Cat Eye Vs. Bat Wing

Cat Eyes and Bat Wings.

Sounds like some kind of strange witches brew doesn’t it? Although you won’t find them in a cauldron they do have “magical” properties. 

Cat eye and bat wing eyeliner styles have been the “it” make-up trend over the last few seasons and are still going strong.  The winged eyeliner look was spotted at a bevy of NYFW shows, including Hervé Léger, Rag & Bone, Christian Siriano and Marc Jacobs.  Trendsetter Alexa Chung has adopted the cat eye trend as her signature beauty style and a wide variety of celebrities from Angelina Jolie to Rhianna, Adele and Taylor Swift have all been spotted sporting winged looks.

But what exactly is the difference between cat eye eyeliner and  bat wing eyeliner?

The two terms have often been use interchangeably but they are really two different styles of eyeliner. A cat eye has a soft retro-inspired look with a light airy flick at the end while a bat wing is much more bold and modern with a bit of substance at the end forming a wing.

Cat eye eyeliner is both timeless and sophisticated.  Think Brigitte Bardot and Audrey Hepburn. Feminine and flirty it lifts the eye and complements any eye shape.

Audreyandbrigitte

A cat eye look is best achieved with either liquid or gel eyeliner.  I prefer liquid liner for cat eyes because of the nice precise thin line you can achieve.  Right now I am OBSESSED with Napoleon Perdis’ Matte Eye Ink!

NMC1M5M_mx

Hot off the presses Napoleon Perdis’ new inky black fluid eyeliner has a superfine precision brush that is perfect for that feline flick and dries to a modern, matte finish with ink-like color payoff. Plus it is water resistant which means it stays put even when my eyes water!

cateyebw

Begin with the brush resting on your lashes in the inner corner of the eye. Gently drag it across, letting the line become slightly thicker as you go, until you get to the end of your lashes. Then give the brush a little flick upward in the same direction that your eyebrow ends and voila, cat eyes!

The bat wing look is a more modern approach to the cat eye.  It tends to be a bit heavier and edgy.  Think of it as the cat eye’s wilder younger sister.  Celebs such as Emma Stone, Katy Perry and Rihanna have all rocked versions of a Bat Wing Eye.

rihannaemmakaty

A bat wing begins the same way as a cat eye, with the same tools: a liquid or gel eyeliner.

I prefer gel liners for bat wing’s because of their versatility. They  blend in smoothly, yet are thick enough to make your eyes pop.  You can apply them heavily with ease or you can smear it a little to create a smokey version of a bat wing.  With gel liner not only is the product important- so is the brush, I have found that I get the best results with an angled brush.

Right now I am loving  Napoleon Perdis China Doll Eyeliner in Yin.  It is smudge-proof, long-wearing and glides on with ease.  The pigment is amazing, the blackest of blacks!  It dries quickly and once it sets it stays put! No flaking or smearing.

NMC1KTV_mx

batwingbw

Rest the brush  on your lashes in the inner corner of the eye. Gently drag it across, letting the line become slightly thicker as you go, until you get to the end of your lashes.

Now STOP.

Next take the brush and draw a line upward from the outer corner of your eye to where you want the wing to stop.  Then beginning where you ended the wing draw another line inward and then angle it down to connect it back to your original line. Now fill it in.  A thicker line creates a more dramatic look while a thin line is more subtle.

Are you a Cat Eye or Bat Wing Girl?  I wanna know!

Napoleon Perdis Matte Eye Ink and China Doll Eyeliner are  available at Neiman Marcus and NeimanMarcus.com.

You may also like

13 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *