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Tips to Create Smoky Eyes

Smoky eyes are sexy, alluring, and are always in vogue!

When you create a sultry look, your eyes will look deep, dark, and smoldering. Youza!

Since everyone has different eye colors, you’ll need to experiment a bit to find out what smokey colors suit you best. Sometimes the obvious colors aren’t necessarily the best color choices!

sexy smoky eyes image

Smoky Eyes

The traditional smoky look combines black and white colors or gray, black, and white colors. However, the shades and colors you choose are completely up to you. Also, if you want your makeup to last a long time, you'll need to apply a makeup primer! One of the most affordable and best primers around is Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion.

For brown eyed gals, try brown color contrasts! For blue eyed sweeties, opt for deep shades of blue paired with light blue sky colors. For green eyed beauties, try emerald shades or deep greens with mint shade highlights. Hazel eyed babes can use any of colors to match her eyes as they change!

A good rule of thumb for smoky eyes is to use darker, deeper colors if you have darker colored eyes and hair. If you have light colored eyes and lighter hair, then use slightly lighter shades.

The key to the perfect smoky eye is proper blending. You want to make sure that colors are blended together seemlessly. It's also important to pair light base colors with rich dark colors.

Remember, the look you get depends on your skin tone and hair color, so why not try a few different tones or shades to see which ones suit you best!

smokey blue eyes image

Smoky Blue Eyes

Shimmery Smoky Charcoal Eyes

Smoky Purple Eyes

What You’ll Need

Small eye shadow brush.

Black eyeliner – Use pencil liners under the eyes and on the rims of the eyes.

Black eyeliner – Liquid liner works best. Use liquid liners to line the top of the lids. Make them as thin or thick as you like.

For traditional smoky eyes, use dark eye shadow colors in grays, blacks, charcoals, and whites. Or use other non traditional colors, like different shades of purple, pink, green, blue, or brown.

Highlighting shimmer for your brow bones. (Or, just use your light or white shadow!)

Black Macara. Obviously choose a quality brand to avoid clumping or 'spider eyes'. You can also use any color mascara, like Covergirl Eyelights for flirty moods!

A good eyebrow pencil. Try to select the most natural shade that blends well with your brow hair colors.

Eyelash curler.

How to Create Smoky Eyes

If you're using a makeup primer, like Lorel Magic Perfecting Base, apply it before applying any makeup. Apply foundation, concealer, and loose powder. Wait for about 10 minutes to make sure makeup and powder is 'set'.

Using your black eyeliner pencil, start from the front corner of your eyelid to the end of your lash line. Smudge it for more eye definition.

Use your eyeshadow brush to apply your dark eye shadow over the top of the eyeliner pencil smudged line for a soft smoky look. Ensure that edges are neatly blended.

Use liquid eyeliner and apply as close to your lashes as you can on the top lid only. Make the line as thick and pronounced as you wish, but make sure that the line is thickest at the outer corner, and thinner as you go inward. Allow to dry thoroughly.

You can apply a coat of eye shadow along the liquid eyeliner line to blend harsh edges, or not. With your shadow brush, blend darker eye shadow to your eye crease. If you have a small angled shadow brush, apply a small bit of dark shadow under your lower lashes. This really makes your eyes pop! Don't draw a straight line though. Use mini up and down strokes below the lower lashes. Smudge out with your ring fingertip.

Apply a shimmery highlight in white or other highlighting colors to brow bones down to the crease. Use your eyebrow pencil to make your eyebrow curve more pronounced. Curl your eyelashes, then apply thin coats of mascara, building layers gradually to avoid clumping. Allow mascara to completely dry in between coats!

If you don't want to use typical black and gray colors, use a gold base with deep brown on top, champagne base with bright blue colors, or peach base with green colors. True smoky looks can only be achieved though, by using typical white, black, and gray colors.

My favorite new trick for smokey eyes is to use different colors that have lighter color already in the shadow blends. (Use smoky eyeshadow sets.) Apply the darker colors in a line along the outer, upper lashes, but stop half way. Then apply the white shadow colors in a line along the inner, upper lashes, but stop half way where your darker color has been applied. (You will end up with half dark and half white colors along the upper lashes.) Then apply a thin line in your darker color halfway along the outer lower lashes only.

The darker colors enhance your outer eyes by making them appear larger. The white color brightens up your inner eyes. You get the best of both worlds in one quick, easy application!

You can also blend the line of demarcation if you like for a blended look. This new trick really makes smoky eyes more versatile. Change up the colors you choose to give you a new look every time you wear makeup! Try darker colors like purples, blues, and greens but to make your eyes pop, use lighter colors in the inner eye.

Cool's totally the rule! You are the queen of your own smoky eyes! There are no right or wrong color choices!

Smokey Eyes Video