How to Apply Smoky Eyeshadow
Smudge eyeliner along your lash lines., Sweep a dark shade across your lid., Blend the shadow up to the crease., Highlight the brow bone and inner corner., Curl your lashes and add mascara.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Smudge eyeliner along your lash lines.
A basic smoky eye usually starts with eyeliner.
Use a creamy pencil liner, and run it along your upper and lower lash lines.
You should keep the liner thinner on the lower lash line, but you can go a little thicker across the upper lash line.
Next, smudge the liner with a small brush, your finger, or a cotton bud to soften it.Jet black liner is traditionally used for smoky eyes, but you can use any dark shade that you like, such as dark brown, charcoal gray, navy blue, forest green, or eggplant.
Using your finger to smudge the liner will give your smoky eye a messier, grungier look if you prefer that type of makeup. -
Step 2: Sweep a dark shade across your lid.
The key to a smoky eye is using darker powder eyeshadows that give your eyes a sultry look.
Choose a dark shade that contrasts with your skin tone.
For example, if you have very fair skin, a mid-tone shadow may be dark enough for a smoky eye with your complexion.
On the other hand, if you have ebony skin, you’ll need to use a very deep shade to create a smoky eye.
Use a small, flat brush to apply your chosen shade across your entire lid, even over the smudged liner.
As with eyeliner colors, you aren’t confined solely to black and gray shades for your eyeshadow.
Warm, rich bronze tones and other brown shades are very flattering, but you can also go bold with jewel tones, such as a deep emerald green, navy blue, or rich purple.
If you’re wearing the smoky eye during the day, you’ll want to go with a dark shadow that’s on the lighter end of the spectrum.
For a bold evening look, you can choose a very deep shade.
If you’re worried about the dark shadow looking too harsh, use one that has a slightly shimmery finish.
It will reflect light, and your eyes won’t appear quite as dark.
If you don’t have a brush to apply the shadow, you can use the sponge-tip applicator that usually comes with eyeshadow to press the color onto your lid. , For a traditional smoky eye, the color should be darkest closest to your lash line.
That means you want to soften it as moves it up toward the crease of your eye.
Use a small, fluffy crease brush to blend the eyeshadow from the lid up into the crease using a windshield wiper motion.
Take your time blending the shadow into your crease.
You don’t want any harsh lines or edges.
If you can’t diffuse enough color into the crease from your lid by blending with a bare brush, you can tap the crease brush against the shadow to pick up some additional product.
Just be sure to tap off any excess so you don’t apply too much. , Once you’ve finished blending the dark shadow across your eye, you want to use a light colored shadow to brighten up under your brow bone and the inner corner of your eye near the tear duct.
Depending on your skin tone, apply an ivory, cream, or beige shade with a small brush to those areas.
While you can use any light shade that you like to highlight, it’s best to choose a shadow that doesn’t have too much shimmer or glitter.
A matte shade is the best bet, but a satin or slight shimmer finish can also work well. , Because dark shadows can tend to make the eyes look smaller, you want to open them up as much as possible.
Start by using an eyelash curler to curl and lift your lashes.
Next, apply your favorite mascara to lengthen and thicken the look of your lashes so they can stand out against the dark eye makeup.
You may need more than one coat of mascara to get help your lashes stand out with the darker makeup.
Make sure not to apply too much, though, or lashes may start to clump. -
Step 3: Blend the shadow up to the crease.
-
Step 4: Highlight the brow bone and inner corner.
-
Step 5: Curl your lashes and add mascara.
Detailed Guide
A basic smoky eye usually starts with eyeliner.
Use a creamy pencil liner, and run it along your upper and lower lash lines.
You should keep the liner thinner on the lower lash line, but you can go a little thicker across the upper lash line.
Next, smudge the liner with a small brush, your finger, or a cotton bud to soften it.Jet black liner is traditionally used for smoky eyes, but you can use any dark shade that you like, such as dark brown, charcoal gray, navy blue, forest green, or eggplant.
Using your finger to smudge the liner will give your smoky eye a messier, grungier look if you prefer that type of makeup.
The key to a smoky eye is using darker powder eyeshadows that give your eyes a sultry look.
Choose a dark shade that contrasts with your skin tone.
For example, if you have very fair skin, a mid-tone shadow may be dark enough for a smoky eye with your complexion.
On the other hand, if you have ebony skin, you’ll need to use a very deep shade to create a smoky eye.
Use a small, flat brush to apply your chosen shade across your entire lid, even over the smudged liner.
As with eyeliner colors, you aren’t confined solely to black and gray shades for your eyeshadow.
Warm, rich bronze tones and other brown shades are very flattering, but you can also go bold with jewel tones, such as a deep emerald green, navy blue, or rich purple.
If you’re wearing the smoky eye during the day, you’ll want to go with a dark shadow that’s on the lighter end of the spectrum.
For a bold evening look, you can choose a very deep shade.
If you’re worried about the dark shadow looking too harsh, use one that has a slightly shimmery finish.
It will reflect light, and your eyes won’t appear quite as dark.
If you don’t have a brush to apply the shadow, you can use the sponge-tip applicator that usually comes with eyeshadow to press the color onto your lid. , For a traditional smoky eye, the color should be darkest closest to your lash line.
That means you want to soften it as moves it up toward the crease of your eye.
Use a small, fluffy crease brush to blend the eyeshadow from the lid up into the crease using a windshield wiper motion.
Take your time blending the shadow into your crease.
You don’t want any harsh lines or edges.
If you can’t diffuse enough color into the crease from your lid by blending with a bare brush, you can tap the crease brush against the shadow to pick up some additional product.
Just be sure to tap off any excess so you don’t apply too much. , Once you’ve finished blending the dark shadow across your eye, you want to use a light colored shadow to brighten up under your brow bone and the inner corner of your eye near the tear duct.
Depending on your skin tone, apply an ivory, cream, or beige shade with a small brush to those areas.
While you can use any light shade that you like to highlight, it’s best to choose a shadow that doesn’t have too much shimmer or glitter.
A matte shade is the best bet, but a satin or slight shimmer finish can also work well. , Because dark shadows can tend to make the eyes look smaller, you want to open them up as much as possible.
Start by using an eyelash curler to curl and lift your lashes.
Next, apply your favorite mascara to lengthen and thicken the look of your lashes so they can stand out against the dark eye makeup.
You may need more than one coat of mascara to get help your lashes stand out with the darker makeup.
Make sure not to apply too much, though, or lashes may start to clump.
About the Author
Sara Wells
Writer and educator with a focus on practical pet care knowledge.
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