The 20 Most Iconic Cat Eyes of All Time

By Erin Lukas
Updated Sep 01, 2016 @ 5:15 pm
Gary Gershoff/WireImage

Mastering cat eye liner is like taking the perfect selfie: it takes a few shots until you perfect your angles. In the case of the feline flick, there’s a lot of hand contortionism until you’re able to draw a smooth, winged line. But when that “a-ha” moment finally happens, the classic beauty look will instantly become your signature too. Cat eyes have cemented their timeless appeal thanks to their style and eye-defining range from soft flicks, to precise, glamorous wings. No one knows the power of the cat eye like the stars that have made winged-out liner their go-to look throughout their time in the spotlight. The following iconic cat eyes are 20 reasons to take your liner and wing it.

Start Slideshow

1 of 20

Adele

Luca Teuchmann/Getty

Adele's perfect retro flick is just as beautiful as her heart-wrenching love songs. 

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 20

Alexa Chung 

Ian Gavan/Getty

Alexa's subtle feline flick has made cat eye eyeliner synonymous with It Girls. 

3 of 20

Audrey Hepburn 

Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives

Somehow, Audrey's elegant slight flick made her beautiful doe eyes look even bigger and brighter. 

Advertisement

4 of 20

Nicki Minaj 

Anthony Harvey/Getty

What's good? Nicki's dramatic feline flick never fails to make a dramatic statement onstage or on the red carpet. 

5 of 20

Brigitte Bardot 

RDA/Getty

This Parisian beauty's smoky eye and winged-out liner combo transformed her into a French New Wave style icon. 

6 of 20

Sophia Loren 

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

Sophia's lined, wide-eyed gaze will forever be etched into our memories. 

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 20

Lupita Nyong'o 

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

The actress has effortlessly worn a kaleidoscope of liner shades, but the actress's emerald green cat eye has singlehandedly made us consider tossing our jet black pencils for good. 

8 of 20

Marilyn Monroe 

Gene Kornman/John Kobal Foundation

The 1950s starlet's winged eye, fluffly lashes, and matte red lip is the epitome of glamour. 

9 of 20

Lana Del Rey 

John Shearer/Getty

Along with her dreamy music, Lana Del Rey's mod-inpired liquid liner makes us weak in the knees. 

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 20

Jean Shrimpton 

Keystone/Hulton Archive

The 1960s British actress and model nailed mod style with her flipped hair, spider lashes, and feline flick. 

11 of 20

Elizabeth Taylor 

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

On-screen as Cleopatra, actress Elizabeth Taylor rocked a black and blue cat eye of epic proportions. Off-screen, her bold, inky cat-flick was equally as memorable. 

12 of 20

Nina Simone 

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Not only did Nina have one of the most distinctive singing voices of our time, she also flawlessly wore a killer cat eye. 

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 20

Amy Winehouse 

Anthony Harvey/WireImage

Only an exaggerated cat eye of epic proportions could match Amy's larger-than-life singing voice. 

14 of 20

Gwen Stefani 

Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

Gwen may be known for her classic red lip, but her retro cat eye doesn't lie: the singer's winged-out liner is just as much a part of her signature beauty look. 

15 of 20

Francoise Hardy 

Jean AddaINA

The devistatingly cool '60s singer's perfect flick set the precedent for French girl beauty obsession. 

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 20

Dita Von Teese 

Desiree Navarro/WireImage

Dita's flawless feline-flick is a modern nod to classic pin-up beauty. 

17 of 20

Frances Nuyen 

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

A perfectly drawn-on winged line transformed the fresh-faced actress into an Old Hollywood siren.

18 of 20

Diana Ross 

Harry Langdon/Getty

Diana's technicolor cat eye reigned supreme from her stint as a member of a 1960s girl group to 1970s disco queen. 

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 20

Grace Jones 

Ron Galella/WireImage

The androgynous 1970s supermodel's graphic wing is the definition of fierce. 

20 of 20

Rihanna 

Gary Gershoff/WireImage

While there's a lot of RiRi beauty looks to love, her smoky, onyx cat eye ode to the character Margot Tenenbaum from Wes Anderson's cult-classic film The Royal Tenenbaums, will always be a standout. 

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next

By Erin Lukas