Ahh… the Smoky Eye: Girl’s alluring best friend. Our secret weapon. Our tool for intrigue.
A couple months back, I did a full makeup tutorial on what I called ‘date night makeup’, where, you guessed it, a smoky eye was featured. The tutorial was littered with odd and random special guest appearances in the background, unbeknownst to me (shocker, right?), but I think I got my main point across…
But, something a lot of people don’t realize is that the smoky eye doesn’t need to be… well, smoke colored. It doesn’t need to be black or grey or brown. Those are all awesome and sexy and great, but you can take virtually any shade and use it to smoke up dem peepers.
(Although, one can never go wrong with a classic, smoky smoky…)
Products used were Wet n Wild shadow palette in Comfort Zone – the taupe color on the upper lids up to the brow bone, and along the lower lash line.
e.l.f. Jumbo Eyeshadow Stick in Midnight Rendezvous in the waterline of the lower lid.
But now back to colors- The other day I showed you a purple version… (and let it be known that for all the following looks I’m showing you, I’m lining the waterline of my eyes with the color as well, which deepens and intensifies the look. (The waterline being the very inner rim of the eye, closes to the eyeball itself.) This also makes the eyes appear a bit smaller, so be cautious when trying this, depending on the shape of your eyes. But lining the lower lash line with something that’s a couple shades lighter helps in opening them up.)
Link to the products used, HERE.
And here’s a green version I sported the other day on a lunch meeting…
Products used were Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder in Khaki as the shadow on upper lids up to the brow bone, and along the lower lash line.
Wet n Wild shadow palette in Comfort Zone – the taupe color – at the brow bone. And the pale gold color under the arch of the brow and at the inner corners of the eye.
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Rocky Mountain Green in the upper and lower waterline.
And here we have a copper fella I brought pumpkin picking with the fam…
(I had never done a copper eye and I had a TON of fun with this one!)
Products used were Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder in Copper as the shadow on upper lids up to the brow bone, and along the lower lash line, all the way to the inner corners of the eyes.
Wet n Wild shadow palette in Comfort Zone – the taupe color – at the brow bone. And the pale gold color under the arch of the brow and at the very inner corners of the eyes.
Wet n Wild Kohl Eye Pencil in Simma Brown Now! in the waterline of the upper and lower lid.
(I think it’s safe to say by now that I’m a HUGE fan of the Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powders… they come in an incredible range of colors, are well pigmented and rich, can be used wet or dry, have a nice staying power, are only $5 a pot at CVS… they’re amazing and I have so many of them, but somehow not nearly enough…)
You’ll notice I barely have lipstick on in any of those photos. And that’s because when you’re playing up your eyes, you really need to keeo your lips neutral. Whether it’s a flat nude lipstick, a nude gloss, or a very pale pink/coral in the same shade as your natural lip tone, it should be subdued so your eyes can shine.
As for mascaras in the above pics, ya’ll know I’m a huge mascara fan and avid tester…
Remember this?
So I’m constantly switching things up and layering different formulas… but still, to this day, my all time favorite mascara is the L’Oreal Voluminous in Blackest Black. It never fails me. And is featured mostly above. But I’m in the process of testing some new ones and will have a video for you all soon!
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As for all those colored smoky eyes up there… Um, yeah…those were all in one week. Perhaps even in sequential order. I just had a lot of fun playing around with makeup that week. If I can recall, it was a particularly emotional week for me, and I think I somehow looked to my cosmetic drawer to bring a little brightness and color into my days. I know that sounds superficial, but it works. It’s kinda like that saying, ‘fake it til you make it’… or how they tell you to smile even when you don’t feel like smiling and soon you’ll start feeling like smiling just because you smiled? Basically the same thing. I also have this thing where I know I won’t cry if I’m wearing really good makeup. I just won’t. I don’t wanna waste a face!! So that’s how I can get myself to dry up them tears. (Hey, don’t knock it til you’ve tried it… totally works.)
But really, I just love to play with makeup. And that’s what I love about it, and what I teach my daughter about it- makeup is just plain fun. That’s all it should be viewed as – FUN. We women can’t grow beards to change up our face, but we can swipe on a shade of shadow and darken those lashes. So, why the hell not?
The key to getting this done right is blending. You can’t show the beginning or the ending of your eyeshadow… you have to make it so it just appears as part of your lid. It should fade in… and then fade out… And the color choices are incredibly important, depending on your eye color. So knowing which colors work best for you and which one’s don’t is really key. I have a lot of yellow in my eyes and it shows up more when I wear anything pale blue.
Case in point, this very old and poor quality photo showing what happens when you let your (then 4 year old) daughter pick out your makeup…
Not my best color choice…
So really, an eyeshadow color can actually alter the entire shade of your eyes. Which, is incredibly cool and fun… but knowing your best colors helps a lot.
Here’s a quick and easy guide…
. b r o w n & h a z e l e y e s .
If you have brown eyes, you’re in luck because pretty much anything goes, really… and that’s because brown eyes are a mix of primary colors. Dark brown eyes can benefit from a deep, cobalt blue. If yours are more hazel, a purple-plum shade can enhance them, and a gold shade will bring out the yellow flecks. And any shade of green works beautifully and will pick up any flecks in the brown.
. g r e e n e y e s .
Green shades works on green eyes… Colors in the gold family are lovely… Plum, purple and eggplant shades are excellent for green eyes… And browns are nice as well. Be aware of blues, as they can conflict with the green, depending on your specific shade.
. b l u e e y e s .
Neutral tones are great for blue eyes… taupes and champagnes being ideal. Soft corals and salmon is beautiful with a blue eye.
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There you have it! A quick run through on the colored smoky eye. Which I think served as a nice break from all the Thanksgiving food you’re about to be inundated with, yeah?
I hope ya’ll are having a great Sunday. It’s my favorite day. Spend it well. xo
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