Feline Flickers

My current obsession with wing-tip eyeliner is well-documented as all my party photos of late have my peepers dramatically flicked in noir, with the occassional sprinkling of sparkly eyeshadow (very very subtle, not to worry). I wear this look so often that when my cat-eyes go MIA, my friends notice in 5 minutes and declare with mouths agape, "Where is your sparkly wing tip?", like I had gone on to the red carpet sans heels or something.

I would say that my fixation with this look came quite by accident. Being born with naturally slim eyes (code name for small Chinese eyes), eyeliner has always been my friend. Along with my Shu Uemura eyelash curler and my mascara mascara mascara, my look has always featured generous eye makeup, be it day or night (unless I am plagued with magazine deadlines, wherein I skip makeup and all other forms of vanity altogether). But this season's obsession with this '50s original has propelled me to experiment and go beyond the confines of my natural lashline. Blame it on Lily Allen, whose feel-good quirky style had me enthralled (it's a regression-type coping mechanism, I know). Or on the Prada ads with Sasha's alabaster complexion artistically decorated in midnight-hued flicks—the perfect foil to Miuccia's critic-friendly off-color color palette. Or could it be Louis Vuitton's Fall 2007 collection—an ode to Vermeer that ultimately transformed into a parade of feline-shaped eyeliner. Of course, one cannot berate a list of such culprits without Christian Dior making an appearance, whose models sashayed down the catwalk in larger-than-life gowns, delectable bling, and of course, winged peepers. However, the ultimate incarnation of this makeup marvel is on none other than Wong Kar Wai's muses, Maggie Cheung in In the Mood For Love, and Zhang Ziyi in 2046. Garbed in skin-tight cheongsams, closed-toe pumps, and a daily dose of lusciously lined eyes, these two vintage vixens exude retro charm in a modern way.