Yes, Natalie Portman’s ethereal sequin Dior Haute Couture gown was a showstopper last night at the 2024 Golden Globes. But the shimmering number from the French fashion house wasn’t the only Gallic element of the May December star’s look. Topping off her soft, flushed makeup was the ultimate Parisian touch: “A little French cat eye,” as her makeup artist Lisa Storey puts it.
The way Storey envisioned things, Portman’s Dior gown was a Monet painting come to life. “It made me think of The Artist’s Garden at Giverny; beautiful delicate spring colors, flushes of mauves, soft pinks, and pink hues, which I used on the cheeks and lips to create an overall flush to the face,” explains Storey, who mixed Dior Rosy Glow blush in 015 Cherry and 006 Berry together, and swiped on Lip Glow in 006 Berry to give Portman a “blooming springtime glow.”
Then, to add a touch of definition to her smoked-out shadow, which echoed the floral color palette, Storey reached for Dior On Stage Eyeliner in #096 Satin Black, using the ultra-tapered felt-tip pen to etch on a set of subtle “lifting” kittenish flicks.
As opposed to a more pronounced classic cat eye, the “little French” iteration is more of a dainty and delicate wing, starting at the mid-point of the eye and flicking out ever so subtly on the outer corner. It has a distinctly elegant and polished feel that nods to Dior’s “New Look” era of the 1950s when Christian Dior’s sleek, ultra-feminine designs ushered in a fresh era of fashion.
Next time you reach for your eyeliner, consider making like Portman and paring your cat eye back, embracing little French flicks for lift, definition, and a hint of that French je nais se quois.