Easy Peasy Smoky Eyes!

I love makeup, skincare and everything girly, so the hardest part of writing my first blog article is, what topic do I choose? I finally hit on the one thing I’m known for – smoky eyes. I have small eyes, which I hate, so I try every trick in the book to make them look bigger and more dramatic. I wear smoky eyes every day, and do my makeup on the train (it buys me an extra 30 minutes sleep!). Because I’m travelling and don’t want to take a brush roll and 300 shadows with me every day, I had to choose my “bare essentials” and trim my technique as well. It showed me how little I need, and how little effort it is, to get the smoky look I love. So without further ado, let me share my technique with you for easy-peasy smoky eyes! 

Click through to read more:

 

What I used for this look:

 Urban Decay Primer Potion eyeshadow base, Sugarpill eyeshadows in Bulletproof, Tako and Mochi, Diorshow Extase mascara, Sigma E25 blending brush, Stila 15 eyeliner brush (the sponge applicator can be used instead of brushes with a bit of patience).

Step 1: Creating a base

I always start with an eyelid primer – it gives a nice even “tacky” base for the shadow to stick to, and lighter colours tend to “grab” more and appear more pigmented. If you don’t have a specific lid primer, dab on some foundation or concealer.

Start with your lightest shade – a “highlight shade” like white, champagne, or silver. If I am using warm-toned green or brown shadows I will use champagne, gold or cream as my highlight shade. For cooler colours like purples or greys I’ll use silver or white. Cover the eyelid with your highlight shade, concentrating on the inner corner.

 Step 2: Adding colour

Your second shade is your mid-toned shade. This is where you can add a pop of colour e.g. a vibrant green, purple, or copper. Using a fluffy blending brush or sponge applicator, start on the middle of your eyelid and work the colour towards the outer corner. With the remnants of colour on the applicator, lightly wash your second shadow over the inner corner to blend the two shades together. Finally lightly blend the second shadow into the crease, taking it above the crease by about 3-4mm.

      

Step 3: Smokin’!

Now for the “smoke”! You don’t need much – this is where I used to go wrong, applying deep shadow to my entire lid and looking like I’d been in a bar brawl!

Take a small brush or fine applicator, and apply the deepest shade to your upper lid in a sideways V with the point facing the outer corner of your eye - a smudgy line along the outer third of your upper lash line, and the outer third of the crease. 

Deepen the outer third of the eyelid little by little, and then switch back to your fluffy brush to add depth through the crease, bringing the shadow to just above the crease line and blending it through your mid-toned shade. 

Switch back to the fine brush and line your lower lash line if desired, and shape the outer edges to get the final look you want. 

Finish with mascara and you’re done!

       

This technique is easy and versatile – if you have a white, and a black, then you can put pretty much any colour in the middle, no matter how vibrant or crazy, and it will blend together into a gorgeous look, especially with a slick of black eyeliner.  If you’re feeling creative you can add a bright eyeliner, or glitter liner, along the top lash line, or some false lashes to vamp up the look a little bit. 

Thanks for reading my very first blog post, Tokidoki kitty and I hope this helps you get a bit more adventurous with your eye shadow – life is too short to live without colour!