Smokey Eyes for Dummies

Did you know that there is more than just one smokey eye?  Smokey eyes don’t have to be black or gray–they can be anything!  Green, purple, brown, blue, even red smokey eyes, can look great.  My personal favorite is a metallic gold smokey eye.

Step 1- Choose the right smokey eye color.  Brown eyes can pull off almost any color, but they look best with green or purple.  Green eyes look great next to browns or golds, and blue eyes complement blue smokey eye shadow.  Red smokey eyes are difficult, but would probably look best with warm coloring and brown or green eyes.  Hazel eyes can pull off both the colors of green and brown–and a black smokey eye looks good on everyone.

Image by dreamglow pumpkincat210 via Flickr (a green-blue-gold smokey eye–you can mix colors)

Image by dreamglow pumpkincat210 via Flickr (a blue smokey eye)

Step 2- Prime. Prime your eyelid with some kind of eyelid base.  This helps the eye shadow to stay in place.

Step 3- All-over color- Apply a light, sheer color all over your eyelid and up to your brown bone. Make sure it’s not too shimmery.  A neutral eye shadow should be used for red or purple, a slightly golden eyeshadow can be used for green, brown or gold, and a slightly silvery eyeshadow can be used for blue or black.

Step 4- Lid color- Apply a basic color to the lid- so if you’re doing a purple smokey eye, apply a purple eyeshadow to your lid.  It should be dark, but still pigmented and clear.  It shouldn’t look like black, unless you’re doing a black smokey eye, which case, you should use either charcoal, dark gray, or black here.

Step 5- Crease and outer corner- Use a very dark color for your crease or outer corner.  It can be black, but it can also be a very dark purple, green, blue, or whatever color matches the rest of your smokey eye.  Blend this so it doesn’t look too sharp.  A round fluffy brush will be great for this application.

a neutral brown-black smokey eye

http://www.squidoo.com/smokey-eye

Step 6- Lower lash line- Use that same dark color to line your lower lash line.  If your eyes are small or close together, only line halfway down the lash line.  If your eyes are far apart or very large, line all the way to the inside.

Step 7- Eyeliner- You probably won’t need much eyeliner on top, since your lid will be dark, but feel free to line both your upper and lower lash line with dark eyeliner if you see fit.

Step 8- Mascara- A few coats of black mascara will complete the look!