Makeup is a magical thing. With one dab of a beauty blender or one swipe of your favorite liner, you can alter the entire presentation of your face. Want rounder cheeks? Slimmer cheeks? Contour can help with that.
Want a smaller-looking forehead? Or a warmer skin tone, perhaps? Bronzer is here to assist you. Or maybe you’ve been losing sleep and need some aid under the eyes? Concealer can have you looking ship-shape in no time flat.
Yes, makeup can be your greatest ally on the road to transformation, but we’ve brought you here to talk about the keynote of our little seminar: the eyes. Even without the help of makeup, your eyes are the center of attention when it comes to your face. The windows to the soul, if you will.
That’s why knowing how to enhance these little puppies is of the utmost importance in your efforts for the ultimate end result. What are two great ways to go about that, you wonder? We’re so glad you asked because we’ve got just the ticket for you waiting below: cat eye and doll eye extensions.
Scroll on to learn the various benefits and options for these two looks and what could be a magical moment waiting for you.
What Is the Cat Eye Look?
A cat eye is probably a style you’ve heard at least once or twice in your relationship with makeup, especially in relation to liners and lashes. The cat eyeliner became the talk of the town back in the bold and brash world of the 2010s. Where brick brows reigned supreme and matte foundation was covering everything in sight, this intense liner look sunk its claws deeper into the makeup community than any other trend.
Having stuck around all these years, and for good reason, the cat eye has morphed into something achievable with more than just liner. Have you seen the lash options lately? Because they truly are endless.
Lashes are an incredible way to enhance your cat eye or create one with just a lash. Options with more length towards the outer corner of your eye will give you that sleek, elongated look that you really want.
There are six main eye shapes out there — almond, rounded, hooded, upturned, downturned, and monolid — and a plethora of other details can affect their appearance. Each of these variants will have a handful of makeup looks that really make them pop.
Since cat eyes are meant to draw out the corner of your eyes, elongating and narrowing their natural shape, we recommend a cat eye for rounded or prominent set eyes to lessen the space a bit.
This look also works well for monolid and hooded eyes when used softly, as well as downturned eyes in order to draw them up a bit. But of course, you can wear whatever makeup look you’d like — we’re all for expressing ourselves here.
What Is the Doll Eye Look?
The doll eye look is intended to widen your eyes and open them up more than normal. You can achieve this with certain makeup hacks, just like with cat eyes, and lashes can also grant you this end result all on their own when used correctly. So if you’re not a full-face girlie, no worries. Lashes are here for you, always.
Just like with the creepily life-like eyes of your grandma’s favorite porcelain doll (but much cuter and less spooky), this eye look will have you serving your American Girl Doll dreams for your friends and enemies alike. Doe eyes are a similar look, but Bambi, honestly, could never.
When it comes to lashes, a doll eye look usually features lashes that are longer in the center than at the inner or outer corners. This draws attention to the middle of your eye, making it appear just a little wider.
We think a doll-eye vibe looks best on deep-set eyes to open them up and round them out a bit, as well as almond and upturned eyes. Both of these eye shapes lend themselves to a natural cat eye, and while the cat eye can also further enhance that natural shape, doll eyes offer the opportunity to switch it up and change your final result. Again, though — you do you, boo.
If you’re looking to brighten the eyes, bring them forward, and up the innocence factor, doll eyes could be just the thing for you.
The Cat and Doll Dos and Don’ts
Before you go scrambling to the nearest lash bundle, take a look below for a few quick tips and pitfalls for lash mapping your next set. Whether you’ve decided to go team cat or team doll, these could make the difference between a sultry and smooth lash map and a mess in the making.
1. DON’T Ignore the Lash Map
With our Gossamer® Lashes, the lash map is crucial to success. Odds are, you aren’t a professional lash tech who has access to the equipment and knowledge to make a lash map from scratch.
That’s why following the lash maps that are offered in our Russian Doll Gossamer® Set and our Cat Eye Gossamer Bundle — even if it’s just as a guideline — can be the difference between success and self-sabotage.
2. DO Start Small
Now, this doesn’t apply to everyone. If you’re a lash expert who’s been applying lashes for years on end, either with Lashify or another option, you’re free to go as big and bold as you wish. But, if you’re new to the world of at-home lash application, letting your eyes get bigger than your skill might be the secret killer.
There’s nothing worse than having grand ambitions that fall flat because the process became too overwhelming to accomplish. This is especially true with the more complex bundles, so start small.
3. DON’T Cut Corners
We beg of you, don’t get your Gossamer® Lashes hoping for an easy-peasy time while ignoring the proper bonds, sealants, and cleansers made specifically for this product. You’ll make your life so much harder if you attempt a look without the proper toolkit, and that’s the last thing we want for you.
Personal Lash Recommendations
To round out our little jaunt down Lash Lane, allow us to offer you a few great places to start with some recommendations for the best cat and doll lash extensions.
The Cat Eye Gossamer® Bundle
With The Cat Eye Gossamer® Bundle, you’ll find an all-in-one Gossamer® Lash set perfect for creating the cat eye of your dreams.
Complete with our Plushy™ Gossamers, Amplify Gossamers, and Amplify Plus+ Gossamers, this bundle allows you to map and stack into a fanned-out and sultry lash by overlapping at the outer corner of the eye. It’s a cat-eye fanatic's dream.
The Russian Doll Gossamer® Set
The counterpart to the cat-eye, this Russian Doll Gossamer® Set allows you to open up and brighten those eyes to your heart’s content. Open those windows all the way up, why don’t you?
With a simple mix of Amplify and Drama® Gossamers, you’ll find it almost too easy to apply this mid-length set. Ready to enhance any and all eyes that heed its call, these lashes will serve you well for all occasions with their trendy and effective final look.
Bonus Lashes!
If you’re looking for something a little more universal and beginner-friendly, a great way to achieve these looks is with more basic sets like the Amplify, Bold, or Curl (all amazing options). It all comes down to how you map them.
For a more open, doll-like effect, try mapping the bolder lashes to the center of your eyelid. Maybe play around with adding some lashes to the lower lash line to give your entire eye a glow-up. And for a more elongated and cat-like look, focus your efforts on the corners of your lash line, overlapping and stacking a few lashes to give the illusion of a longer and more lifted eye.
Try it for yourself and see what works for you.
The Choice is Yours
With all this newfound knowledge, we’re sure you’ll have your hands full with your next set of Gossamers®. And that’s the fun of it, isn’t it? When you get your hands on that next bundle, you can start playing around with all the endless options at your disposal. After all, it’s your face at the end of the day, and all that truly matters is how you feel when you see yourself in the mirror.
So play with your lashes until the cows come home, and by then, we hope you’re satisfied with what you’ve created. The world is your oyster, bestie, and the choices are yours!
Sources:
What's My Eye Shape? (Learn How to Tell Here) | Vision Center
Understanding Different Eye Shapes: Which Do You Have? | NVISION
