According to recent research in the field of cat lady psychology, incidents of Kitty Stockholm Syndrome among humans held hostage by cats is at an all-time high.
A random sampling of cat ladies between the ages of 22-65 indicates that the rate of Kitty Stockholm Syndrome, or KSS, a trauma that occurs when humans empathize with their cat captors, affects a staggering 99.9% of women held hostage by their cats.
Because of the stigma attached to KSS, and fearing retribution at the paws of their feline captors, many cat ladies are reluctant to publicly discuss the phenomenon. But a few brave souls, like blogger Karen of Makeup and Beauty Blog, have been willing to speak about it on the record.
Karen recently sat down with us for this exclusive interview to reveal what goes on in the mind of a cat lady KSS sufferer…
“Oh, sure,” said Karen, a veteran beauty blogger and cat lady who’s lived with KSS since 2007. “I’ve got KSS, big time, but it doesn’t really manifest itself until I actually leave the compound.
“Take last week. My captor, Tabs, stayed at home while I went to Las Vegas for a conference. Now, you might think I would have used the trip as an opportunity to escape, but the entire time I was there, I kept thinking about Tabs — wondering if he was watching birds through the windows, or sleeping, or eating the potted catnip plant he forced me to install before leaving.
“I thought of him so much that it even came through in my makeup!
“I wore cat eye liner over the entire trip, exactly the way Tabs likes it, too — in a true black shade, dark and dramatic, with a flirty, feline flick at the end — using the new NARS Eye Paint in Black Valley ($25).
“By the way, NARS Black Valley? All sorts of rad.
“Wait! — you haven’t tried it yet? I know this interview is supposed to be about KSS, but seriously, we have got to get you on the Black Valley train, ASAP.
“It’s from the new NARS Eye Paints line of long-wearing potted gels that do everything — almost like MAC Fluidline/Paint Pot hybrids. You can use ’em to line your eyes (both lash and water lines), as cream shadows, or as bases for powder products.
“Black Valley takes a little longer to dry than, say, MAC Blacktrack, giving me more time to smudge and play with it, and I find that it’s also much easier to create gradients with.
“And then there’s the wear time…
“Wonderful! Like last week in Vegas, with conference classes from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., I barely had any time for my makeup, and seriously, the Mandalay Bay hotel had full-sized bottles of Grey Goose in the rooms but no coffee maker (go figure!), so in the mornings I was always sleepy and running behind.
“It felt a little like I was back in college again…except inside a casino.
“Anywho, with only about 10 minutes to get ready every morning, I’d knock out my Tabs-inspired cat eye with Black Valley on bare lids without any primer, and at the end of each day, when I’d get back to my room, it still looked almost as fresh as it did first thing in the morning — just as dark as ever on my lash lines, with very minor fading along the water lines.
“Before going out to grab a bite to eat in the evenings (and to play a couple rounds of Kitty Glitter after), I’d blot down the shine on my skin, add a fresh coat of bright lipstick, whack on another layer of mascara, and I was good to go. Thanks to Black Valley, I really didn’t have to touch up my liner at all.
“It stood up to 16-hour Las Vegas desert days, no problem.
“If you’re putting in long hours and don’t have time for eye makeup touch-ups, I can’t recommend Black Valley enough. Or, if you have a serious case of KSS and absolutely have to wear cat liner whenever you’re away from your kitty captor.” 🙂
PRICE: $25 for a 0.08-ounce pot
AVAILABILITY: Available now in the permanent line at NARS counters and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Love this review! So fun! And the Eye Paints sound awesome!
I don’t do casinos really, but I really am intrigued by Kitty Glitter. Kitties and glitter are two of my favorite things! Wonder if any of the casinos here in Detroit have it…
Yeah, there’s 9 more colors and I can’t wait to try them. I figure if NARS can nail down basic black, then the others will be good too. We’ll see. 🙂
Soooo… Kitty Glitter. All I have to say is there are fireworks, music and lots of different types of cats (Persians, Abyssinians, Torties, oh my). I don’t think you have to actually be in a casino to play it, either, because I’ve seen ads for it online, haha! I’m not sure I’m ready to go there quite yet though.
What you need is Bunny Glitter!
Quincy does enjoy glitter, as a bunny diva (although his fur is tuxedo-like for everyday class).
Quincy’s doing it right! I’d certainly rather be overdressed than underdressed.
