How to: Pefect the Smokey Eye

     

         


           There are many celebrities that opt for this look, for a dramatic on the red carpet at glitzy events. The dark, smoldering smokey eye makeup is perfect for the evening. The smokey eye involves the use of some heavy colors over the eye area. Dark shades such as, grays and blacks are predominantly used to achieve this look. One rule of thumb to keep in mind is that when you are going for this dramatic look, you should avoid using distracting colors on other parts of the face. For example, with a smokey eye, you should never pair a bright lipstick(which will draw attention away from the eye area). Similarly, strpng colors should be avoided also on other parts of the face, such as bright blushes.The focal point of your smokey eye makeup is the eyes. All other makeup should serve to highlight this feature and blend in with this look. Opt for light, translucent blushes/light bromzer to add a hint of color to your cheeks and a pale/nude lipstick shade, which sets off the smoldering eye makeup to great effect.It's an ageless look that can be perfected with the right technique. The key is to perfect smokey eye lines in a skillfull blending. Before you start, ensure that you have the right equipment to master this look: a smudge and blending brush in appidition a eye liner brush.

                     The first step to a Smokey Eye:
 The fist step is to appy the concealer to any dark circles under your eyes very effectively before you start working on your eyes. Since this look involves the use of dark shades, the dark circles under your eyes can mess the entire look unless they are hidden completely. When choosing a concealer, pick one that is one to two shades lighter than your natural skin tone or an orange concealer if you have very dark circles underneath your eyes.
Using eye makeup primer is also a good option to get that perfect smokey eye look. These come in powder and cream form, and they help the eye shadow stay on longer. By using this, it also prevents your eye makeup from getting smudges beneath the eye lids. This helps you maintain that smokey look through the evening. Wipe primer across the eye and let it dry thoroughly before you get onto the next step.
Next, apply foundation all over your face and finish it off with loose translucent powder or even a color powder, if this is what you prefer. Just make sure the powder is the sae color as your skin tone and not darker or lighter.

                    What Colors to use for Stunning Smokey Eyes?:
Although the smokey eye is always dark, there is no reason why you cannot add some color. The key is to ensure that the colors you use do not undermine the stark effect of the look. You can pair light based colors and rich colors to achieve this stunnin look. Gold and champagne make excellent base colors too. Jewel toned shades are a ood option for a variation of smokey eye effects. Gold and browns, and purples also give you a unique look. Metallic tones also go well with all skin tones. Plus, they add a bit of glamour to your smokey eyes that detract from the typical dark smoldering look and add a dash of mystery & allure to it. Green shadows and liners give a more modern smokey eye. For completely different effect, try using purple or blue mascara.

                   Eye Shadow Application for Smokey Eyes:
 When applying, you should use the richest and darkest color should always appear near/around the lash line. The color should go lighter as it reaches towards the creas of your eyes. The base shadow should always be light. You can use shimmery cream, whites, taupes, pearls or even silvers as the base color. For myself, I like to use shimmery cream and silver colors. Stick to neutrel shades for the best effects.
Apply the base shadow over the eye lid up to the brow bone.
Next, take a medium shade color and apply it to your crease of your eye. Use your eye shadow brush to apply the dark shade starting at the outside corner of your eye(creating the "v" shape) from the end of your crease area and finish it off onto your lash line. The eye liner should not be seen once you blended completely. Take your blending brush and blend the dark color in with the rest of your makeup.
One point to remeber is that both your eyes need to match closely enough that it goes along with your color tone, shade and density. Since you are blending the dark shade to achieve your smokey eye effect, matching both eyes can be a challenge.
The secret to brighten up the smokey ye is to add a faint line with a white pencil around the inner eye rims, or you should also use a light shimmer powder to hightlight the inner corner alone.
Finish this look off with a great amount of mascara application of mascara. You may want to apply several coats to make your lashes appear thick and luxuriant. To add some curl to the lashes use an eyelash curler. For a dramatic look, you may want to opt for strip or individual lashes to give your eyes some extra oomph.

               Applying Eyeliner:
The typical smokey eye look involves the use of alot of black,gray or brown. Use any of thes shades for the eyeliner. Apply the eyeliner to both the top and bottom lids, and as close as possible too. On the upper lid, start thin at the innermost corner of the eye and make the line thicker as you move out. Pencil liner may give you a different, more dispersed effect, than liquids. So you can use both of these on different occasions to get slightly varying smokey eye looks.
An important thing to remeber is that, the smokey eye look is the eyeliner on the bottom of the eye. Avoid liquid liners for this and use pencil instead as the are easier to smudge. Smudging the liner gives you a more natural look.
You can follow the eyeliner application with a brush dipped in the eye shadow. Use a eye shadow brush for this and select a dark shade of shadow. This addition of the eye shadow over the liner stays on longer. It also gives a layering effect, which enhances the smokey eye look.