How To Do A Smokey Eye?

Imagine you have a party to attend right after office but limited products at hand to glam up your look for the day. What do you do? Smokey eyes come to your rescue here. This beautiful gradient eye makeup technique looks amazing but requires the least work, product and expertise.

Rock the look with western or ethnic wear, it is that versatile! The best part is, it’s easy and quick with minimum products. Want to see how? At tira, we have summed up all the techniques to achieve a mesmerisingsmokey eye. Read on for the decoded steps.

Why do a smokey eye?

When there are so many ways to glam up your look, what makes the smokey eye so popular? It adds dimension to your eyes and face. Moreover, the look is perfect for any type of eye. It takes very less time to create but the results are sexy if done right. The best part? Even a makeup novice can perfectly create the look if they have the products and time.

Things you need to do a smokey eye

A girl’s handbag is her best friend when it has a stash of all makeup essentials. Here’s what you will need to create the smokey-eye look:

• A good quality medium to high coverage concealer to brighten the under eye as well as correct any fallouts.
• A shader brush that is dense enough to pack the pigment on your eyelids easily.
• A blending eyeshadow brush that has dense bristles and is clean.
• An eyeshadow palette or 2-3 shadows that work as a base, crease and transition colour altogether.
• Gel eyeliner or kohl creates the first base for the powder products and adds the maximum depth to your eye makeup. Choose something that is creamy but sets into a transfer-proof and non-smudgy base in a couple of minutes.
• Volumizing or curling mascara lifts and lengthens the eyelashes and adds more drama to them.

Step-by-step tutorial for a smokey eye

Once you have gathered all your makeup, it’s time to start creating the look. Ideally, this look is all about layering the colours to create a gradient that is flattering and enhances the shape of your eye. Here’s how you do it:

Priming the eyes

Start by priming the eyelid and concealing the under eyes. Use the concealer in very little amounts all over the eyelid and blend it thoroughly. This even outs the pigmentation of your eyelid and creates a base for the products to grip on. It also enhances the colour of your eyeshadow.

Tightlining the eyes

In this step, take the kohl and line the inner part of your upper and lower eyelid. If your eyes are small, do not line the lower lid with black kohl.

Picking your shades

Ideally, the smokey eye comprises three shades. A base colour that goes all over the eyelid. There is a transition colour that is lighter and blends out the base colour to the crease. Lastly, there is a highlight shade which is the lightest but matches your skin tone. It is applied on the brow bone to create the dimension of the eye socket.

Create the darker base with a gel liner

Generally, the darkest shade of a smokey eye is black or brown which goes closest to your lash line. Choose a gel-based formula to get maximum pigmentation. Once you lightly draw the line, smudge it carefully bordering the upper eyelid and the outer one-third of the lower lid.

Apply the base eyeshadow

With the shader brush, pack the base colour all over the eyelid and slightly smudge it to avoid the fallout from excess powder shadow.

Blend with the transition shade

Take the blender brush and a small amount of the transition shade to blend the darker colour into your crease line and slightly above it. The key is to focus on blending the colour as much as you can. There should be a smooth gradient between the two colours and yet they can be told apart.

Highlight colour

Use your fingers or the shader brush to lightly apply a highlighter on the brow bone. Furthermore, highlight the inner corner of your eyes to balance the darkness over the eyelid and brighten the eye.

Do not forget the lower eyelid

Slightly smudge the transition and base colour in a thin line on the lower eyelid to complete the look. If you have small eyes, do not forget to line the lower lash line with nude kohl- it makes the eye look bigger.

Tips and tricks for smokey eyes

While smokey eye looks fabulous and easy to pull off, there is always a slight chance of going overboard. Here’s how you can get the look right every time:

• Invest in good quality brushes, especially a blending brush. Blending well is the key to achieving this look.
• Do not use more than three shadows to create the look. It will be simple enough but still very glamorous.
• Blend the gel liner quickly before it sets or else, you will get a streaky appearance underneath the shadow.
• Concealing the undereye is crucial so that you do not look sick as all the drama over the eyelid creates an illusion of shadow in your undereye.
• Only use a touch of the base colour or the darkest colour and then blend it out. Gradually build the depth. Or else, you will end up with racoon eyes if you start with a large quantity of shadow.
• Do not press down the brush and forcefully rub it in your eyelid to blend. Always work with a light hand. Otherwise, all the shades will mix up together and appear muddy rather than having a smooth transition.

Once you get the basics right, nailing a smokey eye makeup every time is a cakewalk. Tira experts have compiled these tips to help you master this glamorous yet easy look so you never have to dress boringly at a party again.