How To: Basic Smoky Eye

Smoky eyes are the most common and widely used look for fashion and for a night out with the girls. There are many varieties and ways of creating a smoky eye effect, but I will give you my rendition of how to acheive a basic smoky eye using just a few products that you might already have in your makeup stash!

#1) You want to start with your eyes for this look. Since we are using dark shadows, there is the possiblity of having fallout under the eyes which will ruin your foundation.

#2) Prime the entire lid with a neutral color that is close to your skintone (you can use a cream concealer if thats what you prefer) this will ensure that your eyeshadow will not crease and will stay put longer.

#3) Take a black cream and apply it onto the lid up to the crease (it doesnt need to be perfect because you will blend it out later). I recommend using a concealer brush for cream products instead of bristle brushes so the application is smoother. If you do use a bristle brush, make sure its stiff, small, and thin so you dont get it all over.

#4) With a small eyeshadow brush apply black eyeshadow right on top of the black cream shadow. This will emphasize the color and seal the cream shadow.

#5) With a clean rounded dome brush or crease brush blend the black shadow up into the crease and just slightly over into the brow bone (be sure not to go too far up especially if you dont have a lot of lid space to work with).

#6) Take a matte neutral (or slightly lighter than your skintone) color eyeshadow and apply it with an eyeshadow brush to the brow bone just under the eyebrows. Blend into the black for a gradual rise in color effect (darker near the lash line getting lighter towards the brow bone).

#7) Tightline the upper and lower waterlines with a waterproof black pencil liner and also line the upper lashline getting as close to your lashes as possible.

#8) Taking a small angled liner brush, take that same black eyeshadow you used on the lid and smudge it across the lower lashline, this will also help to prevent the liner from running.

#9) This step is optional, but if you want to brighten the eyes a bit, you can use a shimmer white, silver, or gold eyeshadow in the inner corners of the eye using a small rounded dome brush.

#10) Curl lashes with an eyelash curler and coat with mascara or you can apply false lashes for a more dramatic look.

#11) Finish the eyes off by filling in your eyebrows following your natural shape with a brow pencil or eyeshadow. The golden rule for eyebrow color is to go two shades lighter if you have dark hair and two shades darker if you have light hair. You can use a wax or clear gel to set the eyebrows in place, but that is optional, only if you have some strays or untamed brows.

Suggestions to go with this look:

• Pair it with a natural lipstick and/or gloss, try using a light beige or pink color
• Cheeks should be neutral also since you want the emphasis on the eyes, try using a light pink or peach blush or even just a bronzer for daytime
• For an added kick, you can use a blush with shimmer in it for a little glow or some sparkly lipgloss

Products I Would Recommend:

• MAC Paintpot in Painterly or Urban Decay Primer Potion
• MAC Paintpot in Blackground or Fluidline in Blacktrack
• MUFE Aqua Eyes eyeliner to line eyes
• Shu Uemura eyelash curler
• Chanel Powder Blush in Tempting Beige
• MAC Lipstick in Cream Cup
• Loreal Voluminous Mascara