The 20 Most Iconic Cat Eyes of All Time

By Erin Lukas
Updated: Sep 16, 2016 @ 2:22 pm
Gary Gershoff/WireImage; Silver Screen Collection/Getty; Harry Langdon/Getty

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.

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1 of 21

Adele

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

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2 of 21

Alexa Chung 

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

3 of 21

Audrey Hepburn 

Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives

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

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4 of 21

Nicki Minaj 

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

5 of 21

Brigitte Bardot 

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

6 of 21

Sophia Loren 

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

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

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7 of 21

Lupita Nyong'o 

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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 21

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 21

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. 

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10 of 21

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 21

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 21

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. 

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13 of 21

Amy Winehouse 

Anthony Harvey/WireImage

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

14 of 21

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 21

Francoise Hardy 

Jean Adda\INA

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

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16 of 21

Dita Von Teese 

Desiree Navarro/WireImage

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

17 of 21

Frances Nuyen 

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

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

18 of 21

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. 

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19 of 21

Grace Jones 

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

20 of 21

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. 

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