Cat Eyes, mk. II

The cat eye and I didn't mix all that well, but come to think about it, it really wasn't meant to happen. Quite aside from the smudging and the messing up, practicality means it would have probably been a bit pointless anyway- you don't exactly see Cleopatra or the 60s Bollywood lot ever having to stick a pair of glasses between their (rather exaggerated) eye makeup and the outside world, do you?

I've worn glasses for nearly eight years now, and every single pair I've ever owned has conformed to the template seen in the pictures above or below, mainly because I'd wanted a pair that reminded me of Marilyn Monroe in How To Marry A Millionaire - the trouble was, my opticians didn't, in fact no opticians anywhere around did, sell glasses anything like those. I had to settle for slightly rhomboid ones, and since 2000, assorted pairs have come and gone (mostly gone, given my propensity to lose them), but I've never quite found anything perfect. Until now. And, wouldn't you know it, they were made all the way back in 1956 and don't belong to me....but these glasses will still be the ultimate cat eyes of all time because the shape, when you wear them, comes right off your face. And as for achieving it, who needs to struggle with eyeliner when all you have to do is pop this lot on? At least it won't need multiple washes and baby oil to remove them ...The lucky owner is gardenpicnic, who posted the picture up on leavesoftea, where I go to occasionally drool over people's antique finds (a first edition of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, a playbill from Laurence Olivier's early stage career, and gorgeous teapots and telephones, are just some of the things on display). It's a fantastic place, especially if you like random knicknacks- it's amazing to see what people end up finding.