See How Beyoncé’s Makeup Artist Creates a Cat Eye With Only Eyeshadow

Raise your hand if you’re more likely to win a million dollars on scratch-offs than get your liquid liner winged just so? *Raises hand.* We feel you. And so does Beyoncé’s makeup artist, Sir John. Which is why he created a bold cat eye look just for you—and, OK, Beyoncé—that doesn’t require any exercises in steady-handedness.

He calls this metallic oil spill-inspired look Vengeful Eyes, and we love where he’s going with it. “This speaks to a really massive trend right now,” Sir John says. “Oil spill nails are popular, oil spill eyes are popular, and this is a very nice way to lend itself to the trend.” The graphic shape is sexy and the green makes it just a bit more daring. It’s the kind of thing you need when you’re ready to go all Lemonade on an ex—or just want something that stands out a bit more than your standard smoky eye.

All you need to master it? A pot of gel liner (to use as an eyeshadow, don’t worry!) and a couple of shimmery shadows to layer over it. Here’s exactly how you can copy the look at home.

Start out by using a short synthetic brush to swipe a forest green gel liner (try Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in Deep Emerald Green, $26, sephora.com) all over your lid as a base for the rest of the eyeshadow. Sir John loves gel liners in place of powder shadows as a base because they don’t budge. “They’re great for hot summer days, they’re great for days at the beach,” he says. With the way this summer has been going, we are all for sweat-proof makeup.

Once the gel liner is on your lid, blend it out with a clean fluffy brush to get the shape you want and to blur any harsh lines. We swear by this genius tape hack if you need a bit of a guide. Once the color is flicked out as far as you like, you can move on to the undereye. Instead of putting the green under the entire lower lash line, try applying it under the tear duct to add just a touch of color so the most dramatic part of the look is the winged-out shadow.

After the base is done, it’s time to start applying the powder shadows. “We’re going to take this flat color and start to add layers of shimmer,” he says. The layers are what make it look like an oil spill. Dust a lighter shimmery green all over the bottom of the lid (like L’Oréal Infallible 24 HR Eye Shadow in Golden Emerald, $8, lorealparisusa.com) to give the color some dimension. (Think of it like strobing but for your eyes.) Then take an even lighter green pigment (we love L’Oréal Infallible 24 HR Eye Shadow in Golden Sage, $8, lorealparisusa.com) and apply it all over to get that iridescent effect.

To clean things up a smidge and sharpen your lines, dip a cotton swab in a little water-based makeup remover and drag it across the top of the shadow to clear away any extra product. “You just start to create a really beautiful rock-star eye and a graphic shape,” Sir John says.

Next up, it’s time for mascara. Feel free to get as messy as you want with the application. “Remember that it doesn’t have to be pretty, and it doesn’t have to be perfect,” adds Sir John. “So take your mascara and go back and forth like you’re brushing your teeth.”

And there you have it! You’ll look like Beyoncé and you’ll feel like you’re ready to slay.

Oh, and just in case you’re more of video tutorial learner, we’ve got you covered there too. Check out the clip below for further instructions from Sir John, himself: