
While we still have a minute to reminisce about the best beauty comebacks of 2013, we’ll revel in the delight of the cat eye, that edgy yet elegant flick of upper eye liner that recalls the easy glamour of the ’60s. It’s safe to say that with decades in between its initial popularity and this very moment, beauty mavens have been able to update the look to something that feels very now. If you’re planning on rocking the look into the new year, check out these 12 modern cat eyes that are picture purr-fect.
1. Quick and Easy Cat Eye: Here’s the way to wear this look everyday: you’ll need to grab black shadow, a dampened angled eye liner brush, and a tube of matching liquid eye liner to highlight the angled flick. (via Camille Styles)
2. Cat Eye Stamp: Beauty hack! This method of application guarantees that you’ll never screw up the cat eye again! Just cut a pencil eraser at a sharp angle and once it’s saturated with liquid eye liner, stamp it onto your lids. Genius! (via xo Vain)
3. The Peacock Eye: Add serious glam to your cat eye with sparkly white highlights and a dramatic blue lid that will leave you looking as pretty as a peacock. This look was made for ladies with monolid eyes, though any gal with a taste for the dramatic should try. (via Refinery29)
4. Teal Liquid Liner Cat Eye: We love this look that lets you stick with your basic feline flick, but pushes it to a much more colorful place. This teal color is to die for, though at the moment we’d try it in a lilac or other purple shade. (via Keiko Lynn)
5. 4 Cat Eye DIYs for Your Eye Shape: These tutorials help you perfect the elusive symmetry of the cat eye while showing you how to personalize the look to compliment your eye type. So no matter if your eyes are almond-shaped or round, you’ll find a way to master the flick every time. (via Refinery29)
6. Kitten Eye: This blogger proves that the cat eye doesn’t always have to look costume-y. Soft shadows and pink tinted lips complete this simple, sultry look. (via Keiko Lynn)
7. Bottom Liner Cat Eye: Show your bottom lash some love with this low-sweeping cat eye. We love how this look elongates the eye with a flick at the inner corner as well as the dramatic lower liner. (via Makeup & Beauty Blog)
8. The Coloured Cat Eye: This smokey eye-cat eye combo is unmistakably modern thanks to the base layer of rust colored shadow. It’s a softer version of the traditional bold cat eye that we’ll definitely embrace in 2014. (via Refinery29)
9. Tape Cat Eye: Here’s another fabulous cat eye hack that will floor you: use office tape get a perfect edge for your cat eye. The result is a dreamy airbrushed effect that may look less cartoon-y in a softer shadow shade like brown or silver. (via Beautylish)
10. Punk Cat Eye: If you’re gonna go for a punk rock look, who better to emulate than the vicious vixen Debbie Harry? Keep the look modern by pairing this bold eye with neutral cheeks and lips. (via Refinery29)
11. Dramatic Cat Eye: Me-ow! Go big or go home with this runway-worthy cat eye. It’s definitely a look to try during a night out with the girls. (via Refinery29)
12. Glitter Cat Eye: If you’re searching for last-minute NYE makeup inspo, then look no further: this double winged cat eye is everything. We’d even rock it sans sparkles the following day! Two looks in one tutorial? Happy New Year indeed! (via Babble)
Was the cat eye your favorite makeup look of 2013? What other beauty trends did you love? What trends are you looking forward to in the new year? Tell us in the comments below!
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
You X Ventures for Unsplash
Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
Kobu Agency for Unsplash
You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures