Skip The Liquid Liner & Try Olivia Wilde’s Smoky Cat Eye Instead

Just because some beauty looks are classic doesn’t mean they can’t benefit from a little updating from time to time — and the same theory applies to the your signature makeup styles. For example, so many celebrities seldom part ways with their beloved winged liner (think Taylor Swift, Adele, and Ariana Grande). But with a few little tweaks, they can keep the retro feel and uplifted effect in a fresh new way. Someone who got the memo? Olivia Wilde, who donned a uniquely smoky cat eye for the Academy Women’s Luncheon hosted by Chanel on Dec. 10th.

Take a look back at Wilde’s most memorable makeup from throughout the years and you’ll see she’s partial to a flick of liquid liner (and who isn’t?). But for the chic luncheon, her makeup artist Jo Baker went a little bit out of the box. Using a nearly full face of Chanel products, Baker created what she called in an Instagram post “Parallelogram Peepers”. Instead of using something more fluid, the glam guru got the effect using a soft black pencil or powder that was beautifully blended outward and upward. She also tight-lined Wilde’s upper and lower lids for a little more drama and contrast to the actor’s icy blue eyes and made her lashes lush and spiky using Tarantulash Mascara from her own brand, Bakeup Beauty.

But Baker wouldn’t be one of Hollywood’s most sought after makeup artists without some wizardry. Here, she used “a little naked space trickery” to make the updated cat eye become the standout of the total beauty look. While it appears that Wilde has a totally bare lid, Baker likely used a skin-toned shadow expertly blended into the liner for a nude illusion. And she further emphasized the lid shape by using the same soft black pencil/powder to lightly define the outer crease.

Another way Baker ensured this diffused cat eye stole the show? Choosing a lipstick shade that doesn’t compete for attention. The makeup artist didn’t name the exact product she used in the caption of Wilde’s makeup look, but did says it’s one of her “[fave] lipsticks of all time”. Thankfully, an eagle-eyed commenter was able to accurately identify it as Chanel’s Rouge Coco Flash in Boy, a soft rosewood shade that’s the ultimate neutral. Add these elements together for a clever change-up to your go-to cat eye that will keep you in your comfort zone.