The
smokey eye; why is it so coveted? I mean, of all the words in the
make-up language, why are they the ones most uttered? Surely an
eye-defining socket line, a chiseled cheekbone or a punctuating lip
deserves the same degree of prestige? Furthermore (and to make matters
even more confusing), for some reason, when the general population is
in the possession of kohl and dark shadow they don’t make the most of
it (as their obsession might indicate), instead they wind up looking
more tramp and less vamp. I’m at a loss.
Oh,
wait, I get it, it’s that age-old theory, huh? That old chestnut that
states ''what you can’t have, you want more of … and now'.
Right then!
Well … if you, like so many others, are not sure how to apply a smokey
eye and therefore find yourself outside the smokey eye circle (i.e. not
in the company of Pamela Anderson, Liza Minnelli or Mary-Kate Olsen)
but desperately want to know the secret, here’s what to do.
- Begin
your make-up with your smoky eye application, not your foundation. This
will allow you to be as messy as you wish (or indeed can’t help being).
-
Next, choose a dark brown shadow such as Bobbi Brown’s Eye Shadow in mahogany, and a kohl pencil in black (try Model Co’s eye pencil in black.
-
Now, carefully rim your upper and lower lids, and trace over your
lashes with the kohl; squeezing your eyes together tightly afterwards.
- The next step is to take a cotton tip and smudge (not smear) the eyeliner around your eyes to create the smoke-like effect.
-
Finally - before applying mascara - add a touch of eye shadow over the
kohl using a small angled brush; blending as per the previous step. Not
only does this intensify the look but helps it stay in place as well.