There’s nothing we hate more than taking the time to painstakingly perfect our cat-eye, only for it to go haywire on us within a few hours. Whether it bleeds onto our lid region, drags and smudges out like we’ve been crying, or the once-crisp line starts to separate and fade, it’s an annoying beauty problem that doesn’t look cute.
Which is why we learned two top artists’ tricks for getting liner to stay in place all day long, including a mind-blowing makeup hack you’ll use from now until forever. Keep scrolling for the secret to infallible liner, courtesy of the women who give Rita Ora and Anna Kendrick their always-perfect cat-eye.
The Hack: Powder In Between Layers
Kathy Jeung, the makeup artist who gives Rita Ora her utterly covetable, killer black cat-eye every time, lets us in on the secret to all-day wear. “After your first application of eyeliner has dried, with a small fluffy brush, carefully dust a tiny bit of matte translucent powder over the eyeliner with short inward strokes, like Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder . Then, draw a second coat of eyeliner over, for extra intensity and staying power. Dusting powder in between layers of liner is also the secret weapon of the makeup artist who gives Anna Kendrick her precise feline flicks. Toby Fleischman says “The key to making sure your eyeliner stays put is to layer, layer, layer,” she says, specifically in the liner, powder, liner order. “It may take a bit more time but it will be worth it in the long run when your flick is still on point by the end of the night.”
Fleischman also says you can layer a shadow in the same shade as your eyeliner, on top of the last coat, to set and lock it in.Formula wise, both Jeung and Fleischman say your best bet is to reach for a long-wear, waterproof formula. Jeung’s favorite is Rimmel’s Scandal Eyes Waterproof Gel Eyeliner , and Fleischman likes Lancôme's Le Stylo Waterproof Eyeliner and Liner Design Long Wear Gel Eyeliner .
Jeung also recommends using powder before the first swipe of liner, for additional protection. “Before applying eyeliner, you want to make sure the eye area along the lashes is free of excess oil. To do this, lightly dust along lash line with a very small amount of translucent powder to absorb excess moisture and oil, then apply your long-wear eyeliner and powder for maximum eyeliner longevity,” she recommends. Jeung has one more tip up her sleeve for “super bulletproof,” liner, and it’s to not just layer powder, but also layer formulas. “For extra intense eyeliner, first draw your eyeliner line with a waterproof eye pencil like Rimmel's Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Pencil or Exaggerate Auto Waterproof Eye Definer , then apply a waterproof liquid, pen or gel liner like Rimmel's Scandal Eyes Thick & Thin Eyeliner, Micro Liner or Gel Liner over. This really helps keep eyeliner strong along lash line,” she says.
