This $9 Liner Was Made For People Who Suck At Doing A Cat-Eye

Many summers ago, my family took a long, hot, and sticky road trip from Brooklyn all the way down to Fork, South Carolina — where it was even hotter and stickier — to visit my dear great-grandmother. We had been driving all day and night, and Grandma Mel's one-level, three-bedroom home nestled in the woods was like an oasis to me once the journey was over. I fell asleep as soon as I hit the sheets, and hours later, woke up to the smell of freshly-baked biscuits and grits. My trip to the kitchen was cut short once I saw the cats, though. So. Many. Cats. There were dozens of them on sweet Grandma Mel's front porch, clawing at the scraps of leftover breakfast that she left out for them. I haven't been right since.

There's another fear that nearly beats out my one of cats, and that's my fear of doing a cat-eye. I've never really been an eye makeup person, tbh. I wear glasses, and prefer to let my highlight and lipstick do all of the talking. Because of this, I always ask for the most extra wing ever on the occasions that I get my makeup done. Some people assume that beauty writers and editors know everything about makeup and cosmetics, so it's kind of embarrassing to burst that bubble whenever I get asked about my eyeliner skills, or lack thereof.

At this point in life, I've given up on making peace with cats. It's going to take some intense therapy sessions to fix that one. My cat-eye, however? That, I can do. Or at least I can try, with Maybelline's Curvitude Eyeliner pencil. I've attempted to line my eyes with every tool you can think of: gel pots, liquid liners, felt tips, brushes, stencils, tape. I've tried prestige picks, and I've tried random shit that I found at the dollar store. But this drugstore liquid pen, which came out in August, has legit been the only product that's worked for me.

It's all in the shape. The pencil has a curved tip that I'm able to angle wherever I need to be. Part of my problem was my shaky, unsteady hand. When you're drawing along your lash line, it requires you to angle your pencil or brush juuuust so in order to get a precise stroke. In that process, I usually ended up getting ink all over my lid. Now, I'm not calling myself Picasso, but my lines are a whole lot less jagged these days.

I'm still a lipstick girl at heart, but if I ever need to amp up the drama and have an extra 20 minutes to spare, then I know I have a reliable tool in my arsenal. I didn't work up the courage to post a picture of my first successful(-ish) attempt, though, so you'll have to watch the video above for that. Baby steps, y'all.

Maybelline Curvitude Liner, $8.99, available at Ulta.