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For a girl who once admitted to lining her eyes with permanent marker at 30,000 feet, Taylor Swift seems to generate as much ink for her makeup flair as for her music. Taylor's cat-eyes drop some serious smolder into her country kitten image, and have even the savviest style-watchers wondering what's her secret. But if you're an oval-eyed goddess with peepers on the long and narrow side, have no fear. This is one kitty you were born to copy!
1.
Load a medium-fat brush with translucent shadow and take it corner to corner, clear up to that brow line. Taylor's all over the map when it comes to color, so you can go shimmery silver, glimmery gold or barely-there blue -- just keep it light and bright and aim for nice, even coverage.
2.
Drop some serious dark along that top lid. A true black pencil eyeliner works best here, though if you're as milky-white as Taylor (and don't have oodles of experience with the truly dark stuff) you might want to stick to slate or navy blue. Hug that lash line from the inner corner until you pass the middle of the iris, and then thicken it up as you head to the outer corner. To create the wing, swing your line up and out in a gentle arc. For a softer, less-defined wing, smudge it a little with your finger.
3.
Hit that line again with some liquid liner, says Chanel makeup artist Rachel Goodwin in "Cosmopolitan." While pencil liners are a goof-proof way to draw a cat-eye, you need to drop a coat of liquid liner on top if you want to keep that kitty from wandering.
4.
Line your water line with some more deep, dark pencil. The water line is the little pink rim of skin you see when you tug the bottom part of your eye down. Go rim to rim down below and then pull the top lid up and hit the top deck. This may feel a little 80s time-warp at first, but Taylor uses this trick to make her eye-color pop and put the spotlight on that long, oval shape.
5.
Dab a little angel into those wings with some bright, sparkly shadow in the inside corner of the eyes. Whether you choose a metallic hue or go with a blue or green, keep it light and glittery. Then reload and sweep a little more of the shiny stuff under your bottom lashes.
6.
Apply three coats of your fave black mascara. The goal here is to bulk up the lashes without making the eye appear wider, so pull the wand across your eye in a left to right motion.
You can go with some false eyelashes for a super-glam evening look. Just keep 'em on the light and playful side -- too heavy will just shut your oval down.
Always check for any blobs, splotches or icky dark fallout around the eye. The key to a great cat-eye is to play up the drama without looking like you've been hit by a two by four.
