02/08/2023
7 Tips for the Perfect Smoky Eye, Straight From Professional Makeup Artists
7 Pro-Recommended Tips for Flawless Smoky Eye Makeup
1. Stay Smudge-Free with a Primer
A little bit of primer goes a long way. In fact, eyelid primer is a critical step when applying smoky eye makeup. Priming your lids can help ensure your dark shadow and eyeliner stays put and doesn't get easily smeared outside your lids and rims.
2. Use a Bit of Brown
"The way to get the most attractive smoky eyes is to add warmth," Surratt says. "Even if I'm doing a black smoky eye, I'll mix in warm, dark brown to give dimension." He suggests lining underneath the eyes with a black pencil: "Then take a small shadow brush, dip that into [brown] eye shadow and put it over the pencil. Blend the two together, to create that rich, diffused look."
3. Play With Colors
Smoky eye makeup doesn't have to be black. Try experimenting with other rich, dark colors, like deep plum, navy blue, charcoal gray, or dark olive.
4. Stay Close to the Lashes
"You have to be careful about how far down you take the makeup," Surratt says. "As a rule of thumb, the color shouldn't extend too much further than your lower lashes — it starts to look ghoulish if it extends too far down. You want the color to be rich and dense closer to the lash line, diffusing out subtly the further down you go."
5. Blur Your Lines
While smoky eye makeup is carefully applied, it's not meant to look that way. Smoky eyes should be artfully smudged. Run a crease brush or mini-dome brush along your lids to blend out the eye shadow for a signature smoky look. Gently smudge the color under your eyes, as well.
6. Consider Placement
"Keep eye shadow under the iris and the outer corners. You don't want to bring eye makeup into your tear troughs," he says. "The tear trough is the area where women put concealer — from the tear duct down."
7. Clean Up After Yourself
"Apply the eye makeup first, then clean up with Q-Tips, or eye makeup remover to keep it looking polished," Surratt says. Keep the color near the lashes, then brighten the area by applying a little highlighter to the inner corners.
