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Beauty School: Smoky Eyes Tutorial

| Sunday April 11, 2010

The Smoky Eye was once again present both on the runways and the red carpet this season, and it’s a safe bet that this trend is here to stay. Infinitely variable to the mood or occasion, the smoky eye is all about technique, not colour. Try bronze shades for a formal event, ultra black for a night out, olive tones for a fresher take, or violets as a fun twist. Keep the rest of the face to a bare minimum to ensure the focus is on the eyes. For this tutorial, we enlisted ChickAdvisor member, CheekeyMunkey.

What you need:

(1) Foundation (we used Cargo OneBase Concealer + Foundation In One in ‘01’)
(2) Loose powder to set (we used MAC Prep & Prime Translucent Finishing Powder)
(3) Eyeshadow primer (we used MAC Paintpot in ‘Painterly’)
(4) Eyeshadow highlight (we used Maybelline New York EyeStudio in ‘Green With Envy’)
(5) Eyeshadow feature colour (we used 2 shades from Thierry Mugler’s Regard Stellaire Eye Shadows & Lights in ‘Blue Rhapsody’)
(6) Deep dark eyeshadow for intensity (we used MAC Carbon)
(7) Eyeliner (we used Cargo SmokyEye Eyeliner Duo in ‘Katmandu’)
(8) Mascara (we used Maybelline New York The Falsies Volum' Express)
(9) Lipgloss (try Maybelline New York Shine Sensational Gloss for nude shimmer)
(10) Blush (we used CoverGirl & Olay Simply Ageless sculpting blush for a delicate natural flush)
* Optional: false eyelashes (here’s how to apply them)

Kerry’s gorgeous skin needed only a little coverage under the eyes, where I blended Cargo OneBase using a concealer brush. Set the foundation with loose powder, and dust liberally under the eyes to catch eyeshadow fallout (you'll remove it later).

Apply eyeshadow primer all over the eyelid. Pat a light champagne colour as a highlight, concentrating on the brow bone.

Create a guide to help you apply the eyeshadow by drawing a line using a flat brush and eyeshadow, from the outer corner towards the end of your eyebrow, stopping at the crease.

Using an eyeshadow brush apply a rich shade as your feature colour (we used the dark blue shade on the Thierry Mugler ‘Blue Rhapsody’ quad), just passing the crease and stopping a bit before you reach the inner corner of the eye.

With a tapered blending brush, blend harsh edges using a windshield wiper motion.

Take a small shadow brush to create depth along the outer crease using a dark shade like MAC Carbon (or the deepest colour in your chosen palette).

Using a flat brush apply the same deep shade along the lower lash line stopping just before the tear duct. Brighten your eyes with a highlighting shade in the inner corner.

Dab on a lighter shade in the middle of the crease to make the eyes pop. Brush away the powder and eyeshadow fallout under the eye with a fluffy brush; clean up any smudges with a Q-tip.