Step 1: Start Fresh!
- Apply moisturizer to your clean, dry face.
- Apply foundation and concealer to even out your skin tone and cover those pesky dark circles.
- Once satisfied with the coverage, pump your eyelash curler on your upper lashes three times, but be careful not to pull.
Makeup Tip: Heat your eye lash curler by holding it under a blow dryer for a few seconds. A hot eye lash curler will help set the shape of your eyelashes. Just be careful not to get the curler too hot! A feww seconds under the dryer will do.
Step 2: Apply a Liquid Line
- Grab your favorite black liquid eyeliner (Cover Girl’s LineExact Liquid Liner is an affordable and easy-to-use option )and apply a thin line along your top lash line. The beauty of liquid liner is if you make a mistake (it happens!), a little water will easily remove the error.
Makeup Tip: If you’re unaccustomed to applying liquid liner, it may be tricky, so try these tips:
- Look down into a mirror so you can see the full range of your lash line.
- Hold the liner like a pencil.
- Working, from the outside in, small lines from the outer corner of your eye to the inner corner.
- Don’t pull on your eye, this will loosen your skin and cause wrinkles down the road.
Step 3: Smudge It Out
- Grab a kohl or black crayon eyeliner (try Cargo’s High Pigment Pencil) and fill in your water line (the inner rim of your lower eyelid).
- Then, draw a thin line under your bottom lash line and smudge it with your fingertip or cotton swab.
Makeup Tip: Make sure that the top liquid line and bottom smudged line touch at the outer most edge of your eye.
Step 4: Dark Shadows
- Dip your eye shadow brush into your shade of choice, blow off the excess powder and swipe it from lash line to crease. Use a heavier hand if your eyelid is hooded (see image).
Makeup Tip: A traditional smoky eye calls for a dark gray or black eye shadow (like Urban Decay’s Gunmetal but you can create this look with any color, including plum or olive green.
Step 5: Light and Shine
- Choose a complimentary light-colored eye shadow in a champagne or buff color (New York Color’s Sparkle Eye Dust in Pink Champagne is divine ) and apply gently to your eyelid and your brow bone. This will ensure that the dark shadow doesn’t make your eye appear small.
Step 6: Bring on the Bright
- Add a little brightness to the mix by applying an illuminating powder (Tarte’s The Bright Side is dual-colored so you can switch up your look) along the inner corner of your eye, which will make the whites of your eyes appear brighter.
Step 7: A Coat or Two
- No smoky eye is complete without long lashes, so swipe a coat of the blackest black mascara (Maybelline Great Lash is voted the mascara year after year for a reason) onto both top and bottom lashes and let dry.
- For good measure add another coat to make your peepers really pop.
Step 8: Voila!
- Bat your lashes and be on your way!