I’m going to try to get him a bow tie to take pictures for my wedding with (helps that my BFF/Wedding Photographer also has an affinity for buns, which is one of the things that our friendship was based off of in middle school, LOL!)
If that happens you’ll have to send me pics. Does Jiji have a special wedding outfit, too?
He’ll probably wear a bow-tie too. I did see some cute shiny mermaid costumes at PetCo for little dogs and thought about shoving him in one of those, but I somehow think he wouldn’t go for that.
OMG, DO IT. You have to catch him when he’s really sleepy. That’s the trick to making it work. A few years ago I shoved Tabs into a yellow submarine dog outfit and he hated every moment of it, haha! It brought me great joy: https://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/just-for-fun/sundays-with-tabs-the-cat-makeup-and-beauty-blog-mascot-vol-111/
OMG! I love this product! Thank u Nars!
This only adds to my love of NARS. Gosh, it looks amazing! And the staying power sounds beast.
Am always looking for eyeliner that stays put! Everyone that I’ve ever tried ends up making me look panda-ish by the end of the day. Thanks!
I love how this eyeliner looks on you!
Hey Karen! What a lovely review! I gotta say this, I really like your imagination and writing style. It makes me happy to read your reviews, they are always infused with insight and fun. One can see clearly that you pay attention to your details. As for NARS eye paint (just the right name for lazy people like me, lol), wow it’s truly black! When I finish my current gel liner, I think I will check it out. Have a nice day! 🙂
Hey Nina!
Thank you for this lovely comment. I’m so glad you enjoyed reading this post.
What gel liner are you currently using?
Hi Karen, I’m a new reader to your blog and I was wondering what kind of skin you have? I have combination/oily skin and I’m ALWAYS looking for an eyeliner for my waterline that will stay put. All my liners end up making me look like a raccoon within three hours and it makes me so frustrated! Do you think this eyeliner will have the same lasting power on me as it does on you??
Thanks for the review, Karen! I was thinking as cream shadows, most of these are just too matte and too dark for me. If they work well as gel liners however, they’ve got some potential!
Great review! I can’t wait to see these and the color selection is great to wear as liners, I think I’ll be tempted by the khaki. 🙂
Got that one on my list, Icaria! 🙂
Ohmygosh! Gotta have that lipstick you’re wearing, Karen! What is it??
Hi Baby A,
Love your handle (so cute!). I’m wearing MAC Flat Out Fabulous, a bright plummy matte from the new MAC Retro Matte collection. I have it sort of blotted down here, but you can see it built up in this post.
https://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/daily-beauty-cat/mac-retro-matte-lipsticks/
Oh I was just going to ask the same question. I am so glad I ordered Flat Out Fabulous now (fingers crossed it should come today). I love this look Karen, simple yet fab!
This looks terrific on you. You know I barely have the coordination to work with Front of the Line Pro, so applying liner with a brush is completely out of the question. 😉
PS Did you make it to Target for your kitteh sweater?
LOL, yeah I did make it to Tar-ghay. These two happened to fall into my basket along with gravy for you-know-who:
http://instagram.com/p/dqThuHmRvy/
http://instagram.com/p/dqPsGimRoo/
HAHA! Love them!!
I love this product 🙂
Yay!
I absolutely love gel liners & this one looks so good. Love the way you created the cat eyes. 😉
Thanks!
I am so thoroughly impressed with the NARS eye paints. From the containers to the formula, they’re awesome. Love Black Valley on you.
Hi Phyrra,
What colors have you tried and loved from the line? I’ve got my eye on a gold shade next. 😀
It looks lovely! Most gel liners have a more matte finish but this one almost glistens! And the color is such a rich, dark black!
What type of brush do you use to achieve that look? A pointy one or an angular, flat one?
TIA! 🙂
Hi Yang,
I used two brushes. For the lash lines, I used a skinny pointed angle brush from Laura Mercier; Sonia Kashuk makes a similar one that’s good too called the Bent Liner Brush. To create the flick at the end, I used a flat brush (again, from Laura Mercier).
Awesome, thanks! It looks great on you. I’ve been considering branching out from my Mac blacktrack and this looks like it’s worth a shot.
I have something to confess… I also suffer from KSS. There, I’ve said it! Nabuti, my (sister’s) tuxedo cat, has got me in his paw-er. Oh, the shame!