Cat Deeley's barely-there smokey eye shadow look is understated glamour at its finest

Her cat-eye liner brings in the perfect amount of drama

Cat Deeley attends the NTAs 2024 at The O2 Arena on September 11, 2024
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Cat Deeley oozed understated glamour in a soft yet smokey eyeshadow look on The Joe Schmo Show last week, with her cat-eye liner bringing drama and dimension to the barely-there style.

As we head into the warmer half of the year, we all tend to lean into more natural makeup looks, with the best lightweight foundations and most natural-looking mascaras replacing the heavier, more dramatic products we love in the darker, cooler seasons. But that doesn't mean we have to lose any glitz or glamour - as Cat Deeley proved with her latest makeup look.

Cat has well and truly welcomed in spring with her outfits on The Joe Schmo Show, giving us tonnes of spring capsule wardrobe inspiration with her beautiful looks - and each one has been accompanied by a soft, understated makeup look that perfectly balances glamour with the lighter, fresher look of the season.

Her look from last week's show is a standout one, with her beautifully blushed cheeks and pink-toned lipstick complimenting a subtle, barely-there smokey eyeshadow look.

Get Cat's Eyeshadow Look

Created using a series of incredibly light brown and beige shadows, the look brought gentle dimension to the eyes and created a brilliant base for her cat-eye liner. The minimalist approach is a masterclass in making your eyes pop, with the lightest, creamy skin-toned shade swept across Cat's lid, from the very inner corner of her eye and across her lid, while a neutral, light-brown was effortlessly blended throughout her crease.

This bright, creamy shade works to widened the eyes for a youthful, bright appearance and, by keeping the darker brown shade concentrated at the outer corner of the eye, Cat achieved a lifted look that made her eyes appear bigger thanks to the dimension of the shadow.

The eyeshadow was perfectly complemented by Cat's lengthened, fluttering lashes, and if you're after a super minimal and natural look that is timeless enough to be worn during the daytime, leaving the look here without adding the liner is a great option.

But the thin black cat-eye does add so much subtle drama and dimension to her makeup, doesn't it? She kept the line super thin across her lid, only thickening it up when it hit the outer third of her lid to get a sweeping, lifted look. There's nothing as timeless as a cat-eye, but Cat took her's to the next level by adding a gentle though impactful smudge of black kohl liner to her lower lash line.

This introduced the perfect amount of depth to the eye for a fresh, spring-ready look like this one and brought in a beautiful smokey and glamorous feel. Updating your day-to-day eyeshadow with a swiping of liner underneath the eye like this is a great way to take it from a day-ready look to something more evening appropriate - and it can be done so quickly! Just make sure, if you're wanting the look to last all day (or night) long, to prep your lids with one of the best eyeshadow primers before applying your eyeshadow, as this will give your eyeshadow something to grip on to.

"Cat Deeley’s smokey eye is a masterclass in subtle yet sultry eyeshadow looks that can carry you from day-to-night. Her winged liner is a great example of complementing an almond eye shape, giving the eye region a lifted and widened appearance," says Sennen Prickett, Digital Beauty Writer.

For those seeking a more wearable look, Sennen recommends "mirroring Cat’s choice of a red-hue blush for a healthy flushed complexion and a natural pink-nude pout with an enviable satin finish. Alternatively, a bolder lip, such as a bright postbox red or moody plum hue, would give the look a more dramatic edge that makes it perfect for the evening,"

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse
Freelance news writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a freelance royal news, entertainment and fashion writer. She began her journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with Good To, BBC Good Food, The Independent, The Big Issue and The Metro.

With contributions from