The Tools – What You Need For Smokey Eye Makeup

Eyeshadow Primer:
Eyeshadow is essential for any kind of eye makeup, but especially when you’re applying a few different products and doing a lot of blending (and there will be a lot of blending!), you want your pigments to stay in place. There’s nothing more heartbreaking than seeing all your hard work and hours of YouTube tutorial-watching melt away in 35-degree heat.

Apply a layer to clean lids, and a line underneath your lower lashes too, before you begin. Our pick is LA Girl Eye Pro Primer

Eyeshadow Brushes:
A soft and fluffy eyeshadow brush with not too densely packed bristles works best, like the Cala Bamboo Shading Brush. This larger blending brush give you a more sheer, less pigmented finish as it picks up less product.

You will also need a pointed, synthetic brush for more heavily pigmented application and precision. This look is all about blending so stay away from stiff brushes, which make blending impossible. Try Cala’s Angled Eyeshadow Brush.

Your Three or Four Colours of Choice:
Luckily for any of you out there who struggle to know which colours to combine, there are a ton of smokey eyeshadow palettes out there for you to choose from.

Essentially you need one light highlighting shade, one dark shade for adding dimension and drama, and one or two shades that sit in the middle of those hues. For a classic smokey eye choose shades of charcoal, using medium-hued grey shades for your middle two tones and a very pale grey for your lightest.

Try Rimmel Magnifeyes Smoke Edition Eye Contouring Palette which has a huge variety of classic smokey shades to play with.

The Classic Smokey Eye Step by Step

• Step 1: Use your fluffy natural bristle brush first and dust it over your lightest tone. Buff this shade all around your eye: on your lid, in your transition area up to your brow bone, and along your lower lash line. Because you are using a brush with loose bristles the effect with be subtle.

 

• Step 2: Then dip your brush into your next darkest shade. Apply this in your crease and wrap it around to join to your lower lash line. Don’t go all the way into your inner corner; stick to the outer two thirds of your eye area and blend well.

 

• Step 3: Take your other, more pointed brush and dip it into your next darkest shade. Using small circular motions buff this into the outer third of your crease and eyelid, extending it very slightly above your crease. Then dip the point of this brush into the shadow and carefully drag it along your lower lash line.
  
  To get an ultra-blended look go in with a clean and soft brush, and cover your whole eye area with small concentric circles. This will blend everything in amazingly and get rid of any harsh lines.

 

• Step 4: Next comes the darkest colour. A trick that makeup artists use is to pile some translucent powder onto your cheeks before this step. This will catch any falling pigments and, instead of it mixing in with your perfectly applied foundation, you can just sweep it away when you’re finished.
  
  Use your pointed brush in your dark charcoal shade. This is going to go on top of your previous shades but only in the outer third of your crease and the outer quarter of your actual lid, using small patting motions, and along the top lash line like an eyeliner.  Lastly drag your brush along the outer third of your lower lash line. Be sure not to go above your crease with this colour; the trick to this smokey eye is to keep the greys high and the black low on your eye.

 

• Step 5: Then take your clean blending brush and blend, blend, blend, paying extra attention to the crease. Use a semi-circle motion, giving the impression of ‘wrapping’ around your outer eye while blending.

 

• Step 6: Eyeliner is not essential, but it will add extra drama to your smokey eye, and you’ve come this far so why not? Use a black eyeliner pencil to fill in your waterline (that’s the area between the roots of your lashes and your actual eye), both top and bottom. This will pull your whole look together and really make your eyes pop. Try Maybelline Tattoo Liner Gel Pencil.

 

• Step 7: Now to add some light. Dip a small brush into a light, shimmery eye shadow in your palette or a shade like Catrice Highlighting Eyeshadow. Lightly dot this into the inner corner of your eyes, both on your lid and around your tear duct. Blend the white hue on your inner corners inwards with the shades of grey you applied earlier.
  
  Now apply this highlighter along your brow bone. Finish with a slick of mascara and you have your perfect smokey eye.
  
