When I saw a TikTok hack that suggests the humble eyelash curler can be the perfect guide to help create a symmetrical cut crease, I just about ran to my makeup bag to try it out for myself. Of course, I had some healthy skepticism, and wondered if my attempt could really turn out like the video that caught my eye from creator Tia Shea. But when holding my go-to Dior Backstage Eyelash Curler, I figured I had nothing to lose. 

While Shea’s video looked as effortless as it was seamless, my eye shadow skills can be described as beginner at best. It turns out that I wasn’t the only one. “At first, I was a little skeptical, [and thought] ‘Can a lash curler really do this?,” says makeup artist Shenise Sheena. But after attempting the look herself, she was sold. “The hack makes achieving a cat-eye easy and a great way to get the effect without having to wipe off or perfect your eyeliner shape,” Sheena adds.

Since the eyelash curler tool is quite literally your stencil, “this hack is a great guide for those who have a hard time placing eyeliner or eye shadow in the correct area,” Sheena says. It’s also a fool-proof method for those who don’t have the steadiest of hands and have to hold their breath when drawing a killer cat-eye. As New York City-based makeup artist Tommy previously told Allure, it helps to place a dot behind your outer eyelash, which is the end of a cat-eye’s “tail.” This “should lift the eye shape and, most importantly, widen and elongate,” he adds. 

But in the case of this eyelash curler hack, the tool is a substitute for those extra steps. Sheena believes it may be because of how easy it is to achieve this cat-eye effect without ever having to wipe off and perfect the shape of the wing. 

Before jumping into it, I followed some of Sheena’s tips and tricks she found most helpful after her first go-around. “Going in with a pencil first to define the liner and then blending with shadows works really well,” she advises. As for what shade of shadow to start with first, I was somewhat surprised to hear her recommendation of darkest to lightest transition shade, blending everything out to tie the look together at the end.