Why I Checked Myself Into Cat-Eye Rehab

Whoever said that cat eye was easy . . . lied. In fact, perfecting my lines has taken tons of practice, and I occasionally mess up to this day. I've found that using a gel eyeliner pen ($24) with a soft angled tip works best for achieving even lines.

I start off by striking two small lines on the outer corner of my eye. Then I line my upper lashes until the two connect. Finally, I take my pen and lightly fill in any gaps in my wing and voila! Cat-eye perfection.

In my first day of recovery, I decided to quit cat-eye cold-turkey, completing my makeup look by only wearing mascara. I packed on layers of my favorite Smashbox mascara ($20) and I was set!

Eliminating eyeliner completely was difficult. I admit, my first thought when I looked at myself was how tired my eyes looked, but as my day went on, I realized that without my cat-eye I looked a lot more natural and alert. A look I could get used to. Not to mention, holding off on eyeliner saved me tons of time getting ready in the morning.

On my second day of rehab, I decided to kick things up a notch and played with a neutral eye pencil ($21). I used a large eye shadow brush to blend the color all over my lids.

Wearing any color other than black on my lids was something I never do, but I had to stick to my guns! I made sure to dress my look down with a neutral shirt and kept my lips and face makeup simple, so that my eyes would pop. The resulting smoky lid that was totally wearable for a work day.

By day three I felt completely bare and desperately craved eyeliner. Since I didn't want to break the no black liquid-liner challenge, I decided that brown was an easy alternative for a softer look. I lined my upper and lower lash line with a chocolate brown eyeliner pencil ($15) and paired it with a deep purple lip stain ($14).

While the lip stain was a step outside of what I'm used to, I'm glad I went for it. After so many years focused up top, I forgot how uplifting it can be to swipe on a bright lipstick. My brown eyeliner thickened my lashes, but still allowed the focus to be on my vibrant pout. Who said you need a cat eye to be bold?

On day four, I wanted to experiment with color on my eyelids while keeping it daytime appropriate. I applied a rose gold eyeshadow crayon ($22) all over my lids and finished with brown eye shadow in my crease to soften the look.

Day four was by far the hardest to get used to because I never wear colored eyeshadow. Before, I hadn't been that open to wearing pink on my eyes, but the metallic shadow was just enough to highlight them. Gold and rosy shadows are also the perfect complement for brown eyes, and any hint of sparkle can be easily taken from the office to a dinner date.

By the end of my week I was ready to go out with a bang, and I decided to do red! Out of the plethora of beauty products I own, I only have one red lipstick that matches my skin tone without making me look like a clown. I tight-lined my upper lash line and perfectly placed Jeanne by NARS ($32) on my lips. I held off on blush and amped up my bronzer for a supersultry look.

The few times I've ever worn red lipstick, I always paired it with a cat-eye, and I was never 100 percent satisfied with my look. But this cherry-red shade made me feel totally sexy. Pairing a statement wing with a bold lip can likely cause the two to clash, and releasing my wings allowed me to pull off a style I've always wanted to try.

Doing this experiment made me realize that cat-eye has been my makeup crutch. Forcing myself outside of my comfort zone taught me that I can pull off diverse styles. But most importantly, I don’t need a cat-eye to feel fierce. I am still rocking my wings (in moderation) but I’ve also discovered a new love for the bright-eyed, mascara-only look and often bounce between that and the cat-eye. I also feel confident enough to occasionally throw on a bold lip or even go makeup free!