Achieve the Smokey Eyes Effect in 5 Easy Steps

Among the most popular eye makeup trends these days is the “smokey eyes.” The eyes pop beautifully in this kind of style, and it is composed of a blend of competing colors of different shades and intensities. Most models use this on their eyes as they tend to look more fierce and fearless, and if you want to achieve the same look, then here’s what you can do:

First, gather your materials:

• Primer – You can use an eye primer, or a foundation. Primer is used to hold the makeup together.

• two shadows – 1 dark, 1 light

• makeup brushes

• mascara

• eye liner

Steps:

1. Prepare the eyelids by dabbing the primer on them. This is to have a base when applying the rest of the makeup. The primer keeps the sweat and oils from coming into your eyes, so that your eyes won’t get irritated when sweat trickles and mixes with makeup, which can be irritating when it hits the eyes.

2. Draw the lines. The usual smokey eyes consist of black, gray or brown shades. If you’re going to follow this effect, you can begin with drawing a line on the upper lash line. Make the line thicker in the middle to put emphasis on the eyes.

3. Give the bottom lashes their color. The key to an effective smokey eye look is by using eyeliner. Smudge the lighter shade on the lower lash to achieve a fuller image.

4. Next, add the darker color. Darker tones give out the heavy effect, so be sure to keep the dark shade just below the crease. Using an eye shadow brush, smudge the lighter blending with the darker shade on your eyes. Do not spread the darker shade beyond the creases.

5. Achieve the full effect by applying several coats volumizing mascara. Since the smokey eyes give off a strong, powerful effect, it becomes the center of attraction of your face. To prevent messing up with your looks, here are some tips you should remember:

• If you chose to wear smokey eyes, then keep the rest of your face pale and nude. There’s no need for full red lips or pink cheeks; they will only make you look like a clown.

• If you are tired with the grim black and monotone shades, try to have fun with blue or purple shadows. They give a more vibrant effect on your eyes.

• Try to play with shimmering effects on your smokey eyes. Pairs of gold and chocolate brown during summer, or green-blue and gold during special occasions can do the trick. Deep plum over a silver-gray base meanwhile works well on the colder months.

• Make sure that the shades blend. A common mistake here is that the colors are applied on the same place but have their own areas of concentration, thus the smoky effect is left missing. You will see a brown crease and a gold shade, but the transition from brown to gold and vice versa is not there. Better practice the blending on your skin first by smudging the two shades, until you get the right way to do it.