cat eye liner
/kæt aɪ ˈlaɪnər/
Very CommonEyeliner applied with a small upward flick at the outer corner, mimicking a cat's eye shape.
The size and angle of the wing changes the whole effect. A tiny subtle flick reads as polished. A dramatic elongated wing reads as editorial or retro. The technique still trips people up despite being decades old.
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | spent 20 minutes getting the cat eye even and one side is still wrong | Getting both winged liner sides to match is frustrating. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | tape method for cat eye liner changed everything for me | Using a piece of tape as a guide made winged liner much easier. | tiktok, 2023 |
| 03 | mini cat eye flick and no other makeup is an underrated look | A small winged liner with no other makeup is clean and effective. | instagram, 2024 |
| 04 | audrey hepburn basically invented the cat eye look | The style is associated with the mid-century elegance she embodied. |
Use it when
- Talking about winged eyeliner with an upward flick.
- Describing a classic or retro makeup look.
- Asking for or sharing a liner technique or tutorial.
Do not use it when
- You mean liner that goes below the lower lash line.
- You mean the elongated eye shape, not just the liner flick.Use “fox-eyes” instead.
Variations and related forms
Cat eye liner vs fox eyes
cat eye liner
Cat eye liner adds a wing at the outer corner. It's a liner application, not a full eye shape change.
fox-eyes
Fox eyes refer to the elongated, horizontally stretched eye shape. The liner is one part of achieving it but the goal is different.
Origin and context
The winged liner style dates to ancient Egypt and was popularized in Western fashion during the 1950s and 60s. It never fully went away and remains one of the most searched makeup techniques.
- First seen
- 1950s
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/cat-eye-liner