Photographer Nicki Sebastian doesn’t wear much makeup. except for her cat eyeliner, which she has worn for 30 years, every day since eighth grade. “I’ve worn it on every occasion imaginable: marathons, snorkeling,” he says. “When I had leukemia, I used it during every round of chemotherapy.” Nicki’s look is remarkably easy to achieve, even for those of us (all of us?) who lack the fine motor skills eyeliner typically requires. These are your simple steps…
“First, get a twist eyeliner. My favorite at the drugstore is Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner in Black Brown. It’s cheap and easy, and I used it for years. But my current favorite is SOSHE Beauty Precision. It’s one of the thinnest liners available (just 0.5 millimeters), which is great for detail and control. I wear Deep Plum and get a lot of compliments on the subtle shade.”
“Start in the middle of the eyelid, just above the pupil. Using very light pressure, make small strokes along the lash line. Here’s the key: Do not draw a continuous line and do not press the pencil against your cover. If you do that, you will almost certainly go off track. Simply continue with small strokes until you pass the corner of your eye. Then go back to the middle and fill in the spaces with further small strokes, until the line is completely filled. You can then continue in the other direction, extending the line to the inside corner with the same small strokes. It is a foolproof method.
“For the cat eye in the corner, use a super light touch to make one of those mini strokes, tilting your hand slightly so the line curves up in a little wing. Your goal is to mirror the curve of your lashes. Start with the thinnest line possible, and if you want it to be thicker, keep going back and adding more small strokes of liner. If you mess up, just use a makeup remover wipe to remove the last stroke and try again.”
“The only other makeup I use is Tower 28 Mascara – it thickens and never clumps – and then I finish with Hourglass eyebrow pencil and KS&CO eyebrow gel. Am obsessed with this gel; makes them look so much more complete. When I wash everything, I use vanicream face wash.”
“My 13-year-old daughter is acting in Snow White right now and I can do her cat eye. She also asks me to do the cat eye for school dances; my heart melts. I don’t consider my eyeliner necessary —It’s not something I need to feel worthy—but I enjoy adding a little pizzazz. Even after I lost my eyelashes and eyebrows during chemotherapy, I still wore my everyday cat eye; It makes me feel like myself.”
Thank you so much, Niki! We love your looks and your generosity in sharing your skills with us.
PS: More fun beauty posts, including a five-second blush hack and Gemma’s amazing lipstick find.
(Photos courtesy of Nicki Sebastian.)
