The Perfect Smoky Eye Tutorial

The “smoky eye” is that one makeup look that is timelessly chic and can transform your look from daytime sexy to nighttime stunning. But even for makeup artists, it can be a tricky look to master. The entire face must have a certain style for the eyes to pop like they should, so the following steps include it all… it’s almost like giving away my trade secrets! With practice and the right tools, even you can master this look and drop jaws on your next night out. Photography by Wasim Qadri

PREPPING THE FACE

1 First, massage on moisturizer in circular motions. Then gently apply an eye cream. Shiseido has some of the best skin products for every skin type!

2 Apply concealer followed by foundation. Brush on translucent powder or very light coverage powder.

3 For this look I mixed two blushes from MAC but you can use them separately too and they will look great! I used “Sunbasque” and “Peachykeen”. Apply each one using soft strokes from the apples of the cheeks up to right before the ears. Use a different brush and apply a highlighter on the cheekbones. My favorite is “Albatross” from Nars.
EYES

1 Always start your eye makeup with a great eye shadow base. The one I love is Primer Potion from Urban Decay. Make sure to smooth it on all over eyelids and also on the brow bone.

2 For this ”Smoky Eyes” look, I used a palette from Tarte that has all the essential colors. The palette is called “Eye Couture” and you can find it at Sephora.

3 Using an eye shader brush, smooth on “Shimmery Deep Gray” eye shadow all over the l id, not all the way to the top.

4 Apply “Silver Sheen” using a different brush all along the brow bone. Also add t his color to t he inner corners of the eyes. Make sure to blend this with the lid shadow.

5 Take a contour brush and dab it in the “Black with silver fleck” eye shadow. Apply this in the crease of your eye drawing a “C” on the left eye and other way around on the right eye. Make sure to blend all the colors together!

6 Rest your pinky on your cheek and slowly line your top lash line with cream eyeliner. I love the one Clinique has. Extend the outside corners to give the illusion of a bigger eye!

7 Line the bottom lid with a black pencil liner and smudge it with a Q-tip. Kohl liner from Clinique in “Black Kohl” is amazing! The cap has a sharpener attached so it’s very convenient. You can also use this on your inner eyelid which is a must!

8 I also like to smudge in gray eye shadow into the bottom liner to give more of a smoky look.

9 The last step is to apply a generous amount of mascara. The more the merrier! I recommend “Zoomlash” by MAC.

LIPS

Since I only wanted the eyes to pop, I used a nude pink lipstick (“Chatterbox”) topped with a shimmery gloss (“Instant Gold”). Both are from MAC.

These are my tried and trusted steps to achieving that perfect smoky eye look. Try it yourself and let me know how it goes, best of luck! —SALEHA ABBASI

Saleha Abbasi is one of the few elite makeup artists in the Chicago land area. She is known for creating spectacular eye makeup for her clients filled with exotic colors and designs. Founder of Goddess Makeup, her signature eye makeup makes her brides and party goers look and feel heavenly.