multi-Use Eye Stick in the shade Intergalactic, which is described as a "pink nude cream," she draws a very thick and graphic cat eye. Pulling her skin back slightly for support, she draws a line that begins in the inner corner of her eye and ends quite far out from where her eye ends, in an upward tilt toward her eyebrow. She then pulls another line in from where the first line ends towards the inner corner of the eye, covering the entire eyelid in the process. Once this is done, she proceeds to fill in the negative space with the same product. What's left is a shimmery and perfectly drawn cat eye base that makes her eyes look almond-shaped and big, while still remaining very subtle in their overall effect. All you need to do to recreate this step is to find a similar shimmery and creamy shadow stick to achieve the same base.
Line the lashes with a darker eyeshadow
After achieving the outlined cat eye shape she wanted, Ariana Grande proceeds to the next step, which is actually lining the eyes. In a heartfelt confession while applying her makeup, Grande admits to having used a lot of makeup in the past because she was "hiding behind it." This included her penchant for thick and dramatic liquid eyeliner. These days, she prefers "a shadowy version of a cat eye instead of a liquid line."
So, instead of going in with a liquid or pencil eyeliner that has a much more stark effect to emphasize the pointed cat eye she has already drawn, she begins with a mixture of dark brown and maroon-red shades of eyeshadow from the Bobbi Brown All Nudes Eyeshadow Palette, which she used earlier to lay down some color on her lid. Then, with a small pencil brush, she applies the shadow close to her upper lash line along the same route she earlier mapped out with her shadow stick demonstrated in the step above, stopping before she reaches the crease.
Complete the wing with eyeliner
Once this is done, Ariana Grande coats her lashes with liberal dollops of the r.e.m Beauty Flourishing Volumizing Mascara. At this point, it seems like she is about ready to call it a day with her cat eye look, without the actual use of an eyeliner. But then she changes her mind just before the video ends, saying, "I'm going to make this line a little heavier because I know that's what the children want."
Having said that, she proceeds to draw her signature winged liner using the Charlotte Tilbury Rock 'N' Kohl Bedroom Black Eyeliner. She then draws out this smooth line with her fingernail to create a soft, smudged effect, and closes the video with her perfect cat eye look done and dusted.
If you are keen to replicate this look on yourself, you can either follow her lead and make a base for your eyeliner with an eyeshadow before applying the liner, or you can go in straight with a kohl eyeliner for a sharper look overall. Grande finishes off her look with a spritz of setting spray and is ready to take on the world with her fierce cat eye.