Smokey Eye Tutorial

So I was recently asked by my family if I could do a smoky eye tutorial on Youtube for them and I thought it may be useful to write a blog post on the products I used so that I could give a better understanding of what they do and why I chose them.  Keep in mind my goal was to make it as simple and as affordable as possible. I’m going to list the products first and then explain the steps for you. I want to emphasize that this smokey eye is one TYPE of technique and there is NO wrong way to do this.  This is my way of doing it, and I think it comes out deep and sultry and is really sexy!

When I did the video, I had already done my eyebrows and primed my eyes.  I use MAC cosmetics Spiked to fill in my eyebrows and their Painterly Paint Pot to prime my lids.  If you don’t want to fill in your brows, that’s fine, they’re not really the star of the show, your beautiful eyes will be.  But a more affordable eyelid primer is by NYX Cosmetics called Eyeshadow Base and it retails for $6.99 at Ulta. The Painterly Paint Pot retails for $22. I like them both but the Paint Pot is a cooler toned shade (blue-undertone) while the NYX primer is a warm-toned shade (golden undertones). The reason why it shouldn’t matter is because the shadows should be covering this product.  Let’s move on.

In the video it’s pretty obvious that I don’t have makeup on the rest of my face, just my eyes. The reason for this is because I didn’t want the dark eyeshadow to fall on my under-eye area (this is called fall-out) and then I’d have raccoon eyes which is what you are all fearful of looking like, if you have never done a smokey eye.  I got you. We’ll do our best to stay away from that look. So one technique is applying the eyeshadow first, then using a cotton round with eyemakeup remover to remove any excess eyeshadow.  The other technique is to use a piece of tape to give a more precise cat-eye look and also have a crisp clean look afterward. This was no special tape, just from my office supply drawer but be sure to put the tape on your hand first, if you’re doing this.  That will ensure that it’s not SO tacky that it pulls on your eyes once you remove it.  The skin around your eye area is sensitive and does not like being pulled on very much.  So be kind to your eyes and they won’t screw you when you’re 45 and droop as badly.

Products you can use:

·         NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in the Shade Black Bean ($4.49 at Ulta)

·         Wet n’ Wild Studio Palette Coming In Latte ($6.99 at Walmart)

·         ELF Cosmetics Eye Crease Brush ($1 Target)

·         ELF Cosmetics Eye Shadow brush ($1 Target)

·         ELF Cosmetics Smudge Brush ($1 Target)

·         Loreal Voluminous Original Mascara in Blackest Black ($5.89 Target)

I sell a kit that includes all of these products as well as a couple of samples for a little cheaper and you don’t have to search all over.  I’m a Top Rated Ebay seller as well as a seller on Poshmark so check out my Smokey Eye Kit here XXXXXXX. You can save $5 on your first purchase on Poshmark using my code JIOKM

So either you’ve decided that you’re going to try out the tape technique or not,  you’ll need to lay it on your eye if you do, at this point.  If you are placing the tape on your eye, start out one end near the end of your eye and aim the other end towards the area near the end of your eyebrow tail. This is where it thins out (for most). Start off by applying some of the NYX Jumbo pencil in Black Bean to your eyelid.  None of this needs to be done with precision which is important to keep in mind. Smoky eyes are associated with a grungy look and that’s what makes this so easy and fun. Try not to place the Black Bean pencil higher than your crease (where your eye lid folds to go into the socket). You can apply it as you would any other pencil and then use your finger to smudge it around so that the entire eye is covered.  Again, JUST your eyelid, not above the crease.  So leave some space between the crease and your eyebrow.  This is a common mistake that people make and can lead you right to raccoonville. Once the black is on your lid, it’s time to apply a brown shade.  This shade is called the transition shade. It’s going to make the black eyeshadow seem less harsh. So place the brown shade in the crease and start blending on a windshield wiper motion (Left to right to left to right …etc.). This could very well take you 5-10 minutes to get nice and blended.  Don’t get discouraged if it looks muddy.  It’s okay.  You’re going to layer shades over each other so it’s not critical for each shade to be perfectly blended. It is important that you learn how to blend because this will be done in each step.  Proper blending will appear as if the shadow is airbrushed on and there is no apparent line of demarcation. I did this tutorial using budget friendly products but I’d like to point out that higher end products and tools make the blending process a breeze. So for example, with these products it can take up to 10 minutes to get the blending done while with a product of a higher quality and price point, it may take 2-3 swipes. So depending on how much you want to spend, that’s going to determine how hard your products and tools will work for you. Please don’t translate this to, spend a lot of money and your makeup will come out glamorous each time. Because no.  That won’t happen without some practice. But girl let me tell you, spending a little on some good quality eyeshadows will make you want to wear it every day and make you feel like a pro.

Once you’ve blended that brown out it’s time to apply the black eyeshadow.  You’re going to want to pack this eyeshadow on.  This means you’re going to pat the eyeshadow on instead of swipe back and forth. The black eyeshadow will stay below your crease line.  DO NOT GO ABOVE THE CREASE LINE.

One of the last steps is to put the black eyeliner on your water line which is on the inside of your lower lash line. Use the short haired Smudge brush to add some more shadow to the lower lash line. You can use the brown and black shadows or either or, according to your preference. This is mainly for you to complete the circular smudged look. After this, all you need is some mascara (which ever brand you use is fine).