We see the look on the red carpet and in the magazines, but how can us “normal” women create that amazing smokey eye? It’s actually very simple.

The Tools

Here’s what you will need to get started:

·           Eye lid base (optional)

·           Eyeliner

·           Two shades of eye shadow (light and dark)

·           Make-up brushes

·           Mascara

Now, let’s get to it!

Step-by-Step to a Smoldering Eye

Getting the eyelid ready : When you apply eye shadow, you want the color to “stick” and not melt away into your eyelid creases as the day goes on. To avoid this you can use an eye shadow base or primer to keep your eyelids oil-free before applying eye make-up.

Light Shadow : With a soft brush, apply the lighter of your two shadows to your eyelids - lay it on thick because it makes it easier to add the darker color; you’ll also have more to blend with (it helps if your lighter color is close to a skin-tone so it won’t appear to heavy).

Apply Eyeliner : Once you’ve applied the base to your eye lid, you are ready for eyeliner. Apply above the upper lash line, drawing the line thicker in the middle of eye. For smaller eyes, stop line half-way to two-thirds of the way across the lid. If you have large eyes, you can extend the line almost to the inner corner of your eye. Then blend to remove the hard edge of the line.

Dark Shadow : Use a liner brush (It should be flat and slim, approximately ¾in wide) and go over the liner with your darker eye shadow. Blend so that it is very smudgy and only leaves a dark shadow effect - no hard lines! As you apply the darker shade, it should stretch across the lid, just shy of where your eyeliner ends.

Blending : Now that you’ve got your darker shade towards the bottom of your eyelid (and plenty of the

lighter shade as a base to work with), you can blend more dark in, but keep it below the crease. Brush up from the lash line, blending in small strokes and gradually blend the dark color into the light base. Careful not to add too much dark all at once. Keep going until you’ve achieved your look - make sure both eyes match.

Mascara : The final touch is mascara - a couple coats. Use an eyelash curler for a more dramatic look. HINT: you can get better results from a lash curler by using your hairdryer on it for a few seconds to heat it up (the curling iron effect), but be sure to test it against the palm of your hand before curling - nothing worse than a burnt eyeball!

Try experimenting with color when doing your smokey eye. A common misconception is that a smokey eye is only done with black, but it can be done with blues, gold tones, purples, or whatever color strikes you. Have fun with it!

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