If you’re looking for that sultry, seductive look that’ll make you stand out from the crowd, you can’t beat the classic night-time favourite – smokey eyes.

Despite the ongoing belief that it’s hard to do due to the radical difference it makes, learning how to do smokey eyes isn’t as hard as you may think.

In this blog, we’re going to study the best way to achieve the smouldering and sexy look to captivate everyone who sees you.

Know your colours

Luckily, any combination of hues or colours can be used to produce a great smokey effect – but it is worth staying away from bright colours, especially blue hues that can force the appearance of under-eye circles. Equally, if you’re fair-skinned it’s worth staying away from darker shades that can take attention away from the rest of your face.

You will need three colours, of a similar hue that complement each other. If you’re not sure which will work best with your skin and eyes, feel free to experiment a little – even better, find celebrity pictures with similar facial features and try to replicate the look. Ultimately, for the classic smokey eye appearance you should aim to use the following:

• A light concealer or base that acts as a canvas.
• A light powder eyeshadow to help minimise creasing.
• A slightly darker shade that helps to accentuate your eyes.
• An even darker colour to add depth and drama to the final look.
• A fitting eyeline and mascara to finish.

Getting started

A piece of advice that is often ignored is the condition of the bristles on your brushes. When you’re learning how to do smokey eyes it’s important to use good quality brushes. Getting that perfect look requires a bit more precision that normal eyeshadow, so older brushes that have lost their shape are no good.

1. Using a broad brush, apply your base/primer/concealer across the whole of both the upper and lower eyelid, remembering to spread it out towards the outside edge of your eyebrows.
   
   
2. Add a layer of light coloured powder shadow on top of the base, starting from the inside corner of your eyelid and working your way outwards.
   
   
3. To prevent creasing, slowly build the powdered layer up and use a blending brush to create a seamless canvas for the next step.
   
   
4. Over the entire eyelid, but no higher than the natural crease, apply the slightly darker shade in layers until you reach the desired intensity and again use your blending brush to iron out any areas where the contrast is too obvious.
   
   
5. Using your darkest colour, take an angled brush and gently apply the powder to your lash-line on the outside corner of your upper eyelid, before looping back upwards along your natural crease in a ‘c’ shape towards the inside corner of your eyelid.
   
   
6. Ensure that you only cover at most half of your eyelid with the darkest shade, and that the darkest point is still at the outside corner.
   
   
7. To balance the darker areas on your upper eyelid, complement this on your lower eyelid by again adding the darker powder to the outside corner and use the brush to sweep the colour about half way back toward the inside.
   
   
8. Using a separate clean brush, begin to lightly blend the three colours together. Remember that you are only trying to blend the edges, not fully combine all three colours. Leaving the previously applied ‘c’ shape subtly visible through the other colours is important in capturing that ‘dangerous’ look.
   
   
9. Add a complementary eyeline to both your top and bottom lash-line and ensure that it is thick enough to remain visible and act as a ‘frame’ when your eyes are open.
   
   
10. Apply a couple of layers of your preferred volumizing mascara, remembering to avoid clumps which could otherwise ruin your look.

Of course, this tutorial refers to the classic ‘smokey eyes’ look and how to create it, but there are subtle variations of the formula that can add a little drama, so remember to experiment with different shades. Besides, it’s easy to forget, everyone’s eye-shape and skin tone is different, so never be afraid to break the mould.

Stock up on your makeup

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