Want to hear something scary? Halloween is next week. If that sentence sent you into a full-blown panic, don’t worry, I’m right there with you. Every year, I have big plans to go all out with my Halloween costume—like, pulling out all the stops. And every year, guess what happens? I end up digging through my makeup bags, trying to piece together a last-minute costume that doesn't look last-minute. But this year, I’m going to be way more realistic with my costume expectations. And if you’re a fellow member of Procrastination Nation, I’ve got you covered, because I broke down beauty influencer Arshia Moorjani’s cat Halloween makeup tutorial into eight super-easy steps.
The best part? You can complete the look with makeup you already own (think: eyeshadow and liquid eyeliner), so that eleventh-hour scramble will be less chaotic than years past. Oh, and this isn't your run-of-the-mill cat Halloween makeup look, BTW. Trust me when I say it'll instantly level up your drugstore cat ears.
Step 1: Contour and highlight
Arshia Moorjani//YouTube
Layer on your foundation and concealer, then sweep a bronzing powder underneath your cheekbones and along the temples of your forehead to give your face a cat-like shape.You'll instantly look snatched—this move sharpens all your angles. Then, grab a highly pigmented matte powder (your translucent powder won’t cut it here), in a shade lighter than you would normally use. With a medium fluffy brush, highlight the area around your upper lip and in the middle of your chin for a little definition.
Huda Beauty Tantour Contour & Bronzer Cream
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand
Lorac PRO Conceal/Contour Palette & Brush
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick
Step 2: Contour your eyes
Arshia Moorjani//YouTube
Um, even though they're not the focus of the look, you can't forget about your brows, k? Fill them in with a tinted gel or a lightweight powder and then get to work on your eyes. Prep your lids with primer or concealer, so your shadow doesn't slide off your face, then blend a matte-orange eyeshadow with a small brush to exaggerate your creases.
Tartelette Toasted Eyeshadow Palette
Credit: Courtesy Image
Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat
Credit: Courtesy Image
Huda Beauty Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette
Credit: Courtesy Image
Colourpop Yes, Please! Eyeshadow Palette
Credit: Courtesy ImageStep 3: Contour your nose
Arshia Moorjani//YouTube
Layer a dark-brown eyeshadow with orange undertones on top of the crease color with a small blending brush, keeping the focus on the outer corners. Then, use the same brown shade to draw a line from the creases of your eyes, down the sides of your nose. Stop the lines just before the tip for a cat-like snout.
MAC 217S Synthetic Blending Brush
Bobbi Brown Cream Shadow Brush
Wet 'n Wild Small Eyeshadow Brush
Sigma Beauty E27 Detail Blending Brush
Step 4: Draw the tip of your nose
Arshia Moorjani//YouTube
Next, using a super-pigmented black eyeliner, fill in the area around your nostrils, on the very tip of your nose. Arshia uses a fine-tip liquid liner to outline the shape and fills it in with a cream pigment.
Milani Eye Tech Extreme Liquid Eye Liner
Credit: Courtesy Image
UOMA Beauty Afro.Dis.Iac Cleopatra Ink Liquid Eyeliner
Credit: Courtesy Image
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner
Credit: Courtesy Image
NYX Vinyl Liquid Liner
Step 5: Emphasize your eyes
Arshia Moorjani//YouTube
Use the same black liquid liner to draw a cat-eye flick from the inner corners of your eyes almost all the way to the end of your brows. Then, grab your dark-brown shadow and a small pencil brush to smudge the shade below your bottom lashes. Finish with a shimmery highlight along your brow bone and in the inner corners of your eyes.
MAC 219S Synthetic Pencil Brush
Wet 'n Wild Pro Brush Line Dome Pencil Eye Brush
Morphe M431 Precision Pencil Crease Brush
Sigma E30 Pencil Brush
Step 6: Apply your lashes
Arshia Moorjani//YouTube
Feel free to get a little creative with this step. You can play up your lashes with lots of mascara or top them with a pair of ~fancy~ falsies.
Huda Beauty Faux Mink Lash Collection #14 Noelle
Velour Lashes Effortless No Trim Natural Lash Collection Short & Sweet
Sephora Collection Luxe False Lash Amour
VGTE 3D False Eyelashes Extension
Credit: Courtesy ImageStep 7: Fill in your upper lip
Arshia Moorjani//YouTube
With your liquid liner, draw a line connecting the base of your cat nose to your cupid’s bow. Then, fill in your top lip completely. Make your mouth appear slightly wider by drawing outward lines two or three centimeters long from the corners of your mouth.
Step 8: Finish with whiskers
Arshia Moorjani//YouTube
Alternate using black and brown eyeliner to draw tiny whisker spots. Then, go back over them with white liner to add more dots—and lots of whiskers.
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
Now 25% Off
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil
Now 33% Off
Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick
The final result
Arshia Moorjani//YouTube
And there you go! A totally convincing and way cute cat costume.
Related Story
Ama Kwarteng was previously the associate beauty editor at Cosmopolitan.
Brooke Shunatona is a contributing writer for Cosmopolitan.com.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLvSpqapp5yewaK6jZympmejqcatsYybnJqtpK58o7HArquyZ5Fmf3aElWttcGeTlsFutMClo6ivlZq7brnApJyuqF2pwrW70aKYpWc%3D