NOTE: This article originally appears in Fresh Vancouver magazine on page 28 of the Nov/Dec 2010 issue. Download the original article PDF by clicking on the right, or read the entire article below.
No sooner have we put away our Halloween costumes and ghoulish makeup for another year than the holiday season is upon us. Holiday parties and LBDs abound, so how can you make yourself stand out above the rest? With beautiful, flawless and extraordinary makeup, that’s how! The smoky eye has been a mainstay for a few years now, having become so popular that we’re including the more subtle day smoky eye now, so we can wear it day and night! A modern approach to the traditional smoky eye look is creating more balance between the eye makeup and the lips. lt was formerly suggested that with such a strong look on the eyes, the lips should remain pale or nude in colour. Today, we can embrace bright. bold lips paired with the intensity of this eye makeup, and what better time to do this than this year’s holiday party!
The Perfect Smoky Eye
One thing remains the same with this makeup technique as with any other: the rest ofthe face should be a weII·blended, flawless base of foundation and concealer where needed. In particular, with darker pigmented colour on the eyes, a good concealer under the eye is essential to keep it looking bright. Halloween is over, after all! Two concealers I recommend are Dior Nude Skin Perfecting Hydrating Concealer. and Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage. There are many variations on the smoky eye; this is how I prefer to do mine. First, use a waterproof cream base eye shadow in at neutral shade all over the eyelid to help keep the eye makeup in place and to avoid creasing. I recommend Beneht Creaseless Shadow Liner or Bobby Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow. Next, add the eye liner. Remember that with the smoky eye, you want the darkest area to be right at the lash line, fading outwards with the lighter shades. Line the upper lash line and lower lash line with a pencil liner in a dark colour such as brown, gray or black, My favourites for this are Clinique Quickliner For Eyes #1 I blacklbrown, and for a more intense look, MAC Eye Pencil in Smouldet: Blend this out slightly with your finger or at brush such as MAC #214. For a more dramatic look. you can also add eye liner to the inside of the lower lash line, called the water line.
Next, apply eye shadow Use a palette of two or three varying hues in plum, brown, gray, or black. To the same upper and lower lash lines, add the darkest shadow in your palette. This is to intensify the liner, and help keep it in place. You Can place the shadow on the eyelid straight across and up to the crease, or for a more modern look, only 3;*4 ofthe way across the eyelid. leaving the inner corners ofthe eyes lighter as in the included photo. Use a small, flat, compact brush such as MAC #239. Next, take the next lightest shade of shadow and apply it in the crease area, blending slightly around the eye socket to connect with the lower lash line shadow. Use a crease pencil brush and blending brush such as MAC #219 and #224. For a bit of extra highlight, add a light, neutral eye shadow (matte or shimmer) to the upper eye lid just below the eyebrow and in the inner corners of the eyes. Wonderful eye shadow palettes for Creating the smoky eye are the Dior 5 Couleurs. With this look, two things are very important: the brushes you use, and the blending ofthe eye shadows. Blend efficiently to remove any hard edges, so the transition ofthe dark eye shadow appears fused into the lighter eye shadows. To complete the eyes. finish off with two coats of mascara. The eye shadows and eyeliner create a “srnoked out” look around the eyes, and the lashes, without a healthy amount of mascara applied to them, tend to look too understated. Mascara will help bring the lashes to level of intensity suited to the eye makeup. Two wonderful mascaras to try are Dior Diorshow. and Lancome Hypnose.
Lips and Cheeks
You can follow the traditional smoky eye rule of keeping the other components of your makeup light when paired with the heavier eye, or try a little more colour. Add a lipstick ranging from plurny pink to red. A few beautiful shades to try are Dior Dior Addict #773, #323, Lancome Ifitbsolu Rouge, MAC Lipglass Li’ Hot Pepper and Russian Red. Apply a natural looking blush and keep it looking youthful by applying it to the apples of the cheeks rather than going into the contours ofthe cheeks. Enjoy this beautiful, captivating makeup that will be sure to get you noticed!