You’ve got the sexy outfit. Your hair is bouncy, curly, and voluminous. You’ve got that perfect shade of lipstick that makes you feel fancy, fantastic, and fabulous. You’ve got it all going on, except… that perfect sexy smoky eye that you’re lusting after.
There have been many times where I’ve attempted to get that smoky eye look, only to have my makeup look more “smoky the raccoon” than “smouldering sex vixen.” Even when I do get it right, it never looks quite the same as when a makeup artist does it.
Fear not! Since many of us will be dressing up for Halloween this Friday, I thought it would be fun to do something different & bring in my friend and beauty expert Carmen Rachel to provide some tips on how to create the perfect smoky eye. She’s responsible for creating Katrina’s sultry Bachelorette Party makeup look featured in this post, so she definitely knows her stuff.
After all, just because Halloween is the scariest day of the year, doesn’t mean your makeup has to be (unless that’s what you’re going for…then, carry on!) FYI, if you are avoiding Halloween this year, these are great tips to use when putting together a lingerie or sexy boudoir look.
There are three things you need to take note of, when creating a smoky eye. Saturation, Shade, and Shape. Let’s start at the beginning of sexy eyes 101…
SATURATION: No patchy color here! We want our eye to be deep and smouldering all over. Carmen recommends starting your eye look with a deep cream base – think chubby eyeliner, or cream eyeshadow. Press the product close to the lash line, and blend up toward your crease with fingers or a clean concealer brush. If you blend away too much product from the lashline, no worries! Just apply a bit more, to ensure that the most concentrated amount of product is closest to your lashes. This is going to be a base for your powder eyeshadow.
Top Product picks for a saturated Base:
Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Holey Smokes!
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Color in Tuxedo
SHADE: We’re no longer stuck in the 20’s. Smoky eyes needn’t be BLACK. You can create this look with any beautiful colours you choose! Carmen’s favorite shades when creating a sexy look are Deep bronzes, or Vibrant plums. Experiment with different cream bases and shadows on the back of your hand to see what you come up with! You can put a vibrant purple on top of a black eyeshadow stick for a deep, but stunning vibrant violet. Remember when you are layering your powder over your cream, you want to press the color on with your brush/finger instead of rubbing or sweeping. Pressing will ensure you get even saturation and color all over your eyes.
Top product picks for eyeshadow colors:
MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Shadow in Black Rose
Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Busted
SHAPE: But where does it end!? How far, how tall, how high, how much of a dramatic cat eye?? This is one question that you have to answer yourself. It’s all about how much glam and intensity you’re looking for! Carmen’s suggestion here is to keep your eyes open while you’re applying your powder eyeshadow. A fluffy blending brush is essential here, you can blend the colour on your eyelids up and our, using light back-and-forth strokes from the inside to the outside of your eye. Keeping your eyes open will allow you to see how the make up will actually look. The shape of your eyes are considerably different when they are closed – if you do all your make up in this position, it might be a bit disappointing when you finally open your peepers!
Remember that make up comes off, and not to stress yourself out! If it gets a little bit to intense for your personal taste, you can always take down the intensity with some make up remover and a Q-tip. To give your eyes an extra lift, draw an invisible line from the corner of your eye to the tip of your eyebrow – don’t let colour go beneath here. You can also add a bit of colour on your lower lash line if you feel comfortable.
Top product pick for shape and blending:
Sephora Pro Blending Brush #27
FINAL TOUCHES:
Here is where Carmen likes to add a shimmery bright eyeshadow right below the brow bone, and in the inner corner of the eye, for a little bit of glow and contrast. False lashes are your friend, and they definitely add some foxy goodness to this look! You can also layer some shimmer or glitter on top of this look for a fun burlesque appeal.
Top Picks for Final Touches:
To Hi-light Inner corners and Brow Bone: Laura Mercier Baked Eyeshadow in Ballet Pink
Natural false lashes: MAKE UP FOR EVER Nude Eyelashes in #156
For fully, fluffy lashes: Benefit Pin-up Lash
For Shimmer: MAKE UP FOR EVER Diamond powder in #15 Smoky
For Glitter: Stila Foil Finish Eyeshadow in Metallic Merlot
The most important thing is that you have fun and you feel fantastic. Have a great time to creating the perfect colour combination to suit your style and personality!
Photo by Steph Martyniuk, Model Roxie Woudberg, Make up and Hair by Carmen Rachel
Got a fun event lined up? To contact Carmen Rachel for her rates, with questions, or to share your own smoky eye looks – E-mail her at carmenrachel@live.com. You can also find her on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
