Beauty Boy: The perfect smokey eye

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: TIMEINC.NET
The perfect smokey eye is achieved with seamless blending.

One of the most classic, glamorous and timeless looks in makeup is the smokey eye. It is almost impossible to look through a fashion magazine and not come across one. A lot of "mass cosmetic lines" such as Maybelline, CoverGirl and Almay will promote the smokey eye and will advertise products that supposedly make the smokey eye look easier to achieve. More times than not, these products actually don't make it easier and can often look muddy or untrue. To achieve this classic look, it is best to stick to the basics and avoid gimmicky products.

Since you are working with dark colours, it may be best to do your foundation last as you may have some "fall-aways" from the eye shadows. First, you will want to prep the eyes by making sure they are properly moisturized, and have an eye primer applied, as this will reduce the fall-aways from the eye shadows and will help the pigments appear more vibrant. Next, take a fluffy eye shadow brush and apply a light beige colour all over the eye, right up to the brow bone. This is known as the wash and will act as the base and highlight of the entire look.

Next, take the blackest matte eye shadow you can find and apply it all over the eyelid. Nars, Make Up For Ever and MAC carry some of the best pigmented eye shadows, which will require fewer coats and will have less fall-aways. Another way to avoid the black pigments falling onto the face is by holding a tissue up underneath the lower lash line or by tapping some translucent powder underneath the eyes — the black pigments will fall onto the translucent powder, which can easily be swept away with a powder brush (reducing streaking).

The next step is the most important, as it is what creates the smoke effect. Pick up a dark brown eye shadow with a crease brush and start to apply along the crease line, blending into the black shadow with a circular motion. Make sure the shadow doesn't go too close to the brow bone as this will cause the "raccoon" look.

Next, take a finer eye shadow brush and apply the black shadow on the lower lash line and then smoke it out with the dark brown eye shadow. Make sure to bring the shadows all the way along the lower lash line. You will then want to line the entire eye (including the waterline) with a black, waterproof eye liner. If you find the highlight colour is starting to fade, reapply the beige colour and blend it with a fluffy eye shadow brush. Lastly, you can either apply false lashes to create a very dramatic, intense look or you can simply apply a black mascara to finish.

The look is now complete! The smokey eye is a beautiful look that can be pulled off by many people and can be worn in different colours. The most important thing to keep in mind with this look is blending; you want to create a seamless, smokey look or else the makeup will really lose its glamorous effect.