How to recreate the reverse cat-eye makeup trend.

All you need to recreate the reverse cat-eye trend is an eyeliner of your choice, some eye shadow and a brush and you are on your way to rocking the latest Tik Tok makeup trend..

Makeup trends come and go but a bold eyeliner will never go out of fashion !

The cat-eye has long been a staple go-to look in makeup artists' box of tricks. Epitomised by Brigitte Bardot in the 1960s, it has been adopted by countless celebrities off and on the red carpet. For those of us not on the red carpet you can be wearing the simplest of outfits and elevate your look to the next level of glamour with a cat - eyeliner look.

Bridgette Bardot

A reverse cat - eye look is one of my personal favourite eyeliner looks to wear. As I don’t have much eyelid to play with this has always been my go to eyeliner look in some form or another. We have all done the eyeliner in the waterline look in our teens simply because it is so easy to achieve with minimal products this is a step up from that.

Whilst I love applying a classic wing liner on my clients, a lower eyeliner is very underrated. For some reason people think that a lower liner can make your eyes look smaller but for me a lower liner into the waterline can actually make your eyes look bigger. You are adding definition and shadow to the bottom eye waterline area and keeping the lid clean and light which will automatically open up the eye no matter what your eye shape is.

The current trend is to wing out the eyeliner underneath and blend with a shadow to create a reverse wing. This gives a sultry smoky but sophisticated look whilst making your eye look bigger as you have added shadow underneath to give the illusion of a wider eye. The good thing is you probably have all the products needed to create this look at home already. The reverse cat eye trend has been seen on the red carpet as far back as 2016. With the likes of Kim Kardashian rocking the glam eyeliner look with her trademark matte nude lipstick whilst in Cannes. The reverse cat eye trend as we know it now has seen it’s re-emergence from a TIk Tok trend started by makeup artist Painted by Spencer who revealed this look in June 2021.

Kim Kardashian Cannes 2016

The trend has also been compared to makeup looks worn historically in Arabic and South Asian cultures who have for hundreds of years used a kohl to line the lower lashes and waterline.

So What products do you need to recreate this look at home?

All you need is a pencil or gel black eyeliner, some matte black shadow, a small detailing brush or angle brush and a grey or warm brown shadow for blending. I find an angle brush is easier to use and you can create a straighter line.

Step by Step Reverse Cat Eye Eyeliner:

Step 1. Apply a wash of a nude colour all over your lid. Next with a grey eye shadow and a soft blending brush add a bit of colour into the crease of your eye this will create a bit of balance to the look which will be bottom heavy.

Step 2. Next run a black kohl eyeliner in the bottom waterline all the way to the inner and outer corner of the eye, Extend the inner corner line slightly and also the outer corner angling upwards.

Step 3. Now take an angle brush or a small definer brush and add some black eye shadow really close to the bottom waterline and wing the outer corner.

Step 4. I like to use a slightly warmer shade or a grey to now blend out the line and diffuse the eye shadow. Creating a seamless blended eyeliner that looks so sophisticated and everyone can wear it.

Step 5. Apply mascara of your choice to the top and bottom lashes. If you want to balance out the look more add some false lashes.

It's a great way to update your makeup game and really look like you have made a lot of effort when it's actually really simple. Perfect for those nights when you are stuck in a makeup rut and want to try something new without looking like you've tried too hard. Have fun!