Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Beauty

    Eyeliner ideas more impressive than the classic cat-eye

    No steady hand required...

    Natalie Lukaitis's avatar
    By Natalie Lukaitis
    Published 28 June 2016 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Eyeshadow.jpg
    Eyeshadow.jpg
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    No steady hand required...

    There's a reason why the classic eye flick is such a popular beauty look. For one, it gives you the perfect feline shape, adds definition and brings the attention to your eyes. Just look at Adele's eyeliner for inspiration.

    But, not all of us are blessed with the steadiest of hands or the ideal shape of eye for a feline flick, which is why cat-eye looks can occasionally seem near impossible - even if you have the very best liquid eyeliner. So we've pulled together a plethora of eyeliner friendly looks just as (if not more) impressive than the classic cat eye. 

    Coloured eyeliner: Rim your eyes with a touch of colour. Electric blue will make your eye colour pop, smokey aubergine or emerald green will add a sultry vibe to your look and bright colours like yellow and orange will give your skin a healthy glow. 

    Below liner: If you have hooded lids, this one will work well for you. Unlike eyeliner on the top, which can transfer to your upper lid, a swipe of kohl or coloured eyeliner along your bottom lash line will give you the definition without making your eyes looking smaller. 

    You may like
    • Rebecca Fearn tests Tarte Tubing Eyeliner My Eyeliner Never Survives a Full Day—Could Tubing Technology Change That? I Put It to the Test
    • a close up shot of the eye makeup of a model from Millet fashion show - best mascara You Can Stop Looking—We Have Found 21 Of The Best Mascaras For Length, Volume and Definition
    • Celebrity twin makeup I Discovered the Perfect, Expert-Devised Makeup Routine–Thanks to My "Celebrity Lookalike"

    Double lines: Amp up the drama by repeating your cat eye flick, because sometimes two lines are simply better than one. Apply a classic cat-eye and then follow the same line above, making sure that your lines are perfectly parallel and the same distance between on each eyelid. 

    Banana socket line: Take the 60s approach and apply a light coloured eyeshadow over your whole lid, just up to the crease on your eye socket, then line your top lash line, flicking out at the edges and bring back in along your eyelid crease to create an Eddie Sedgwick look. For a more modern approach, leave your eyelid bare and just add a line above your eyelid crease. 

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Block eyeliner: Supersize your cat eye flick, but remember, because it's such a striking look, you need to keep the rest of your face bare. It's the perfect complement to slicked back hair and a suit or party dress.

    Multi coloured wing: If you don't want to compromise on the shape of a classic cat-eye flick but want to try something different, switch up the colours. Remember to use darker colours along your bottom lash line and on the outer corners of your eyes to give them definition. 

    Smudged effect: You know how sometimes you wake up and the remnants of last night's makeup actually looks better than when it was done? That's the effect of the slept in look. Fake it by haphazardly applying your eyeliner (a god send for those of us who can't keep a steady hand when applying liner!) and gently smudge it with a Q-tip. 

    Natalie Lukaitis
    Natalie Lukaitis
    Social Links Navigation
    Read more
    Rebecca Fearn tests Tarte Tubing Eyeliner
    Make Up My Eyeliner Never Survives a Full Day—Could Tubing Technology Change That? I Put It to the Test
    a close up shot of the eye makeup of a model from Millet fashion show - best mascara
    Make Up You Can Stop Looking—We Have Found 21 Of The Best Mascaras For Length, Volume and Definition
     
     
    Celebrity twin makeup
    Beauty I Discovered the Perfect, Expert-Devised Makeup Routine–Thanks to My "Celebrity Lookalike"
    Low contrast brows
    Make Up As a Brunette, I Was Scared to Try the 'Low-Contrast Brow' Trend—My Features Have Never Looked More Defined
     
     
    Latest in Beauty
    Laura Pearson reviews SKINVIVE and HArmonyCa
    Skincare I Avoided Injectables Until I Was 42—These Are the 2 Treatments That Changed My Mind
    Autumn fragrance
    Fragrance Your Autumn Reset Starts With Your Fragrance—Here's How to Find the Right One
     
     
    Celebrity twin makeup
    Beauty I Discovered the Perfect, Expert-Devised Makeup Routine–Thanks to My "Celebrity Lookalike"
    New Beauty Launches Romilly Wilde / Cécred / Bobbi Brown
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Cécred Comes to the UK, Romilly Wilde Returns & £22 Skincare Gets Serious
     
     
    Latest in News
    New Beauty Launches Romilly Wilde / Cécred / Bobbi Brown
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Cécred Comes to the UK, Romilly Wilde Returns & £22 Skincare Gets Serious
    The Beauty Digest: New Products to Know
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: A Foundation With Infinite Shades, Diptyque Does Bodycare, and the Exhibition Every Beauty Lover Should See
     
     
    Eva Omaghomi
    Fashion After 17 years in the Royal Household, Eva Omaghomi Talks Bringing African Design Talent to Harrods
    New Beauty Products: The Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Dyson Does Teeth, Fenty Rips Up the Rulebook (Again) and a Surprisingly Fragrant Week for Dogs
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.