Photographer Nicki Sebastian doesn’t put on a ton of make-up, besides for her cat-eye liner, which she’s worn for 30 years, day-after-day since eighth grade. “I’ve worn it by way of each event conceivable: marathons, snorkeling,” she says. “Once I had leukemia, I wore it by way of each spherical of chemo.” Nicki’s look is remarkably straightforward to drag off — even for these of us (all of us?) who lack the fine-motor expertise that eyeliner usually requires. Listed below are her easy steps…
“First, get a twist-up liner. My go-to drugstore one is Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner in Black Brown. It’s cheap and straightforward, and I used that one for years. However my present favourite is SOSHE Magnificence Precision. It’s one of many thinnest liners accessible — solely 0.5 millimeters — which is nice for element and management. I put on Deep Plum and get so many compliments on the refined shade.”
“Begin in the course of your eyelid, proper above your pupil. Utilizing very gentle strain, make little strokes alongside your lash line. That is key: Don’t draw one steady line, and don’t press the pencil towards your lid. When you try this, you’ll virtually actually veer off observe. Simply proceed with little strokes till you’re simply previous the nook of your eye. Then return to the center and fill within the gaps with extra tiny strokes, till the road is completely stuffed in. You’ll be able to then proceed within the different path, extending the road to the interior nook with the identical tiny strokes. It’s a foolproof methodology.
“For the cat-eye within the nook, use an excellent gentle contact to do a type of mini strokes, angling your hand barely so the road curves up into a little bit wing. It’s meant to reflect the curve of your eyelashes. Begin with the thinnest line potential, and if you would like it thicker, simply hold going again over, including extra little strokes of liner. When you mess up, simply use a make-up wipe to take away that final stroke, and take a look at once more.”
“The one different make-up I put on is Tower 28 Mascara — it’s thickening and by no means clumps — after which I end with Hourglass forehead pencil and KS&CO forehead gel. I’m obsessed with this gel; it makes them look so a lot fuller. Once I wash every little thing off, I exploit Vanicream face wash.”
“My 13-year-old daughter is performing in Snow White proper now, and I get to do her cat-eye. She’ll ask me to do a cat-eye for varsity dances, too — it melts my coronary heart. I don’t contemplate my eyeliner mandatory — it’s not one thing I must really feel worthy — however I get pleasure from including a little bit pizzazz. Even after I misplaced my eyelashes and brows throughout chemo, I’d nonetheless placed on my on a regular basis cat-eye — it makes me really feel like myself.”
Thanks a lot, Nicki! We love your look and your generosity in sharing your expertise with us.
P.S. Extra enjoyable magnificence posts, together with a five-second blush trick and Gemma’s superb lipstick discover.
(Images courtesy of Nicki Sebastian.)
