Step by Step Smokey Eyes

Smokey, sultry eyes—they look so good in the pages of a magazine, but we all know those models didn't do it themselves. Usually there is someone like me standing just out of the range of the camera making sure those eyes look perfect. And yes, for a close-up on an advertising shoot, the makeup application can take well over an hour and even more time being retouched. But as with anything, a little know-how and the right tools will take you a long way. Believe me, smokey eyes can actually be done by anyone!

Last week I said I would take you through a step by step primer. Rather than brown, I opted for a silver and grey combination that I believe could truly work on anyone. I was lucky enough to have my friend Jacalyn agree to be my model. So here we go:

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Start with clean skin. Make sure you moisturize especially around the eye area and tweeze any stray hair from the brows. Making sure the brows are well groomed makes the finished look more polished.

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Use concealer under the eyes and foundation over the entire face and eye lids. Don't powder the eyes; the creaminess of the foundation makes creams glide on the lids and allows for a much easier and well blended application.

Groom the brows; fill in where needed and apply eye brow gel to keep the brows in place.

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Begin with a silver cream shadow (I used Makeup Forever Aqua Cream in 3 Silver) over the lid as well as on the inner corner of the lower lash line. Leave the outer corner of the lid bare for the darker color.

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Using a pencil (MAC Smolder), apply along the lash line and outer lid as well as overlapping onto the silver. You don't need to be too neat, as you will be blending with a brush.

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Blend well with a synthetic brush. These type of bristles work best for blending creams. Make sure the silver and grey blend seamlessly into each other. This is the most important step of the application.

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Apply pencil on the outer half of the lower lash line and blend into silver as well. (This is a repetition of what was done on the top lid in a much smaller space. Skip this step if you tend to be very dark under the eyes.)

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After everything has been blended, apply a sheer layer of translucent powder to set the creams and transition from wet products to powders. My kit is never without Sonia Kashuk translucent loose powder. Also apply a thin layer of lose powder under the eyes to catch any shadows as you blend (kind of a drop cloth).

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The next step is to layer shadows over the creams. MAC Satin Taupe shadow is one of MAC's best-selling, looks-great-on-everyone shadows. Apply over the same area as the Smolder pencil.

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Apply a silver shadow (MAC Forgery) at the inner corners of the upper and lower lids. Use a larger brush on the top lid and a small detail brush for the inner corners and lower lash line.

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Finish the eyes with a generous application of mascara. I have a serious crush on Maybelline's Volum' Express the Falsies mascara in Blackest Black. It builds beautifully without clumping, and comes off pretty easily.

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Here's the finished eye—smokey, modern, and very wearable.

Thanks Jacalyn!

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