1. facetime: Deal with your face as you must. I suggest prepping the eyelid with concealer, which will act as a base for eyeshadow. Additionally, I would choose a subdued blush, or maybe even bronzer or highlighter instead. If your face is shiny, use powder. Dewy skin is a distraction.


2. liner: Black is invariably recommended, but any dark shade without brightness will do. I personally like to use black on the inner rim (not necessary, but commonly seen), and MAC Teddy Eye Kohl (a dusky sable) to line. The sable liner goes first: choose a soft, smudgeable formula and apply a thick, smoky line to the top lashline, then thinly along the outer 2/3 of the bottom lashline. Blend it upwards onto the lid, using a small brush, a shadow sponge, a q-tip, or even your finger; a good trick is to trace your kohl with a dark powder. Reserve the inner rim as the penultimate step; the natural dampness may cause it to smear.


3. depth: The reason why you have applied the liner first is because the shadow that goes over it will soften the line, and because the liner is creamy, will ensure that you naturally deposit more pigment close to the lashline, which is be helpful if you are not particularly deft with the brush. If the liner becomes too faint, it's not much trouble to retrace. For this step, I recommend Shu Uemura ME Brown 850 (probably what was used above), but you may prefer a more standard silver or the elegant taupe. You are not restricted to neutrals, I've seen amber, olive, lavender, rose, mauve, and plum used to great effect. Other than the Shu, I myself alternate with a greyed lilac, as it matches Teddy superbly and adds more interest than grey. If you work with mattes, the effect is less pronounced, more ethereal (it makes me think of how Angelina Jolie does her eyes, sans liquid liner). Use a fluffy brush to apply a wash onto the lid, making sure you concentrate pigment closer to the lashline and the outer corner of the eye. It should fade as it reaches the crease. Alternatively, you may prefer just to trace your liner and crease, as seen in the photo above.


4. highlight: This may be white, pearl, dove grey, beige, champagne, pale pink, or gold, depending on your coloring and the desired effect. A complementary color, but don't get too inventive, too much contrast will ruin the smoky eye effect (it might be pretty, but it won't be a smoky eye). Apply to the browbone, and perhaps also the inner corner of the eye. If you've chosen to do a crease, you can also apply some on the center of the lid, or use yet some other color, perhaps one that contrasts beautifully with your crease (for example, if you've used a charcoal to line, a plum for the crease, you can apply gold on the inner corner and rose on the center of the lid).


5. inner rim: Now is the time for it, if you wish to. Black is very sexy, but a peachy beige will open up the eye.


6. mascara: The final touch. Oh, and brows, of course.


7. lips: I do not think that strong eyes necessitate nude lips. You may prefer it that way, but as you can see in the photo above, a soft, pinkish red gloss doesn't look overdone. All the same, this is not the time to experiment with lipcolor. If your smoky eye is quite neutral (Smashbox Eye Shadow Trio in Twilight has the classic white/silver/black in one pot; it's perfect), your favorite everyday gloss is often well suited. If not, NARS Eros Lip Lacquer would do marvelously with a range of possible colors.

Labels: lookbook, mac cosmetics, nars, shu uemura, smashbox