Smoky eyes are the gold standard of eye makeup, on par with a perfectly angular cat eye. A smokey eye adds depth and dimension to your eyes giving you a sophisticated dramatic look. Paired with the right lip this look could be worn day and night. It is easy to think that this look is created solely by applying and then smudging black eyeliner, but this is not the case. However, with the right tools and a little extra time this look can easily be achieved!
It is easy to understand why so many people misunderstand the process behind applying this type of eye makeup. They see amplified shadows around the eyes and assume that the subtle darkness must be a result of faded black shadow. But in reality it’s all about layering and blending the products correctly. Some black may be added in the end for definition, but in my opinion dark brown is a better option. You can still achieve the desired look without it looking too heavy. After all, you are trying to look glamorous and not like you fell asleep with your makeup on.
A good, multidimensional smoky eye requires just three different eyeshadow shades. The first is one that will be your base color. This is usually a shade in the taupe family. When applied lightly over the entire eyelid, it provides a fresh base for the other colors and makes blending easier. Second, you want a medium brown shadow applied on the crease of the eye as the transition color, for this step you want to blend this nicely with a fluffy brush without going too far up into the brow bone. This brown will be filling in the crease of the eyelid but should still be clearly visible when the eye is completely open. Third you want to apply the darkest color on your lid by packing it on with a small synthetic brush. This type of brush helps pack on more product with less fall out. With this last step it is important to remember three things: One, you don’t want to go too high up into the crease. Second, it is about layering not putting it all on at once! You can get the desired intensity by adding layers and third, it is crucial to blend this dark color with the medium color as much as you can. Blend until you see a smooth transition between the medium brown and dark brown. So, blend blend blend! Keep in mind that this look depends on applying more makeup than seems necessary, as it eventually gets buffed and blended into a sheer finish that is much paler than the initial application.
The last step to complete this look is to dab and blend the dark eyeshadow along the lower lash line with a flat and pencil brush always remembering not to take it too low to prevent it from lookig messy. Last but not least using a pencil eye liner, line your water line to bring the whole look together, apply mascara and you are ready to Glam-On!
The best part about this technique is that it can be performed with two shades of virtually any color on top of the taupe base shadow. No eyeshadow palette is off-limits when one is able to masterfully apply a smoky eye.
Photo: Juliana Avila