  Read More. Must-Have Tips On How To Do Eye Makeup To Suit Your Eye Shape Perfectly

The Natural Brown Smokey Eye

For the same dressed-up look but without all the drama, recreate a smokey eye with shades of brown, which are often found in nude eyeshadow palettes. This will make it look natural and subtle, and more appropriate for day time. Simply swap out your charcoal tones for browns of varying lightness.

Ditch the eyeliner too, as tightly-lined eyes only really work at night. This version of the smokey eye is all about the shadow, with a simple layer of mascara to frame your eyes.

Our product picks: Essence The Brown Edition Eyeshadow Palette in Gorgeous Browns and Maybelline The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette.

The Matte Smokey Eye

For a smokey eye that looks chic and professional, ditch the shimmery shades and choose matte colours - this look works particularly well with shades of burgundy.

Once you have finished blending all your matte shades take a metallic eyeliner pencil in a complementary tone, like a bronze or copper. Lightly line your lower lash line with it. This keeps your look from being too flat and adds a touch of subtle dimension.

Our product picks: Catrice The Dusty Matte Eyeshadow Palette or Rimmel Magnifeyes Multi Eyeshadow in Crimson for a burgundy option.

Read More. How To Choose The Best Eyebrow Shape To Perfectly Suit Your Face

The Super Dramatic Halo Smokey Eye

We’ve been focusing on the outer corner of the eyes, but for extra drama try this. Use your darkest shade on the inner and outer sections of your eyelid, leaving the centre bare. Use an eye pencil in a similar shade to this shadow and line these areas too, as well as your lower lash line. Blend well with your blending brush.

Now use an ultra-shimmery shade that is complementary to what you have already used, but a few shades lighter. Use this to fill in the centre of your eyelid. Blend well and finish with mascara.

Our product picks: Essence Luminous Eye Tint Liquid Shadow in Shimmering Taupe, Gleaming Charm or Dazzling Rose.

The Smokey Cat Eye

This combines two of the most iconic eye makeup looks out there, so what’s not to love? Follow the steps of the classic smokey eye, but stop before you apply the eyeliner. While blending your shades, use outwards strokes so your shades stretch slightly beyond your outer eye. This will act as a frame for your cat eye wing.

Next use a gel or liquid liner to create a wing: draw a line from the outer corner of your eye upwards in line with the tail of your brow. Fill in the wing as thick as you would like it, add mascara, and you’re done.

Our product picks: LA Girl Beauty Brick Eyeshadow in Smokey and Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen Sharp Line Classic Tip in Blackest Black.

Read More. Expert Tips You Need to Know to Apply Eyeliner – Perfectly

The Metallic Smokey Eye

Make sure your light base shade is shimmery. The middle shades, used in the crease, should, however, be matte as if you use shimmery products here your eye will lose dimension.

Then go in with a metallic medium-hued shade for the centre of your eyelid and blend it well with the matte colours in your crease. For a bit of drama, try a gold, silver or rich bronze for a striking metallic smokey eye look. Use a flat brush for your metallic shades, as you want to ‘pack’ the colour on, not spread it. Dot a tiny bit of the metallic shade in the centre of your lower lash line, and finish with mascara.

Our product picks: Passion Pro Metallic Eyeshadow in a variety of metallic shades.

The Colourful Smokey Eye

If you are just so not a grey, nudes and browns kind of girl, this look totally works with colours too. Start simple and replace your middle two colours with medium-hued shades of your favourite eye shadow colour. This will give a smokey feel to your go-to eyeshadow look.

If you want your look to be bright then ditch the dark smokey tones all together. Use four different shades of red, blue, purple, or whatever colours complement your eyes best. Purples work well for green eyes, browns and reds for blue eyes, greens for brown eyes, and purples and blues for dark brown eyes.

Our product picks: Catrice 5 In A Box Mini Eyeshadow Palette Diamond Lavender Look, Essence Welcome To Miami Eyeshadow Palette Intense Metallic Matte for the purples and some beautiful blues, and LA Girl Beauty Brick Eyeshadow in Neon or their Fanatic Eyeshadow in Surreal Dream.

Read More. Skin Undertones: Making It Super Easy To Choose The Right Makeup Shades For You