How To: The Wearable Smokey Eye

There are countless tutorials on how to achieve a foolproof smokey eye (Lisa Eldridge's is my favourite) but I've always shied away because I'm an eyeshadow noob. Give me a  liquid eyeliner pen and I'm in my element, but as soon as eyeshadow gets involved my hands start shaking.

I had a little spare time on my hands though, so I decided that it was finally time to conquer my fears. Karlie Kloss and Felicity Jones rock it all the time, so I should at least give it a try? After my foray into smokey eyeshadow I've put together a few tips. The might be painstakingly obvious to the makeup mavens amongst us, but if you're a beginner like me, here are some tips.

Tip #1 - Leave concealer till last. It may have been my technique, or the eyeshadow that I was using, but there was a lot of fall down on my cheeks by the time I'd finished. I ended up removing my concealer and starting again and it would have been much easier to leave concealer last and use it to tidy everything up.

Tip #2 - Take it easy. Start by applying the smallest amount on a pencil brush and go from there. It's easier to add more than it is to remove some when you've added too much! Choose an image for guidance and keep referring to it - are they winging it out or did they keep the eyes round? It's a cliche, but slow and steady wins the race.

Tip #3 - Fluffy brushes are your best friend. Each time you add more shadow, blend it out a little bit. Concentrate it at the lash line and go back and forth to blend it into a smokey haze. When it comes to smudging under the lower lash line - go as low as you think looks good. Because I knew I had to leave the house with this makeup I left it looking quite tame!

Tip #4 - Black Kohl makes all the difference. I never use a black kohl on my lower lash line for fear of closing up my eyes but doing a smokey eye is the one exception. It brings the whole thing together and doesn't close up the eye because of the shadow you have underneath.


Ta-dah! Those are my thoughts on creating a wearable smokey eye. Who do you think wears it best, and what products do you use when you crack out the eyeshadows and eyeliners?